Sept. 25, 2007

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2007 Northern Illinois Huskies at Central Michigan Chippewas
Sept. 29, 2007 - 11 a.m. (CDT) - ESPN Plus & ESPN GamePlan
Mt. Pleasant, Mich. - Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255)

HUSKIE FACTS
2007 Record: 1-3
2007 MAC Record: 0-1
Head Coach: Joe Novak
Alma Mater/Year: Miami (OH) 1967
Record at NIU/Year: 62-69/12th
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 62-69 as a head coach. Novak has led the Huskies to a school-record seven consecutive Football Bowl Championship Subdivision winning seasons, 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 ninth among MAC coaches all-time in victories (61) and is tied for 10th in league wins (46). 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.

CHIPPEWAS' FACTS
2007 Record: 1-3
2007 MAC Record: 1-0
Head Coach: Butch Jones
Alma Mater/Year: Ferris State 1990
Record at CMU/Year: 1-3/1st
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Enrollment: 27,100
Conference: Mid-American Conference
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/30,255
President: Michael Rao
Athletic Director: Dave Heeke
Ticket Information: 989-774-3045

CMU SCHEDULE & RESULTS

NIU NEWS & NOTES

ROAD TRIP: Northern Illinois (1-3, 0-1 MAC) makes the second stop on its three-game "West to East" road trip with a visit to MAC West rival Central Michigan (1-3, 1-0 MAC). Kickoff for the ESPN Plus and ESPN GamePlan contest is at Noon (ET)/11 a.m. (CT).

RECORD ON THE ROAD: Under Joe Novak, Northern Illinois is 25-38 in road contests over the last 11 years, with 18 of those 25 victories recorded since the beginning of the 2002 season. The Huskies have compiled a 3-3 record on the road in each of the last two seasons, winning at Ball State, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan last year. NIU has won seven of its last 10 road games.

NOVAK'S NUMBERS: NIU Head Coach Joe Novak enters his 12th season at the helm of the Huskie program as the dean of Mid-American Conference coaches. Novak, who ranks second all-time at NIU in games coached (131) and is third in victories (62), took over sole possession of ninth place on the MAC career wins list with 61 (his first win came before NIU re-joined the league). His 46 league victories are tied for 10th all-time.

ONE-SIDED: Northern Illinois has dominated the series with MAC West foe Central Michigan of late as NIU has defeated the Chippewas in nine straight games, including the last four meetings in Mt. Pleasant. In 1998, Northern broke its 23-game losing streak with a 16-6 victory over CMU in DeKalb and the Huskies have not lost to the Chippewas since. Central Michigan now leads the all-time series by just one game, 21-20-1, and owns a 13-8 edge at home, site of Central Michigan's last win over NIU, in 1997. The teams have a long history that dates back to 1939. After two-game sets in 1939-40 and 1946-47, CMU and NIU played every year from 1950-66 and have now met 21 times as conference foes, every season that Northern has played in the MAC. In league games, Northern Illinois owns a 12-9 series advantage.

THE LAST MEETING: Northern Illinois handed MAC West Division champ Central Michigan its only league loss of the season with a 31-10 upset victory in DeKalb last Nov. 17. NIU raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead and the Huskie defense held CMU scoreless until the fourth quarter. Garrett Wolfe starred on senior day for Northern Illinois as he gained 203 yards on 33 carries and scored three touchdowns

IDAHO RECAP: The Huskies earned a 42-35 victory over Idaho last Saturday in Moscow by building a 35-7 first-half lead while scoring on an interception return, a blocked punt return and a fumble recovery in the end zone, then holding off a late Idaho charge to earn its first win of the season. With Idaho closing the second-half gap to 14 points in the third quarter, NIU embarked on an eight-play, 93-yard touchdown drive to rebuild its lead. After a late Vandals' score and onside kick recovery, defensive end Larry English sealed the win with his fifth sack of the game.

MAC MARK: Northern Illinois is 81-78-2 (.509) versus its fellow Mid-American Conference members in 20 total seasons as a member of the league. Since beginning its second stint in the conference in 1997, NIU and head coach Joe Novak are 46-33 (.582) versus MAC competition.

106 AND COUNTING: NIU is playing its 106th season of intercollegiate football in 2007 with an all-time record of 487-437-51 (.526) after seven straight winning campaigns. The Huskies played their first games in 1899 and moved into the realm of "major college" football in 1969.

