June 2, 2006
DeKALB, IL --- Okay, so what did Northern Illinois University senior All-America tailback candidate Garrett Wolfe accomplish this week?
If you've been hanging around your local newsstand and perusing the new preseason football publications, then you can read that No. 1 has been busy---making two more All-America squads, two more All-Mid-American Conference units, two more MAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades, and another Heisman Trophy candidate watch list.
What's even better is that several of Wolfe's Huskie teammates---senior offensive tackle Doug Free, senior quarterback Phil Horvath, and senior free safety Dustin Utschig---also garnered some preseason "pub" in the last seven days.
"Again, this is all great national exposure for Garrett and for everybody involved in our entire football program," said Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak, "but again, the emphasis is on the word `preseason.' What happens in November and, hopefully, December is what's really important to our football team. That's what counts."
For the 5-foot-7, 173-pound Wolfe (Chicago / River Grove Holy Cross), the 2006 preseason All-America team count reached four with the addition of First-Team A-A recognition from the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook and Second-Team A-A status from Football Action. Earlier this spring, No. 1 made First-Team Playboy All-America and Second-Team NationalChamps.com All-America.
Wolfe also ranked No. 16 on the CollegeFootballNews.com "2006 Heisman 100" released this week. "Get ready for a groundswell of support for Wolfe, particularly if he perforates a revamped Ohio State D in the opener," wrote Richard Ciminiello of the CollegeFootballNews.com staff. "He's (Wolfe) a 300-yard game waiting to happen..."
The nation's leading returning major-college rusher and all-purpose yardage performer this fall, Wolfe also rated No. 6 among the top runningbacks in the country by Lindy's National College Football Preview. Wolfe rushed for 1,656 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2004 and added 1,580 ground yards and 16 more TDs as a junior in 2005.
"Garrett Wolfe is the go-to-guy for the Northern Illinois offense," read the Lindy's preview. Indeed, the magazine put several "tags" on the Huskie star such as (1) First-Team All-MAC, (2) league Offensive Player of the Year, (3) "Toughest to Bring Down," and (4) a No. 3 ranking among the league's 2007 National Football League draft prospects as a "...diminutive rusher (who) makes people miss."
The 6-foot-7, 302-pound Free wound up No. 8 in Lindy's poll of America's premier offensive tackles. League-wise, Free was called the "Best Run Blocker", the No. 2 NFL draft candidate, and a First-Team All-Mid-Am pick. Lindy's also put Horvath (Naperville / Central) and Utschig (Winneconne, WI / Fox Valley Lutheran) on its Second-Team All-MAC unit. The 6-3, 197-pound signal-caller---who led the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-A ranks in pass completion percentage (.706) and finished sixth in NCAA passing efficiency (159.45 rating) in 2005---was dubbed the loop's "Most Accurate Passer" by Lindy's. The 5-10, 189-pound Utschig led Novak's Huskies in total tackles (121), interceptions (three), and fumble-cause hits (two).
During 2005, Horvath hit 168-of-238 passes for 2,001 yards and 18 TDs and rewrote four major Northern Illinois aerial standards long thought to be untouchable---the (1) single-game passing yardage (486 vs. Akron), (2) single-game total offense (477 yards vs. Akron), (3) single-season completion percentage, and (4) consecutive pass completions (13 vs. Akron).
Blue Ribbon Football Digest also named both Wolfe and Free on its First-Team All-MAC squad. Team-wise, Lindy's ranked Novak's Huskies at No. 55 in the nation. Northern Illinois opens the 2006 season with a September 2 visit to Ohio State in Columbus, OH.
(For further information, please contact Mike Korcek) -NIU-
