Junior tailback LeShon Johnson didn’t have his best game of the season, and it showed in the Huskies’ 21-14 loss to Army last Saturday.

Though he moved himself up to No. 4 on the NIU season rushers list with 1,262 yards, Johnson’s 68 yards on 16 carries was obviously the focal point of Saturday’s ballgame.

“We did not change our defense to shut him down,” said Army head coach Bob Sutton. “In my eyes, if a guy comes in and gets the ball 30 times, he is going to get his yards.

“We wanted to try to prevent the big plays. Our goal was no runs of more than 20 yards. He is an excellent back, and I thought our defense did a good job.”

“From a passing standpoint,” said NIU head coach Charlie Sadler, “I don’t believe we did a lot to relieve the pressure on LeShon. If he gets the long run and gets 150 yards, we win, and everybody is happy.”

Junior Scott Crabtree and senior Rob Rugai exchanged the quarterbacking duties for yet another game this season. Together, they produced 252 yards of offense and three turnovers.

Crabtree finished the day 7-for-10 for 82 yards and two interceptions, while Rugai ended the game 11-for-17 for 107 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Other problems that plagued the Huskies were injuries to the defense. Already missing senior free safety Tom Rhomberg for the season, NIU lost four players during the course of the game.

Inside linebacker Tony Smith came out with a mild sprain to his left knee. NIU head athletic trainer Mike Braid says that Smith will wear a knee brace and that he might be ready to play this Saturday.

Nose guard Rob Wagner came out with a sprain to his right ankle.

Outside linebacker Scott Hein sustained a strain to a muscle in his neck. Braid says that X-rays were taken and that if the soreness decreases, Hein will be able to play against Toledo. Defensive end Matt LeVoir has a fracture to his right ankle and will be out for the remainder of the season.

“The injuries really hurt,” said Sadler. “We lost a lot of stability with Rob Wagner’s injury. Our defensive ends were probably really tested for the first time. Whenever you have someone with less experience, your defense is somewhat softer.”