Nov. 13, 2007

Weekly Release

2007 Northern Illinois Football
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Navy Midshipmen
Nov. 17, 2007 - 2:30 p.m. (CST) - CSTV
Annapolis, Md. - Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000)

HUSKIE FACTS
2007 Record: 2-8
2007 MAC Record: 1-5
Head Coach: Joe Novak
Alma Mater/Year: Miami (OH) 1967
Record at NIU/Year: 63-74/12th
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Enrollment: 25,254
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /24,000
President: Dr. John Peters
Associate VP/Athletic Director: Dr. Jim Phillips
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800

NIU SCHEDULE & RESULTS

HUSKIE HEAD COACH JOE NOVAK
The dean of Mid-American Conference coaches, Joe Novak is in his 12th season at the helm of the Northern Illinois football program and owns a career and NIU record of 63-74 as a head coach. Novak led the Huskies to a school-record seven consecutive Football Bowl Championship Subdivision winning seasons from 2000-06, along with post-season appearances in each of the last three years. Northern Illinois has won or shared the MAC West title in four of the last six years. Novak ranks tied for eighth among MAC coaches all-time in victories (62) and is tied for eighth in league wins (47). The Huskies' victory in the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic marked NIU's first bowl game in 21 seasons, since the year Novak helped Northern Illinois to the California Bowl as the Huskies' defensive coordinator. Novak spent four seasons (1980-83) in that role on Bill Mallory's staff before following Mallory to Indiana for 12 seasons and making six bowl trips. A native of Mentor, Ohio, Novak played for Bo Schembechler at Miami (Ohio) and began his collegiate coaching career there in 1974.

MIDSHIPMEN OFFENSE
2007 Record: 6-4
Head Coach: Paul Johnson
Alma Mater/Year: Western Carolina 1979
Record at Navy/Year: 43-29/6th
Career Record/Year: 105-39/11th
Location: Annapolis, Md.
Enrollment: 4,000
Conference: Independent
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/34,000
Superintendent: Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler
Athletic Director: Chet Gladchuk
Ticket Information: 1-800-US4-NAVY

NAVY SCHEDULE & RESULTS

NEWS & NOTES
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Northern Illinois (2-8, 1-5 MAC) makes its last road trip of the season this weekend when the Huskies travel east to take on Navy (6-4) in Annapolis.

ON THE ROAD: Under Joe Novak, Northern Illinois is 25-42 in road contests over the last 11-plus years, with 18 of those 25 victories recorded since the beginning of the 2002 season. NIU's road opponents have included Ohio State, Kansas State, N.C. State, Northwestern, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and Wake Forest in non-conference play along with its league foes. The Huskies compiled a 3-3 record on the road in each of the last two seasons and are 1-4 on the road so far this year.

NON-LEAGUE SLATE: Since re-joining the Mid-American Conference in 1997, NIU is 14-25 in non-conference games. The Huskies are 1-3 in its three non-conference games so far this year with losses to Iowa, Wisconsin and SIU to go with a win at Idaho. Northern's non-conference opponents since '97 have included Ohio State, Kansas State, N.C. State, Northwestern, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and Wake Forest.

NOVAK'S NUMBERS: In his 12th season at the helm of the Huskie program, NIU Head Coach Joe Novak is the dean of Mid-American Conference coaches. Novak, who ranks second all-time at NIU in games coached (137) and is third in victories (63), tied former Western Michigan coach Al Molde (1987-96) for eighth place on the MAC career wins list with 62 (his first win came before NIU re-joined the league). Novak's 47 victories in league games puts him in an eighth place tie with Gary Blackney (BGSU, 1991-99) and Paul Schudel (BSU, 1985-94),

IN SYNC: Northern Illinois picked up its second win of the season, its first Mid-American Conference victory and its first home win of the year last Saturday versus Kent State, 27-20. NIU racked up 510 yards of total offense with 275 passing and 235 rushing, while the Huskie defense kept KSU out of the end zone in the second half and collected four sacks. A late John Tranchitella interception preserved the seven-point win for Northern.

INITIAL MEETING: Northern Illinois and Navy meet for the first time Saturday with the Midshipmen slated to make a return trip to DeKalb in 2008. Navy is the only "new" foe on the Huskies' 2007 schedule and the game is Northern Illinois' second all-time versus a service academy team. NIU lost to Army, 21-14, on the road in 1992 in its only other game versus one of the service academies.

