• Two NIU football players were named MAC West players of the week for their performances Saturday.

Defensive end Craig Rusch was named MAC West defensive player of the week. Rusch was part of an NIU defense that held Bowling Green to 168 yards of total offense and 13 points.

The sophomore came up with a key sack late in the fourth quarter on Bowling Green's final drive, which put the Falcons in a third-and-15 situation.

Kicker Mike Salerno was named MAC West special teams player of the week after kicking three field goals on Saturday.

The junior kicked the game-winning field goal with 11.9 seconds left in the game to give the Huskies a 16-13 victory, and also tied an NIU record with a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter.

"I just take every kick as the same one," Salerno said. "I don't treat them any different."

• Former NIU running back and current Chicago Bear Garrett Wolfe was on hand for NIU's 16-13 win over Bowling Green Saturday during the Bears bye week.

Right after the game, Wolfe had a chance to speak with current NIU running back Me'co Brown on the field.

"I was glad to meet him," said the freshman, who ran 20 times for 95 yards Saturday. "He said he was going to talk more with me when we got inside."

• The two interceptions thrown by quarterback Chandler Harnish on Saturday were his first of the season.

Prior to Saturday's contest, the red-shirt freshman had thrown 58 passes without an interception.

"I was obviously off," Harnish said. "I don't know what was going on with me. I think I was just a little confused or just playing a little too fast."

Many sports fans argue that college athletics are better than professional sports because college athletics are more pure; they don’t have the mess of player trade and free agency and the athletes play for the love of the game. To me, the biggest difference is the fans.

For example, when you go to a Bulls game you will usually find your seat, sit down and watch.

You may get on your feet to cheer at crucial moments, but you’re mostly there to watch the game.

Compare that to college basketball.

During the Michigan State game this weekend. Fans were not only on T.V. before and after commercial breaks, but cameras found their way into the crowd even during the action on the court.

Why then, do college sports place so much more emphasis on the fan? It has to be the amount of fan involvement. That’s what college athletics have over professional sports.

When you go to a college game, you rarely sit - except for halftime. The whole game, fans are on their feet yelling, chanting, dangling keys, jumping and more.

And then there are the winning celebrations after the games. That is the true difference between college and professional sports.

When a professional team wins a game, you see the guys on the court high five each other - maybe hug - and then head to the locker room.

When college teams win, fans rush the field or court. Both players and fans are united in a exuberant celebration for the team and school. But wait, we don’t do that at NIU.

I’ve seen a few fans try to get the festival started after a win. When NIU clinched the MAC West title one fan jumped down from the stands and ran on the field - but was quickly tackled by the cops.

At men’s basketball games, three die-hard fans have made a habit of running onto the court to celebrate with the team when it wins, but recently security has been there to stop the fans’ festivities.

The football team had a magical season in 1983. That year, a less than full Huskie Stadium turned into a mad house of college students rushing the field.

I’m not saying fan involvement and rushing the field led to success that year, but it didn’t hurt and it certainly got the student body excited about going to home games.

For some reason we don’t celebrate victories like other major programs, or even like we did in our past. I don’t know why we don’t do it anymore. I just wanted to point it out. It’s up to you to decide why.