ON THE LISTS: Three Huskies have earned recognition on various "Watch Lists" for national awards. Kicker Chris Nendick, a senior from Naperville, Ill., was one of 30 candidates named to the preseason watch list for the 16th Annual Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker. Defensive end Larry English joined 48 other defenders on the Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defender) list and was named along with 107 others as a Lombardi Award contender. The Lombardi honors the top lineman (offensive or defensive) in the country. Finally, linebacker Tim McCarthy earned some early recognition on the Butkus Award Watch List as the nation's top linebacker.

SELECT COMPANY: Northern Illinois looks to extend its streak of winning seasons to eight in 2007 as the Huskies have posted a winning mark every year since 2000. NIU is one of only 18 FBS schools in the country that can make that claim, and has the longest current string of winning campaigns in the Mid-American Conference. The seven straight winning seasons is also a modern-day school record.

MAC ROAD RECORD: The Mid-American Conference road has been kind to NIU as the Huskies own a phenomenal 16-4 (.800) record in its MAC road games over the last four seasons. Northern Illinois has posted a league road record of .500 or above in each of the last five years, including a 3-1 mark last season. The Huskies have won six of their last seven MAC road tilts and are 22-17 on the road in the league since re-joining the conference in 1997.

DOMINATING DAY: Defensive end Larry English was too much for the Idaho offense on Saturday as the junior from Aurora sacked Vandals' QB Nathan Enderle five times to break the school single-game record he established last year (4.5 versus Temple). English also was credited with five quarterback pressures (by NIU coaches) and a career-high 12 tackles. On one play, he forced Enderle into a swift retreat, the QB then fumbled into the endzone and English recovered for his first career touchdown. Despite playing 90 of the Huskies' 95 "official" defensive plays, he made a game-saving sack on the final play of the game to preserve the NIU victory. For his efforts, English was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week.

NATION'S BEST: English's five sacks versus Idaho marked the top single-game performance by any FBS defender this season, and lifted the junior into a tie for second-place nationally with 1.50 sacks per game (6). He leads the MAC in quarterback sacks and is tied for second on the Huskie team with 29 tackles.

ENDURANCE: According to Northern Illinois' coaches', English has been on the field for an amazing 301 of 312 defensive plays (96.5 percent) this season. Saturday, he played 90 of 96 snaps for the Huskies. The coaches' totals include "penalty" plays not counted in the official stats. Due to the injuries on the defensive line in 2007, English's presence and performance is even more critical as he and tackle Alex Krutsch are playing alongside as many as five freshmen and converted offensive lineman Dan Keller on the D-line.

CLIMBING THE NIU CHARTS: English's performance versus Idaho vaulted him up Northern Illinois' career sacks list as the junior now ranks behind only Cary Caliendo (31 sacks) and Scott Kellar (23) on the Huskie career charts. With six sacks this season and 19 for his career, English is tied with C.J. Rose for third on the NIU sacks chart.

JUST-IN TIME?: With the bulk of the tailback duties now on his shoulders, sophomore Justin Anderson has responded with career games in the last three weeks and scored at least one TD in each game. Versus SIU, he rushed 21 times for 78 yards and a score while catching his career high of eight passes for 87 yards and two scores. A week later, he totaled a career-best 168 rushing yards on 28 carries (6.0 yds/carry) versus EMU and again was NIU's leading receiver with six grabs for 45 yards. Last week at Idaho, Anderson added 167 yards on a career-high 35 rushes. His season-long 30-yard rush set up NIU's second TD, he was the workhorse (44 yards and the TD) of a critical third-quarter drive that put Northern Illinois up 42-21 and his lone reception gave the Huskies a key late first-down.

A GREAT EIGHT: Anderson's eight catches versus Southern Illinois marked the highest single-game total for an NIU running back in at least 25 years, since prior to the 1983 season. His eight catches also are the most by any Huskie player in a game this year.

LEADING MAN: Through the first third of the season, Justin Anderson leads NIU in rushing (416 yards, 104.0 avg.), receiving (20 catches, 162 yards), scoring (5 TDs) and all-purpose yards (578 yards, 144.5 avg.). Anderson ranks third in the MAC in rushing, sixth in all-purpose yards and seventh in catches per game. With 20 catches in four games, Anderson is on pace to catch 60 passes, which would destroy the NIU single season record for catches by a running back which is 43, set by Jack Dean in 1963.