NOT JUST ANOTHER ROAD TRIP: Northern Illinois Head Coach Joe Novak plans to take his squad on a tour of the Naval Academy grounds on NIU's first-ever trip to Annapolis. A walking tour of the academy is planned for Friday afternoon prior to the Huskies' walk-through at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. During its last road trip, on its way to Toledo, the Huskies stopped at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. and spent several hours touring the facility.

MILITARY MAN: One especially interested participant during the trip to Annapolis will be NIU defensive end Jake Coffman, a 23-year-old redshirt freshman from German Valley, Ill. who spent four years in the Marine Corps prior to enrolling at Northern Illinois. Still a member of the active reserves, Coffman was deployed to Iraq twice, was promoted three times and rose to the rank of sergeant during his time in the service. In 2006, Coffman enrolled at NIU and walked on to the football team. He moved up to a second team defensive end spot before suffering a foot injury versus Idaho that required surgery and ended his season.

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER: With a five-yard rush on the second play from scrimmage versus Kent State, Justin Anderson gave NIU its nation-leading ninth-straight season with a 1,000-yard rusher. Northern Illinois has had a player gain 1,000 or more yards on the ground every season since 1999, a claim no other FBS team in the nation can make. A list of the Huskies' 1,000-yard rushers since 1999 with their season totals follows:

21 GRAND: Since 1948, there have been 21 1,000-yard rushing seasons recorded by 12 different Huskie running backs, including Justin Anderson this season. Anderson's total of 1,096 rushing yards in 2007 is tied for 15th on the NIU single-season rushing list. He needs 243 yards in the Huskies' last two games to move into the Northern Illinois single season top 10. With 109 yards, he will become the second most productive sophomore rusher in school history, surpassing Darryl Richardson (1983) to rank behind only former teammate Garrett Wolfe (1,656 yards in 2004).

MAC HONORS: Sophomore defensive end Brandon Bice picked up MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors Monday after making a career-best eight tackles with 1.5 quarterback sacks and two tackles for loss in NIU's win over Kent State. Bice, who ranks second among Huskie defensive linemen in tackles with 34, collected the first sacks of his career and was in on a total of four negative yardage tackles while on the field for a total of 85 plays.

JUST-IN TIME: Despite carrying the football only twice in the second half last week, Huskie tailback Justin Anderson came within two yards of recording his seventh 100-yard day of the season as he finished the Kent State game with 98 yards on 19 carries. The Chicago native did add four catches for 27 yards and a pair of touchdowns - one rushing and one receiving - to his 2007 totals. He continues to rank second on the team in receiving and has scored 10 of Northern Illinois' 22 touchdowns on the year (seven rushing, three receiving) while accounting for 74 percent of the team's rushing yardage. Anderson is averaging 139 rushing yards per game in NIU's six MAC contests so far this year and has four 150-yard efforts.

CATCHING ON: Anderson has proven to be equally as effective catching the ball as his 38 catches are just two behind team leader Matt Simon, while his 227 receiving yards are the third-highest total on the team. Anderson has at least one catch in every game this year and has caught four or more passes in five games. With eight catches versus Southern Illinois, Anderson posted the highest single-game catch total for an NIU running back in at least 25 years, since prior to the 1983 season. Anderson needs five catches in NIU's last three games to break the Huskies' single-season record for catches by a running back which is 43, set by Jack Dean in 1963.

TAILBACK TIMES TWO: With Anderson limited during the second half of the Kent State game, sophomore David Bryant had a chance to shine in the tailback role and the St. Louis product did not disappoint as he rushed for a career-best 110 yards on 28 carries to record the first 100-yard day of his NIU tenure. Bryant entered the game with just 90 career rushing yards on 15 carries after spending the 2006 campaign at linebacker, but surpassed both numbers in just a little over one half of work Saturday.

