Joe Novak could not believe his ears Saturday when he found out Ball State defeated the Mid-American Conference West Division leader Toledo.

NIU athletics director Cary Groth stopped the press conference to let everyone know the Cardinals pulled off the upset, causing the six Huskie representatives — Novak, Chris Finlen, P.J. Fleck, Thomas Hammock, Vince Thompson and Larry Williams — to let out a big sigh of relief.

“Hang on,” Novak said. “We’re in this race, in case you don’t know that. This season is far from over. We’re still in this race, so buy your tickets.”

With the Rockets’ loss, the Huskies now have a shot of winning the MAC West. Toledo faces Western Michigan on Nov. 6, and the Huskies face Ball State Nov. 17. If the Rockets lose to the Broncos, and the Huskies beat the Cardinals, barring a conference loss, NIU would win the MAC West Division.

The Huskies would host the MAC Championships against the MAC East Division Champion on Nov. 30, with the game on ESPN.

“There is a lot of things happening out there,” Novak said. “We have been through the maze. A lot of things are going to happen, so you never know.”

Which is exactly what could be said about the Huskies. NIU was on a three-game losing streak, losing to MAC powerhouses Toledo and Marshall, and losing to Kent State last week.

Now, with their first win against one of the Top 3 teams of the MAC — Toledo, Marshall and WMU — since rejoining the MAC back in 1997, the Huskies are having some high hopes for the rest of the season.

“We were down after the way we played in the last three weeks,” said Finlen. “Coming out and winning this game has put a lot of character and confidence back into this program.”