SIMON SAYS...CATCH!: The Minnesota junior recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game at Idaho with four grabs for 115 yards, highlighted by a team season-high 59-yard touchdown catch and run to put the Huskies on the board. He also caught passes of 29, 11 and 16 yards in the game. Simon's 198 receiving yards lead the Huskies.

SIMON SAYS...BLOCK!: NIU wide receiver Matt Simon tallied the first punt block of his Huskie career in the second quarter of the Idaho game. 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, three in the bowl game versus TCU.

HIGH PERCENTAGE PASSING: On the year, NIU junior quarterback Dan Nicholson is completing 67.5 percent of his passes to rank 17th in the nation among NCAA FBS passers. In the last three games, the Chicago native has hit 71 percent of his passes (51-of-72). The school record for season completion percentage is 70.6, set by Phil Horvath in 2005.

HOTTEST STREAK: Nicholson quietly 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. Nicholson's streak began on the Huskies' first drive of the second quarter and continued until he missed Britt Davis on a deep pass in the third period.

HANSON HEATS UP: After missing the SIU game with the after-effects of a concussion, sophomore linebacker Cory Hanson came back with a vengeance versus Eastern Michigan. While press box totals credited the Minnesota native with 11 tackles, coaches' film told a slightly different story as they had Hanson for 16 stops, 14 solo efforts.

OUCH!: Northern Illinois has been bit by the injury bug in 2007 as nine starters (or replacement starters) are now slated to miss at least one full game due to injury this season. In addition, 16 different players listed on the depth chart at some point this year have missed at least one game due to injury, while 14 of those injuries will result in multiple games missed. Four players - NG Adam Schroeder (shoulder surgery) and TB Montell Clanton, DT Craig Rusch and DE Anthony Antonacci (all rt. knees) - have been lost for the season. In addition, LB Tim McCarthy (rt. knee) will miss significant time and possibly the season. DT Mike Krause, FS Spencer Williamson and DT Zach Holycross each have already missed three of NIU's four games.

D-LINE D-MOLISHED: The Huskies have been especially hard-hit by injuries on the defensive line. Seven players listed on the NIU depth chart at the start of the season (Rusch, Antonacci, Schroeder, Holycross, Mike Krause, Brandon Bice and Jake Coffman) are now expected to be out for at least one game. The injuries have forced Huskie coaches to make several line-up adjustments, including the move of Dan Keller from offensive to defensive line. Last week, true freshmen John Hopkins and D.J. Pirkle saw their first collegiate action and this week, Ron Newcomb appears on the two-deep. Ed Jackson, a redshirt freshmen, made his first career start at tackle at Idaho; if Krause returns this week, he could be the one making his first start on the defensive line.

DITTBENNER'S DAY: Huskie punter Andy Dittbenner enjoyed the comforts of the Kibbie Dome as he recorded a career day at Idaho. Dittbenner punted eight times for a 47.8 yard average, his highest single game average (more than three punts), besting his 46.6-yard average in the 2005 MAC Championship game. His career-long 60-yard effort in the third quarter was downed at the Idaho 24-yard line, and he added punts of 55, 52 and 55 yards on the day.

A LOT OF HANG TIME: In his third season as NIU's punter, Dittbenner is moving up the Huskie career punting charts for punts and punting yards while also ranking on the punting average list. His 125 punts are ninth-most in Huskie history as are his 4,900 punting yards. His current punting average of 39.2 would rank fifth on the NIU career lists.

MAKING IT COUNT: Chase Carter made Northern Illinois' first interception of the season count when he brought his first career pick-off back 95 yards for a score versus Idaho, giving the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish. The play tied as the eighth-longest scoring play in Northern Illinois history, and was the second-longest interception return TD ever (behind Dave Petway's 100-yard INT return versus SIU in 1977). Carter's return was also the longest scoring play for the Huskies since Sept. 30, 2000, when Dan Urban hit Justin McCareins with a 99-yard pass versus Ball State.

DEFLECTION SECTION: With 19 pass break-ups through four games in 2007, Northern Illinois is on pace to record 57 PBUs on the season after totaling just 30 a year ago. CB Melvin Rice and LB John Tranchitella lead the way in the deflection section with four break-ups apiece, while Brandon Bice, Cory Hanson, Chase Carter and Josh Allen have two PBUs each. In all, nine NIU players have at least one pass break up on the year. The Huskies deflected a season-high eight passes at Idaho with Tranchitella getting his hands on three passes. The sophomore MLB also added his first interception of the season in that game.