A FINE LINE: After entering the season with two new starters and just one senior, the Huskie offensive line has proven to be one of the bright spots on the NIU offense in 2007. The quintet of tackles Chris Acevedo and Jon Brost, guards Kevin Skatrud and Jason Onyebuagu and center Eddie Adamski enjoyed one of their best days of the year versus Kent State. They paved the way for a season-best 235 rushing yards while giving QB Dan Nicholson plenty of time on 29 passing plays. For the ninth straight year, an NIU line has paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher, while their 14 sacks surrendered through nine games ranks 29th in the country and third in the MAC for fewest sacks allowed. The offensive line has been helped by its ability (knock on wood) to stay healthy as Adamski, Brost, Onyebuagu and Acevedo are the only players on offense to start every game this season. Four of the five starters, along with reserves Tony Holmes and Tim Mayerbock, will be back next season.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Junior offensive tackle Jon Brost was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Football Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America to become NIU's 11th first-team All-District honoree in the last six years. Brost, an electrical engineering major from Maple Grove, Minn., carries a 3.56 grade point average. Brost has played every snap at left tackle for the Huskies this year. He is now eligible for Academic All-America consideration.

BIG PICK: Sophomore linebacker John Tranchitella made one of his biggest plays of the season to preserve the Huskies' 27-20 win over Kent State as he intercepted KSU QB Jon Brown at the NIU 10-yard line to halt the Golden Flashes' final drive with 1:14 on the clock. Tranchitella's interception was his second of the season, tying him for the team lead, and the team's seventh of the year.

POSITIVE NEGATIVE YARDAGE: During a day when the Huskie defense collected a season-best 10 tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks, DE Larry English continued to add to his career tallies in both categories with half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss versus Kent State. English has at least one TFL or sack in each of NIU's last nine games. He leads the MAC in both quarterback sacks and tackles for loss and ranks tied for ninth in the country with 9.5 (0.95/game) sacks and 16 tackles for loss (1.60/game).

CHART CLIMBER: English continues to make his mark on the NIU record books as the junior now needs only one-half sack to tie Scott Kellar for second place on the Huskies' all-time list. Cary Caliendo (31 sacks) is the NIU record-holder, while Kellar has 23, followed by English with 22.5. His 39 career tackles for loss are tied for sixth on the NIU records list (with Max Gill). English's 9.5 QB sacks this year are fifth-best on the NIU single-season chart while his 16 TFLs match his 2006 total and are tied for fourth.

INJURY MONSTER: The rash of injuries that have hit Northern Illinois in 2007 can't be attributed to a simple "bug." To date, 14 starters have missed at least one full game due to injury. In addition, 24 players listed on the depth chart at one point this season have lost at least one game to injury, with 21 of those spending multiple games on the sideline. Ten players - NG Adam Schroeder, TB Montell Clanton, DT Craig Rusch, DE Anthony Antonacci, LB Saul Ibarra, TE David Koronkiewicz, DT Zach Holycross, DE Jake Coffman, RB Ricky Crider and DE John Hopkins - have been sidelined for the season. Three others, including MLB Tim McCarthy, RB Cas Prime and WR Marcus Perez will miss significant time and possibly the rest of the year. Three of the Huskies top four wide receivers - Britt Davis, Perez and Greg Turner along with three tight ends (Brandon Davis, Reed Cunningham, Koronkiewicz) have missed games. The latest to go down is reserve tailback and special teams expert Chad Spann, who went down with a torn knee ligament last week and will miss the final two games of the year.

D-LINE D-MOLISHED: No position has been hit with injuries as hard as the defensive line. Nine players on NIU's defensive line have missed time due to injury this season with six lost for the season. In fact, it is easier to make a listing of the NIU defensive linemen who have NOT been injured this year. Craig Rusch, Anthony Antonacci, Adam Schroeder, Zach Holycross, Mike Krause, D.J. Pirkle, Jake Coffman, John Hopkins and Brandon Bice have all missed at least one game, with Rusch, Antonacci, Schroeder, Coffman, Hopkins and Holycross done for the season. Starters Larry English and Alex Krutsch and reserve Ed Jackson are the lone defensive linemen to play in every game this season although the interior line has been helped by the return of freshmen Krause (at Toledo) and Pirkle (vs. KSU).

