After the way NIU let the Redbirds back into Saturday’s 26-19 Huskie victory, you’d think NIU head coach Charlie Sadler would be a little upset.

After all, had the Illinois State offense had one more minute on the clock, the Division I-AA offense would have had a chance to win. But he took it rather lightly. After all, they won.

“I thought the game went as I thought it could up until the very end,” said Sadler. “I knew that they would be doing a lot of moving around on defense and a lot of blitzing.”

On a high note was the performance of NIU punt returner Steve Rodgers. The senior tailback earned 101 yards on three returns Saturday night to better his team-leading 31 yards of 1989 and has earned more punt return yardage in the last two games than the team leaders of the last three years combined. His 67-yard touchdown return tied for fourth for the longest punt return in NIU history. He tied Jack Dean’s 67-yard touchdown return against Illinois State back on October 19, 1963.

“Anytime you get a boost from special teams like that it can turn the whole game around,” said NIU quarterback Rob Rugai.

Another included LeShon Johnson’s first 100-yard game in his Division I-A career. His 132 yards and two touchdowns gave NIU the boost it needed for its first victory of the year.

The option came back on Saturday night and was successful. The Redbirds agreed after NIU scored twice off the option.

“It’s a touch scheme (the option) to defend when you’ve got a guy (Johnson) back there at the ‘I’ that is such a threat,” said ISU head coach Jim Heacock.

Despite NIU’s great success with the option in the third quarter, Sadler would still like to keep a balanced offense.

“We still want to run and pass both,” said Sadler, “and the option will always be there.”

Other positives included NIU’s defensive sacks. The defense managed to sack ISU quarterback Adrian Wilson five times for an offensive loss of 34 yards.

However, NIU’s version of “unsolved mysteries” includes the pondering question as to why the Huskie offense has yet to score in the even-numbered quarters?

In its two games against Illinois and Illinois State, NIU compiled a total of 14 points in the first quarter and 26 points in the third quarter, while failing to score no points in the second and fourth quarters.

That wouldn’t necessarily be the best way to play the remaining nine games.