TURNOVER TIME: After gaining only one turnover in the first three games of the season, the Northern Illinois defense came up with four at Idaho, including three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Two of the turnovers resulted directly in touchdowns as the fumble recovery was made in the end zone and one of the interceptions was returned for a score. Northern Illinois has not had three interceptions in a game since the 2005 Toledo game. Last year the Huskies had a season-best two interceptions versus Central Michigan.

HUSKIE DEBUTANTES: Eighteen different players have made their Huskie debuts in 2007, including eight redshirt freshmen, seven true freshmen, transfers Anthony Mason and Chase Carter, and junior Vincent Matthew. Defensive linemen John Hopkins and D.J. Pirkle were the latest freshmen to join the list as they debuted versus Idaho. They join fellow true freshmen Chad Spann, Patrick George, Nolan Owen, Landon Cox and Kyle Skarb on the active list. Among the eight redshirts to debut in 2007, safety Alex Kube, defensive tackle Ed Jackson and tight end Bryan Beckner have started games. The other redshirt freshmen to get on the field this year are Ricky Crider, Justin Stewart, Jake Coffman, Mike Krause and Vernon Sims.

CATCHING ON: Britt Davis has moved into 10th place on Northern Illinois' all-time receptions list with 113 catches for 1,295 yards. He passed the 100-catch mark versus Iowa in just his 25th career game, the earliest an NIU player has reached 100 catches. Already the NIU record-holder for catches as a freshman (42) and as a sophomore (57), Davis has caught at least one pass in 24 of NIU's last 25 games. He needs five catches to pass Jack Frost (1965-67) and move up to ninth on the career charts.

HOME-GROWN: The 2007 Northern Illinois roster includes 78 players from the state of Illinois and 59 from the Chicagoland area, the highest concentrations of any NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school in the state. In all, 69 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.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: A total of eight NIU football games are scheduled to air on television this year. Saturday's game is one of two this season (Eastern Michigan was the other) selected as the ESPN Plus MAC Game of the Week and can also be seen as part of the ESPN GamePlan package. ESPNU aired the season-opener against Iowa and last week's contest at Idaho was an ESPN GamePlan game as they picked up the Idaho syndicated broadcast. Northern Illinois' Nov. 17 tilt at Navy will be shown on CSTV and the remaining four NIU home games will be seen on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. NIU has appeared on national television 14 times since 2004, with 34 total games broadcast.

NO RESPECT?: Northern Illinois, which has won four Mid-American Conference West Division titles in the last six seasons, was picked fifth in the West in the 2007 MAC News Media Association Preseason Football Poll. NIU tallied 90 points and one first place vote as Western Michigan earned the "favorite" tag by two points over Central Michigan in the West. Ohio was tabbed to win the East race over Kent State. Other preseason publications have ranked the Huskies as high as third in the west.

YORDON CENTER DEDICATED: On Sept. 8, 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.

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. 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.

SCORING MARKS: Northern Illinois kicker Chris Nendick has scored at least one point in every game of his Huskie career, a school-record 41 straight contests. He has moved past former tailback Michael Turner to move into third place on the NIU career scoring list and now has with 294 total points. Nendick ranks second all-time at in kick scoring, 76 points behind leader Steve Azar (2000-03). Nendick also ranks second at NIU in career field goals made with 49 and in field goal attempts (67). The Naperville product ranks fourth in the NCAA among active kickers in career PATs made (147) and attempted (149). He needs five extra points made and 10 attempts to pass Azar on those NIU lists.

SENIOR STARTERS: Only three seniors have started games for Northern Illinois in 2007 - LT Chris Acevedo (4 starts), TE Brandon Davis (2) and SS Mark Reiter (2). Acevedo and Davis started the season opener versus Iowa, while Acevedo was the lone senior in the line-up in the SIU game. Then safety Mark Reiter joined Acevedo in the line-up versus Eastern Michigan and Idaho. Kicker Chris Nendick is the only other NIU senior starter.

JUNIOR CAPTAINS: For the first time in Joe Novak's tenure at NIU, the permanent captains selected by the Huskie team do not include a senior. Four junior players were elected by their teammates this spring. On offense, wide receiver Britt Davis and quarterback Dan Nicholson got the nod, with defensive end Larry English and linebacker Tim McCarthy tabbed from the NIU defense.