STALWARTS: With all the injuries up front, a trio of defensive linemen have logged more than their share of playing time in 2007. Defensive end Larry English leads the way as he has been in on all but 22 (763) of NIU's 785 plays, or 97.2 percent, including every defensive down of the Temple, Eastern Michigan and Kent State games. On the inside, tackle Alex Krutsch has not missed a game and been on the field for 648 plays (82.5 percent) with 83 and 82, respectively, in the last two games. Despite missing the Idaho game with a hip pointer, Brandon Bice has barely left the field since he returned and has totaled 592 plays or 75.4 percent of the team's total.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: With the NIU-Navy game scheduled for broadcast by CSTV, a total of 10 NIU football games will air on television in 2007, including four home games shown on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Northern Illinois' games versus Eastern and Central Michigan were selected as the ESPN Plus MAC Games of the Week and were picked up by ESPN GamePlan. ESPNU aired the Iowa game, and the regionally syndicated telecast of the Idaho contest also was available through ESPN GamePlan. The Huskies' Oct. 20 tilt at Wisconsin was shown on the Big Ten Network. NIU has appeared on national television 14 times since 2004, with 42 total games aired.

OLD SCHOOL: The NIU-Toledo game, which was broadcast on a tape-delayed basis in the Toledo market and on-line, marked just the second time in Northern's last 24 contests - since Nov. 5, 2005 when Northern Illinois faced Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant - that a Huskie football game was NOT available via an over-the-air telecast. The final three games of the 2005 campaign were televised along with every game last season (13) and each of the first five games this year. The streak of 21 consecutive broadcast games ended with the Temple game earlier this season. During that 21-game span, NIU appeared on ESPN or ESPN2 six times, on ABC once, was part of an ESPN Plus or ESPN GamePlan package four times, played on ESPNU on three occasions, and had seven games televised by Comcast SportsNet.

38/7/19: Thirty-eight different players now have started games for NIU in 2007 as only seven - four on offense and three on defense - have started every game this season. In addition, 19 players have made their first career appearance in the starting line-up, including receivers Marcus Lewis and Evans Adonis and defensive tackle (and former offensive guard) Dan Keller. The seven "survivors" (10-game starters) so far this year are LB Josh Allen, CB Chase Carter and DE Larry English on defense and offensive linemen Eddie Adamski (C), Jon Brost (T), Chris Acevedo (T) and Jason Onyebuagu (G).

OH SO CLOSE: Despite the injuries and the number of players who have started and played for the first time in 2007, four of NIU's eight losses have hinged on just a play or two. Northern Illinois has lost games by one (Temple), two (Eastern Michigan), three (Southern Illinois) and four (Western Michigan) points. Temple was helped by a pair of NIU missed extra points, EMU won when penalties made a potential game-winning field goal a 50-yard try and SIU triumphed after recovering an on-side kick and catching two tipped passes for scores in the final minute. Those four losses have come by a total of 10 points.

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: Northern Illinois teammates elected four juniors as captains for the 2007 season, the first time under Joe Novak that the permanent captains do not include a senior. Unfortunately, three of those four captains - wide receiver Britt Davis, quarterback Dan Nicholson and linebacker Tim McCarthy - have missed at least one game due to injury, leaving defensive end Larry English to carry the captain's mantle by himself in several games.

SENIOR SHORTAGE: NIU opened the season with only nine seniors on the roster and only four of those - LT Chris Acevedo, TE Brandon Davis, SS Mark Reiter and K Chris Nendick - have played significant roles for the Huskies in 2007. Acevedo, Davis and Reiter have started 10, six and six games for Northern Illinois, respectively. Four seniors - NG Adam Schroeder, LB Saul Ibarra, DT Zach Holycross and RB Cas Prime - are among those out for the season due to injury. Northern Illinois will honor all nine of its seniors prior to the final home game of the season Saturday, Nov. 24 versus Ball State.

DOWN PAT: In the last two games, senior kicker Chris Nendick has claimed the NIU all-time records for career PATs made and attempted, surpassing the totals of Steve Azar (2000-03). Nendick has hit 155-of-159 extra point attempts in his career which also ranks fourth in league history in both categories. His 323 career points (third-best at NIU) are seventh in MAC history and fourth all-time among kickers. The Naperville product ranks fourth in the NCAA among active kickers in career PATs made and is fifth in scoring.

SCORING STREAK: Chris Nendick has scored at least one point in every game of his Huskie career, a school-record 47 straight contests, dating back to the first game of his freshman season. Nendick's streak is tied for the second-longest in the nation along with Oregon State's Alexis Serna and Louisville's Art Carmody. Travis Bell of Georgia Tech owns the longest scoring streak in the nation at 48 consecutive games.

