Box Score

DeKALB, IL - There would be no overtime on this day. Leading 23-22 with 54 seconds remaining, Northern Illinois University cornerback Rob Lee forced Southern Illinois University quarterback Joel Sambursky into a hurried two-point conversion pass, salvaging the Huskies one-point win over the upstart (23-22) Salukis Saturday evening (Sept. 11) in DeKalb, IL.

The potential game-winning two-point attempt was set up following a seven-play, 78-yard drive by SIU, which pulled them to within one. Known for its outstanding power running game, SIU, ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA, turned to Sambursky and the passing game to get back in the end zone. Sambursky connected on all-four of his pass attempts (59 yards) on the drive, including a 19-yard scoring strike to Brent Little to quiet a raucous Huskie Stadium crowd. The crowd erupted once more when Lee forced Sambursky's pass attempt to fall short of intended receiver Chris Kupec in the back corner of the end zone sealing the win.

"In coaching you'll always have questions," Southern Illinois head coach Jerry Kill said. "Do you go to overtime? I'll be asked that question the rest of my life. We talked about situations last week. I'm a situation guy. Why we did it---in our situation, our defense had played a lot of plays. We had guys who could barely go back (on the field). There was no way we could take this team (Northern Illinois) into overtime."

Northern Illinois built a 23-9 lead after falling behind 3-0 early in the first quarter. Following a Craig Coffin 52-yard field goal, freshman place kicker Chris Nendick evened the score with a 38-yard three-pointer of his own with 7:15 remaining in the first half. That field goal by Nendick was the longest of his career, topping the 21-yarder he made last weekend (Sept. 4) at Maryland.

Garrett Wolfe pushed the Huskie lead to 10-3 following his second career touchdown reception. The longest play of his young career, Wolfe caught a 40-yard pass from sophomore Phil Horvath and scooted down the near sideline for his second career score. Wolfe and Horvath also hooked up last weekend against the Terrapins on a four-yard scoring play.

Coffin's second field goal cut the NIU margin to 10-6 just before the halftime gun. Coming with less than a second remaining in the half, Coffin connected on a 40-yard try to cap a six-play, 69-yard drive.

Nendick's second field goal gave the Huskies another seven-point lead (13-6). After the NIU defense forced Southern Illinois into a three-and-out to open the second half, Dan Sheldon set the Huskies up with great field position on a 37-yard punt return to put the Huskie offense in SIU territory (SIU 24). The drive stalled following two Harris runs and an incompletion however, setting up the field goal.

Northern Illinois flipped to the back of the play book to score its second touchdown of the evening. Standing at its own 39, Horvath fired a lateral pass to freshman Marcus Perez, who then lofted a 61-yard strike to a streaking Sheldon for the score. It was the first career pass attempt for Perez, who was a late addition to the 2004 Huskie recruiting class as a wide receiver.

"It was a great couple seconds of my life," Sheldon said. "I was so open, I had too much to think about. Marcus threw a perfect ball. He made it easy. Coach Novak could have suited up."

After the two teams traded field goals to make the score 23-9 Southern Illinois scored the game's final 13 points. Sambursky hooked up with junior wide receiver Kellen Allen on a nine-yard scoring pass with 9:03 left in the game to cut the NIU lead to 23-16 before marching SIU back down the field to set up the late-game drama.

"We feel fortunate to win," Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak said. "I don't think I would have the nerve to do that (go for two). It takes courage. If you make it you're a genius. A win is a win is a win. It was good to get a win under our belt."

Tailback A.J. Harris was outstanding in helping the Huskies control the first three and a half quarters of play. The junior rushed 24 times for a career high 139 yards to pace an NIU ground attack that churned out 191 total yards on the turf. Harris also reeled off a career long 37-yard run in the second quarter.

Following a rough start, Horvath settled in under center, completing nine of his final 13 passes to complete the balanced NIU offensive attack. In addition to his 40-yard pass to Wolfe, Horvath connected on a 44-yard pass to Perez to set up NIU's final points, a 25-yard Nendick field goal.

Northern Illinois returns to action next Saturday (Sept. 18) when it travels to Ames, IA, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Kick off is slated for 11:30 a.m.