CORPORAL COFFMAN: The story of Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Jake Coffman is noteworthy, not just because the walk-on is seeing an increasing amount of playing time at defensive end for the Huskies. Coffman is a 23-year-old freshman from German Valley, Ill. who spent four years in the Marine Corps, and was promoted three times, rising to the rank of corporal. He was deployed to Iraq on two occasions. In 2006, Coffman enrolled at NIU and joined the football team. An all-conference defensive end as a senior at Forreston High School, Coffman has been credited with nine tackles to date.

WITH HONORS: A pair of Huskies garnered the majority of the preseason recognition entering 2007. Junior defensive end Larry English was projected as the MAC's Defensive Player of the Year by both Blue Ribbon Magazine and Lindy's Preseason Yearbook. Senior kicker Chris Nendick was listed by Street & Smith's as an honorable mention preseason All-American while additionally being tabbed as a Lou Groza Award candidate by the publication. Nendick was also ranked by The Sporting News as the nation's ninth-best kicker. CollegeFootballNews.com listed three Huskies in its national position rankings with Nendick No. 6 among kickers, Eddie Adamski No. 19 among centers and English No. 23 among defensive ends. The website tabbed English as the MAC's preseason defensive player of the year and the league's fourth-ranked pro prospect.

MOST-EXPERIENCED: The Huskies feature only three players - all juniors - who entered the 2007 campaign with more than one year of starting experience. Offensive lineman Jon Brost (27 starts), wide receiver Britt Davis (26) and defensive end Larry English (26) own more starts than any other players on the NIU team. While Brost leads the way in total number of starts, Davis has started 21 straight games and English has been in the starting line-up in 20 consecutive contests.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS: Eleven NIU players have made their first career starts this season, including six on offense and four defenders. Offensively, tight ends Reed Cunningham and Bryan Beckner, left guard Tim Mayerbock, wide receiver Greg Turner and running backs Montell Clanton and Justin Anderson received their first starts. On defense, end Brandon Bice, tackle Ed Jackson, linebacker John Tranchitella, safety Alex Kube and cornerback Chase Carter have started for the first time in 2007.

TV TOTALS: In 40 seasons of televised games, Northern Illinois is 51-51-1 all-time on television, including a 29-21 mark since the start of the 2001 season. All 13 Huskie games were aired a year ago; NIU went 5-4 in its nine television appearances in 2005 and posted an impressive 8-2 mark on TV in 2004. The Iowa game on ESPNU was the 26th ESPN Network broadcast all-time for Northern Illinois, with six ESPN airings last year.

CLEAN TEAM: The Huskies rank among the nation's leaders as they have been penalized only 18 times this season for an average of 42.75 yards per game. NIU's average of 4.50 penalties per game is tied for seventh in the country, and leads the MAC for fewest markers per contest.

WITH A DEGREE: Huskies David Koronkiewicz and Mark Reiter each earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from NIU last spring and are now pursuing their master's degrees in business from Northern. Koronkiewicz, a junior tight end, could leave NIU with two degrees before his eligibility is concluded.

EARLY BIRDS: Northern Illinois has racked up 72 of their 95 points (75.7 percent) in the first half of their four 2007 games. After a 21-point second-quarter outburst at Idaho, NIU has totaled 48 points - 50 percent of their season total - in that period alone. The Huskies have started strong with 24 first-quarter points, while scoring just 23 points, 17 in the third period, in the second half. On the flip side, the NIU defense has held opponents to only seven first-quarter points, with that score coming at Idaho. Opponents have had the most success in the fourth quarter with 41 of their 106 points scored in the game's final 15 minutes.

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).

ON THE RISE: Members of the Huskie football team posted the squad's highest cumulative semester grade point average ever last spring with a combined G.P.A. of 2.797. In addition, 39 Northern Illinois players earned recognition as "Scholar Ballers" indicative of a cumulative grade point average of 3.000. They are recognized with a "Thinking Man" patch on the front of their uniform jersey to recognize their classroom achievements.

NIU MULTIMEDIA

Watch It....in up to 34 markets around the country as part of the MAC Game of the Week package put together by the Mid-American Conference and ESPN. Michael Reghi will provide the play-by-play while Doug Chapman is the color analyst for this week's broadcast. In Chicago, the game can be seen on WPWR - MyTV while WTVO in Rockford also will air the game. The broadcast will be available as part of the ESPN GamePlan package.

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 in September. 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.