LONG DISTANCE: In his third season as NIU's punter, Andy Dittbenner is enjoying the best year of his career, distance-wise; he currently ranks seventh nationally with a punting average of 44.80 with 13 of his 49 punts downed inside the 20. At this rate, the junior will destroy the Northern Illinois record for single season punting average of 41.78 yards, set by Jimmy Erwin in 2001 on 60 punts.

HANG TIME: Dittbenner is moving up the Huskie career punting charts as well. The junior's current career punting average of 40.27 yards would rank fourth all-time at NIU and be the top mark since school record-holder Mike Kent's 40.6 average from 1985-86. Dittbenner's 158 punts and 6,363 punting yards rank eighth on the NIU career lists as he chases seventh-place Jimmy Erwin (2000-02) in both categories.

RARE FEAT: Northern Illinois safety Alex Kube has a chance to become the first freshman to lead the Huskies in tackles in 31 years, since all-time tackle leader Frank Lewandoski started his run of four straight seasons as NIU's leading tackler in his freshman season of 1976. Through nine games, Kube has 96 tackles with six double-figure games and a team season-best 14 stops at Temple. Alex Kube was born in 1987, 11 years AFTER Lewandoski led the team in his rookie campaign. Lewandoski remains the only NIU player (since tackle records began in 1971) to lead the Huskies in tackles in four seasons.

BREAKOUT SEASON: Matt Simon continues his breakthrough season as the junior leads all Huskie receivers with 40 catches for 783 yards and a 19.6 yards per catch average. Simon has recorded three 100-yard receiving days, and five of the Huskies' eight "long" (25 yards or more) passing plays this year with two 59-yard TD catches and a 92-yard effort to go with a 38-yard grab at Wisconsin and a 50-yard reception versus Kent State. He has 476 MORE receiving yards than NIU's next-highest total (Britt Davis with 307), and ranks 35th nationally in receiving yards. The Farmington, Minn. product has caught at least one pass in every game this season and his 783 yards have already surpassed the season total of NIU's leading receiver (Davis) of a year ago.

INTRODUCING...: Twenty-one different players have made their Huskie debuts in 2007, including 11 redshirt freshmen, seven true freshmen, transfers Anthony Mason and Chase Carter, and junior Vincent Matthew. True freshmen John Hopkins, D.J. Pirkle, Chad Spann, Patrick George, Nolan Owen, Landon Cox and Kyle Skarb have all seen playing time this year. NIU's redshirt rookies are Alex Kube, Ed Jackson, Mike Lepper, Bryan Beckner, Ricky Crider, Justin Stewart, Jake Coffman, Mike Krause, Jason Cruikshank, Tyler Clasey and Vernon Sims with Kube (S), Jackson (DT), Pirkle (NG), Beckner (TE) and Krause (NG) all starting at least one game. Included in the group are six current or former walk-ons.

HAPPY RETURNS: Chase Carter brought his first career pick-off back 95 yards for a score versus Idaho, tying him for the eighth-longest scoring play in Northern Illinois history, and recording the second-longest interception return TD ever (behind Dave Petway's 100-yard INT return versus SIU in 1977). Then, by bringing his second interception (versus Temple) back 25 yards, Carter broke the NIU record for interception return yards in a season with 120. That total also ranks 10th on the school's CAREER list for INT returns.

NICHOLSON'S NUMBERS: Junior Dan Nicholson had one of his best days of the season versus Kent State as he completed 21-of-28 passes for 275 yards and two TDs and with four 200-yard passing games this season, is climbing the NIU single season and career passing charts. His 151 completions - to 15 different receivers - are the eighth-best single season total and his 60.9 completion percentage would rank him fourth on the single season chart as would his 181.4 yards per game. With just over one season as a starter - 14 games - under his belt, Nicholson already has passed for 3,112 yards to become just the ninth Huskie quarterback to reach that mark. His 270 completions rank seventh in Huskie history while his 458 pass attempts are 10th.

DOMINATING DAY: Defensive end Larry English's five sacks versus Idaho remains the top single-game performance by any FBS defender this season. The Aurora, Ill. native ranks fourth in the country among active FBS players in career sacks (22), while his per-game average of .65 sacks per game is second. On Sept. 22, English was simply too much for the Idaho offense as the junior from Aurora sacked Vandals' QB Nathan Enderle five times to break the school single-game record he set last year versus Temple (4.5). English also was credited with five quarterback pressures and a career-high 12 tackles versus Idaho. He forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone for his first career score. Despite playing 90 of the Huskies' 95 defensive plays, his game-saving sack on the final play of the game preserved the NIU victory. For his efforts, English was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week and earned the FWAA Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week award.

