NIU played Illinois and Wisconsin tough, but that Huskie ballclub didn’t show up as it fell to Middle Tennessee State Saturday night 21-13 in front of a crowd of 12,632 at Huskie Stadium.

NIU head coach Charlie Sadler felt the same way as consistency was definitely part of the problem.

“It is frustrating,” said Sadler after the game. “If you’re a real good football team, you have consistency. We obviously lacked consistency tonight from how we played in the first four games.”

NIU couldn’t seem to figure out MTSU’s Walter Dunson as the human highlight film rushed 33 times for 152 yards and one touchdown.

The Division I-AA No. 8-ranked Blue Raiders scored first with a five-yard touchdown run by Dunson and never looked back from there.

The Huskies tried to come back in the second quarter with two Brian Steger field goals. However, MTSU stretched its lead with only 10 seconds remaining in the first half with an 83-yard punt return from Dennis Mimms for a touchdown to make it 14-6.

The mistakes for NIU continued and MTSU was able to take advantage of them. With 3:49 left in the third quarter, a Huskie fumble was picked up by Blue Raider Jabbar Troutman and returned 36 yards for another touchdown.

NIU staged a comeback in the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown run by Rob Rugai that brought the Huskies to within eight. However, the Huskies could not put anything together as the MTSU defense stifled the NIU offense.

Despite the Division I-AA title on MTSU, Sadler knew since last summer what to expect.

“I knew that this was going to be a tough football game,” said Sadler. “It was a fear that I had all along. The way the game went tonight was not a total surprise to me.”

NIU dropped below the .500 mark at 2-3 while MTSU upped its record to 3-1. The Huskies’ next game will be this Saturday against the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi.