MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Lionel Hickenbottom made his return Saturday and his presence was felt in the Huskie defense.

The sophomore strong safety missed the last three games because of a knee injury. Hickenbottom led the team in tackles with 10 stuffs in his first game back since Sept. 29 against Toledo.

“Lionel is a big part of this defense,” said junior linebacker Larry Williams. “He plays with such enthusiasm. He goes out there and he is so fired up for every play.”

Hickenbottom received a scare in the second quarter after reaggrevating the same knee, but returned several plays later.

The sophomore thought when he went down with the injury, he thought his season was done.

“I knew it was the same injury,” Hickenbottom said. “But I have to be strong in the mind to get back out there.”

Red zone woes: The Huskies managed to score their second touchdown in the red zone in their last eight tries when quarterback Chris Finlen hooked up with receiver P.J. Fleck for a 13-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

In those eight tries, NIU has managed to kick four field goals. The last time the Huskies scored in the red zone was last Saturday in their 20-12 win over Western Michigan, when Thomas Hammock muscled his way for a five-yard touchdown.

Still in the lead: Hammock still holds first place for the most rushing yards in the Mid-American Conference after his 195-yard performance against CMU. Hammock now has 894 yards on the season. Toledo’s Chester Taylor, who held the lead for most of the season, is only 43 yards shy of taking Hammock’s spot at first. Taylor has rushed for 851 yards this season.

Defensive struggles: Central Michigan has one of the worst defenses, statistically, in the MAC.

The Chippewas has given up 436.5 yards a game before Saturday, third worst in the MAC. CMU ranks last in the MAC in scoring defense with 33.2 points a game, and rushing defense with 209.2 yards a game.

NIU responded with scoring 33 points against the Chippewas, rushing for 209 yards, and having 412 total offense.

Wait a second: Sophomore placekicker Steve Azar missed his first extra point after making his last 24 in a row. The sophomore kicked the point after touchdown wide left after NIU’s third touchdown of the game at the 14:29 mark of the fourth quarter.

The last time Azar missed an extra point was last season against Eastern Michigan. After Finlen scored on a six-yard scamper, the sophomore missed the extra point that would have broken the school record for most points in a season.