ON THE WATCH: English was named to the Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end) mid-season watch list and the junior already had his name on the lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defender). English's 63 tackles are tops among NIU defensive linemen, third on the team and almost twice as many as the next-best Huskie defensive lineman. He has two double-figure tackle performances this year and recorded nine stops versus Kent State.

CATCHING ON: Britt Davis, the junior who ranks ninth on NIU's all-time receiving list, returned to the Huskie line-up versus Toledo after missing three games with a hamstring strain. Davis caught four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the game and added three grabs for 43 yards versus Kent State. His career totals now stand at 126 catches for 1,479 yards and eight TDs. Davis passed the 100-catch mark versus Iowa in just his 25th career game, the earliest an NIU player has reached 100 catches.

EVERY WHICH WAY: Huskie opponents have scored in nearly every way this season with a punt return (Idaho), a kickoff return (Central Michigan), two interception returns (SIU), and a fumble recovery and return (Temple). Northern Illinois has scored three "other" TDs of its own - with all of those coming in the Idaho game - on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone by Jeff Fontana, Larry English's fumble recovery in the end zone and Chase Carter's 95-yard interception return.

SECOND QUARTER SCORING: Northern Illinois continues to put points on the board in the second quarter as the Huskies have scored 81 of their 184 points, 44 percent, this season in the second stanza. By contrast, NIU has scored only 55 points in the second half in 2007 - with 30 third-quarter and 25 fourth-quarter points - to account for just 30 percent of their scoring total. NIU did not score in the second half versus WMU, CMU and Iowa and has been blanked in the fourth quarter six times.

YORDON CENTER DEDICATED: On Sept. 8, 2007, NIU officially dedicated the new Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon Center. Located adjacent to the North End Zone of Huskie Stadium, the Yordon Center houses nearly all of Northern Illinois' student-athlete support units and serves as the home for the Huskie Football team. From the "smart" classrooms in the academic center to the rehabilitation pools in the athletic training center to the expandable storage area in the equipment room, everything about the Yordon Center says "first-class." The football team meets together in the tiered, 150-seat auditorium while technology-enhanced position meeting rooms, coaches offices overlooking Brigham Field and a locker room large enough to accommodate the entire team highlight the "football" areas of the 62,000-square foot building. Construction on the $14-million privately-funded facility began in June 2006. It is named for Northern Illinois supporters Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon, who in November 2006 announced a $2.5 million gift to the project, the largest gift to Huskie Athletics in the 107-year history of the institution.

DEFLECTION SECTION: With 32 pass break-ups by 11 different defenders in 2007, Northern Illinois has surpassed its 2006 total of 30 PBUs with a pair of games still to play. CB Melvin Rice leads the way with six break-ups, while LB John Tranchitella knocked down a pass and intercepted one versus Kent State to up his season total to five. DE Brandon Bice and CB Chase Carter have four PBU's each. The Huskies tipped a season-high eight passes at Idaho with Tranchitella getting his hands on three passes and adding his first interception of 2007.

OUT OF THE PEN: Back-up quarterback Ryan Morris started the Western Michigan game in place of an injured Dan Nicholson and completed 13-of-25 passes for 144 yards in his first career start. More importantly, he recorded the first interception-free game by NIU in 14 outings and over a year, since the 2006 Ball State game (Sept. 30).

BIG DAY: Matt Simon's career-best and team season-high nine-catch, 205-yard effort versus Central Michigan was highlighted by a 92-yard touchdown play, the fourth-longest in school history. Coming off of his first career 100-yard receiving game at Idaho, Simon recorded just the sixth 200-yard receiving day in NIU history, and the first since Sam Hurd set a school record with 266 yards on 12 catches versus CMU in 2005.

SIMON SAYS...BLOCK!: NIU wide receiver Matt Simon tallied the first punt block of his Huskie career at Idaho. The block was recovered by Jeff Fontana in the end zone to give Northern a 28-7 lead. Northern Illinois tallied four blocked kicks a year ago, including a blocked punt versus Western Michigan and three blocks in the bowl game versus TCU.

HOTTEST STREAK: Dan Nicholson set a school record for most consecutive pass completions during the SIU game when he hit 15 straight while leading the Huskies to their four touchdown drives. He broke the record set by Phil Horvath, who completed 13 consecutive throws versus Akron on Sept. 24, 2005.

