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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star
The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Wolfe rakes in awards

By Ben Gross | November 28, 2006

DeKALB | Saturday may have been the last time NIU running back Garrett Wolfe took the field as a Huskie. But the senior didn't need to gain one yard before he was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, MAC's Offensive MVP by MAC Report Online and...

Ending on a high note

By Ben Gross | November 27, 2006

DeKALB | From 1969 to 1999, NIU put together seven winning seasons as a Division I-A program. NIU posted its seventh consecutive winning season under coach Joe Novak by beating Eastern Michigan 27-0. The shutout showcased an improved Huskie defense that...

Fishing for a bowl

By Sean Connor | November 27, 2006

DeKALB | NIU football fans, put on your USC colors this week. The Huskies best chance to get a bowl game lies with USC beating UCLA on Saturday. A win would most likely put USC in the national championship game. With this, the Poinsettia Bowl would become...

Mourning over McNabb

By Lacy Searcy | November 21, 2006

My fellow NFL fans, listen up! We should all mourn today. This Sunday was the saddest day for the NFL. The greatest icon is out for the season: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb led his team on and off the field. But most importantly,...

‘Bowl’-ing for Ypsilanti

By Sean Connor | November 21, 2006

DeKalb | He's back. After four weeks of sub-par performances, NIU running back Garrett Wolfe tuned MAC West champ Central Michigan to the pitch of 203 yards. Now, Wolfe and the Huskies (4-3 MAC, 6-5 overall) have one last chance to sway bowl committees...

Funding, naming completed on Athletic and Academic Performance Center

By Ben Gross | November 20, 2006

DeKALB | Construction continued on the Academic and Athletic Performance Center Friday night. But there were no cranes, trucks or crews involved. A banner was simply added during the football game, announcing to the crowd what NIU Athletic Director Jim...

The end of the Horvath era

By James Nokes | November 20, 2006

DeKALB | You say goodbye, and I say hello. A classic Beatles lyric that perfectly detailed NIU football under the Friday night lights at Brigham Field on Senior Night. On a night senior tailback Garrett Wolfe zigged, zagged and re-announced his presence...

Emotional final home game for seniors, Novak

By Sean Connor | November 17, 2006

DeKALB | With a 5-5 record, the Huskies' senior class can make at least one last statement Friday at home against MAC West champion Central Michigan. But with slim chances to even garner a bowl game, what does this year's Senior Day mean for the Huskies,...

AAPC receives $2.5M

By Ben Gross | November 17, 2006

DeKALB | It took place in a modest size tent on Friday night, but the announcement was anything but that. Both NIU president John Peters and NIU athletic director Jim Phillips declared on Friday night that Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon would donate 2.5...

Last chance to see Wolfe

By Lacy Searcy | November 16, 2006

DeKALB | NIU fans who have never seen Garrett Wolfe play in person will have one last chance to do so. This Friday's NIU football game against Central Michigan is Senior Day, which means it will be the final home game for 14 NIU seniors. Along with Wolfe,...

Point-Counter Point

By Ben Gross and Sean Connor | November 16, 2006

Sean Connor: I'm calling it. After NIU wins its last two games, it's got one more to play: a bowl game.

Ben Gross: What bowl is that, the Barsema Bowl?

SC: No, not Huskie Stadium's Barsema Bowl, but a bowl game. This team can beat Central Michigan.

BG: You mean NIU can beat the team that slaughtered the Western Michigan Broncos 31-7? WMU beat the Huskies 16-14 earlier this year.

SC: Yeah, because DeKalb used to be all about horse slaughtering. Now they're about playing spoiler and getting the seniors a bowl game.

BG: So, fine, let's allow that NIU does win out the rest of the season. NIU is still a team struggling to get 20,000 fans to attend a home game. Why would any bowl want us?

SC: Garrett Wolfe, baby. He still leads the nation in rushing, and he's ready to finish his career on top.

BG: That's fine and dandy, but Wolfe has been on top the whole season and that hasn't helped attendance.

SC: Until Friday, when NIU students WILL show up for Senior Day, and Wolfe's last game in front of a home crowd. Does NIU realize how fortunate it is to have such a talent to watch every week?

BG: Sadly, I think fans have become accustomed to it. But let's say NIU does fill the stadium, and that Wolfe does go off like the beginning of the season. Still, why pick a MAC team and not a team like UCLA or South Carolina for a bowl bid?

SC: Great point. But as things are shaking out, there will be bowl tie-ins that are unfulfilled. I believe there will be enough for a fourth MAC school to sneak in.

BG: So how exactly does NIU fit into that equation? Looking around the MAC, there's Kent State and Akron, which both have 5-5 records too. What makes NIU more deserving than these teams?

SC: Kent State lost to Toledo and Buffalo. Akron has losses to Kent State and Toledo. NIU only lost to Toledo. If NIU has as good of a record as each of these teams and beats CMU, they're the fourth-best team in the MAC.

BG: And that's the fact, Jack. NIU has to beat CMU, arguably the best team in the MAC. CMU has won its last seven MAC games. For the season, it has three losses: Boston College, Michigan and Kentucky. Do you really think an NIU team that struggled against Toledo has a shot?

SC: Yes. NIU's unheralded defense will show up Friday, and the offense of NIU can explode. Again, if NIU wins, it puts itself in bowl contention.

BG: And I'll give that to you. But we're speaking a lot of what-ifs. What if NIU wins its next two games? What if the offense starts to spin on all cylinders again? What if fans show up for the final game? It can happen, but it's asking a lot.

SC: That's the great thing about college football. As the great Herman Edwards once said, "You play to win the game."

All Dutch

By Sean Connor | November 15, 2006

They call him "Dutch." He's a physical kid; a tough sucker. Although not tall, a smart player. But underneath the pitch-black helmet and blood-red jersey, senior safety Dustin Utschig is a little less tough than NIU football coach Joe Novak makes him...

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