Have you looked through the NCAA record books lately? Hey, there are three letters that often pop up that might look familiar—N-I-U.

Despite having lost two games this year, the Huskies are riding high as far as statistics are concerned.

On the offensive side, junior tailback LeShon Johnson continues to climb the ranks in the rushing category. His 107 yards on 21 carries last Saturday shot him into the Top 20 among Division I rushers.

Johnson currently ranks No. 18 with 412 yards and three touchdowns. He was also awarded Huskie Player of the Week for the second time this season with his second 100-yard game of the year.

“He looks good,” said Wisconsin inside linebacker Gary Casper. “He looks like he can match up with Big Ten backs.”

“Johnson is a big-time player who could play for just about anybody,” said Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez. “He has been very impressive. He has tremendous speed. Our defensive people, in watching him, have gained an awful lot of respect for him.”

Senior quarterback Rob Rugai continued with great pass efficiency. Last Saturday’s 13-for-20 pass performance dropped him two spots in the NCAA rankings, but he is still among the top ten quarterbacks in Division I.

He has also thrown a string of 60 consecutive passes without an interception. His 473 total passing yards puts him on track of becoming a 1,000-yard passer, the first Huskie quarterback to do so since Marshall Taylor in the 1988 season.

Sophomore inside linebacker Gerald Nickelberry and senior free safety Tom Rhomberg tie for No. 37 in NCAA pass interceptions with two apiece. They are the first to snag two interceptions in a season since Ron Delisi in the 1988 season.

There’s even a No. 1 ranking, but it’s not in the AP or UPI polls. The Huskies traded spots with the Badgers in the area of turnover margin. After three fumble recoveries and two pass interceptions, NIU earned a +2.25 turnover margin—the best in the NCAA.

The numbers look great, so the Huskies should feel great. However, there is some concern as to how they will react to last Saturday’s game in this Saturday’s home game against the Division I-AA Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State.

“This football team can have an excellent season,” said NIU head coach Charlie Sadler. “We cannot let something that is over and done with affect our season. We have to forget Wisconsin and focus on Middle Tennessee.”