HUSKIES IN THE NFL: As the National Football League opened regular season play, seven former NIU players were on team rosters, including 2007 draft choices RB Garrett Wolfe (Chicago Bears) and OT Doug Free (Dallas Cowboys). The rest of the Huskie NFL contingent includes: OT Ryan Diem (Indianapolis Colts), WR Sam Hurd (Cowboys), WR Justin McCareins (New York Jets), NT Hollis Thomas (New Orleans Saints) and RB Michael Turner (San Diego Chargers).

RECORD-SETTER: The season-opening GEICO Soldier Field Showdown between NIU and Iowa (Sept. 1) set new attendance marks for both Northern Illinois and the Mid-American Conference with a sell-out crowd of 61,500 packing the lakefront facility. The MAC record was surpassed last week by Temple when they played host to Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field. NIU's previous record home crowd occurred on Oct. 18, 2003, when 28,211 people came to Huskie Stadium for a contest versus Western Michigan. The previous largest home crowd in league history was recorded Oct. 27, 2001 when Toledo played Navy in front of 36,852 at the Glass Bowl.

WORTH NOTING: The 35 points surrendered by Northern Illinois in the first half at Central Michigan were the most since Kansas State scored 59 points in the opening half on Sept. 12, 1998 in Manhattan while Toledo's 70-point outburst was the fourth-most ever scored against NIU and set a new high for a Mid-American Conference game. In addition, NIU's six turnovers (four INTs, two fumbles) versus CMU were the most by a Huskie team in 101 games, since a 16-3 loss to Toledo on Oct. 31, 1998.

500-YARD DAYS: NIU's season-high 521 yards of total offense versus Central Michigan was the 15th-highest total in school history and marked the fifth time in school history, that the Huskies gained 500 or more yards in a game and lost. With 510 yards versus Kent State, Northern Illinois topped the 500-yard mark for the 25th time in school history.

HOME-GROWN: The 2007 Northern Illinois roster includes 75 players from the state of Illinois and 61 from the Chicagoland area, the highest concentrations of any NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school in the state. In all, 66 percent of NIU's 2007 football players hail from the Land of Lincoln. A quick glance at the rosters of Northwestern and Illinois show the Wildcats with 26 in-state products, 18 from Chicago, while the Fighting Illini roster lists 50 home grown players and 30 from the area.

HALL OF FAMER: NIU Assistant Athletic Director Phil Voorhis, who has spent the last 14 years leading the Huskies' athletic training staff, was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association (IATA) Hall of Fame on Sunday, Nov. 10. Voorhis is a past president of the IATA who served on the board of directors of the organization. As NIU's head athletic trainer, he directs a staff of 10 who provide Northern Illinois 467 student-athletes in 17 sports programs with medical care at each practice and competition.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS MULTIMEDIA
Watch It....on CSTV or on-line at www.navysports.com. Pete Medhurst is on the play-by-play call while Scott Zolak will serve as color analyst.

Hear It...on the Huskie Sports Radio Network.Bill Baker returns for his 28th year as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies while Mark Lindo is back for his 23rd season on the broadcast team. Casey Kahler enters his second season as the adidas sideline reporter. *WSCR-AM Chicago 670
WLBK-AM DeKalb 1360
WSEY-FM Rockford 95.7
WRHL-AM Rochelle 1060
WTJK-AM Beloit, Wisc. 1380

On the Net...to hear every Huskie Radio Network broadcast as well as SEE live video of select NIU games, sign up for the Huskie All Access package at www.niuhuskies.com. Purchase the monthly package for $6.95 or a season-long pass for $49.95.

Review It...on "Inside Huskie Sports", weekly on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The 30-minute highlight show airs every Thursday at 4 p.m. Also, join Head Coach Joe Novak and host Brad Hoey at the live taping of "IHS" Mondays at 6 p.m. at Fatty's Pub and Grille, 1312 West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Live It...on "NIU Live." The weekly 30-minute show airs on WSCR AM 670 "The Score" in Chicago Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. WSCR sports director Andy Garcia and Huskie athletic director Jim Phillips co-host the show with guest appearances by Northern coaches, including Joe Novak.

Read It...on www.niuhuskies.com. For the latest statistics, feature stories, player Q&As and weekly and daily updates.