Rested Huskies face old nemesis
Wolfe gets national showcase vs.Toledo
By Reid Hanley
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 6, 2006
There are some upsides to Northern Illinois' home game Tuesday against Toledo, and none of them have to do with the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, allowing fans to get home in time to check election results.
The Huskies have had 10 days to heal from their non-conference loss at Iowa. They will also get a chance to showcase tailback Garrett Wolfe on ESPN2 before a national audience. NIU will have another 10-day hiatus before its final home game with Central Michigan.
Northern coach Joe Novak would rather play exclusively on Saturdays, but the Huskies have no Saturday games in November. With no off week in its 12-game schedule, there is an advantage.
"I'm not a fan of playing during the week," said Novak, whose team will have played games on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Friday when the season is over. "[But] it's not bad having a schedule with 10 days between games, especially at this point in the season. If you worry about an off week, because that's 14 days, sometimes you get stale and rusty."
Northern and Toledo were expected to be playing for the MAC West Division title, as they often have in the past. But NIU is 5-4, 3-2, and the Rockets are 3-6, 1-4.
There is still a strong rivalry between the two schools, which should make the game more interesting.
Wolfe is worth a look on his own. Although he has been held below 100 yards in each of his last three games, the senior still leads the nation in rushing with 1,479 yards.
"I don't think [Wolfe] lacks confidence," Novak said. "It's a matter of people doing a real good job on defense and we have times when we are not doing the best job of blocking. Sometimes he does not even have a chance to get started. I am concerned because he puts so much of it on his shoulders."
Toledo's 11-game winning streak against NIU ended a year ago. Novak is just 1-8 against the Rockets
"It's a pretty darn good rivalry," he said. "This is the first time in three or four years where there are no MAC championship implications. Against Akron (a 35-20 victory), they played well. They looked like the Toledo of old, so that's what scares me."
E-mail this story
Printable format
Search archives
RSS
Toledo at Northern Illinois
TV/radio: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; ESPN2, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: NIU by 10?.
Records: Toledo 3-6, 1-4; NIU 5-4, 3-2.
Series: Toledo leads 26-7.
Last meeting: NIU won 35-17 at Toledo on Nov. 16, 2005.
Huskies outlook: The election-night special will star Garrett Wolfe, who leads the nation in rushing (164.3 ypg) and all-purpose yardage (188.9 ypg) despite three subpar games. Toledo might give up some big rushing yardage, plus the 10 days between games should have Wolfe in his best shape since the opener.
Rockets outlook: Toledo lost its way after splitting its first two games but ended a four-game losing streak 10 days ago. Freshman quarterback Aaron Opelt is starting to feel comfortable and receiver Steve Odom has caught passes in 46 straight games?the longest streak in the nation. Toledo coach Tom Amstutz is 4-1 against the Huskies and could be good for a trick play or two.
Reid Hanley
rhanley@tribune.com
Copyright ? 2006, Chicago Tribune
Wolfe gets national showcase vs.Toledo
By Reid Hanley
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 6, 2006
There are some upsides to Northern Illinois' home game Tuesday against Toledo, and none of them have to do with the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, allowing fans to get home in time to check election results.
The Huskies have had 10 days to heal from their non-conference loss at Iowa. They will also get a chance to showcase tailback Garrett Wolfe on ESPN2 before a national audience. NIU will have another 10-day hiatus before its final home game with Central Michigan.
Northern coach Joe Novak would rather play exclusively on Saturdays, but the Huskies have no Saturday games in November. With no off week in its 12-game schedule, there is an advantage.
"I'm not a fan of playing during the week," said Novak, whose team will have played games on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Friday when the season is over. "[But] it's not bad having a schedule with 10 days between games, especially at this point in the season. If you worry about an off week, because that's 14 days, sometimes you get stale and rusty."
Northern and Toledo were expected to be playing for the MAC West Division title, as they often have in the past. But NIU is 5-4, 3-2, and the Rockets are 3-6, 1-4.
There is still a strong rivalry between the two schools, which should make the game more interesting.
Wolfe is worth a look on his own. Although he has been held below 100 yards in each of his last three games, the senior still leads the nation in rushing with 1,479 yards.
"I don't think [Wolfe] lacks confidence," Novak said. "It's a matter of people doing a real good job on defense and we have times when we are not doing the best job of blocking. Sometimes he does not even have a chance to get started. I am concerned because he puts so much of it on his shoulders."
Toledo's 11-game winning streak against NIU ended a year ago. Novak is just 1-8 against the Rockets
"It's a pretty darn good rivalry," he said. "This is the first time in three or four years where there are no MAC championship implications. Against Akron (a 35-20 victory), they played well. They looked like the Toledo of old, so that's what scares me."
E-mail this story
Printable format
Search archives
RSS
Toledo at Northern Illinois
TV/radio: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; ESPN2, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: NIU by 10?.
Records: Toledo 3-6, 1-4; NIU 5-4, 3-2.
Series: Toledo leads 26-7.
Last meeting: NIU won 35-17 at Toledo on Nov. 16, 2005.
Huskies outlook: The election-night special will star Garrett Wolfe, who leads the nation in rushing (164.3 ypg) and all-purpose yardage (188.9 ypg) despite three subpar games. Toledo might give up some big rushing yardage, plus the 10 days between games should have Wolfe in his best shape since the opener.
Rockets outlook: Toledo lost its way after splitting its first two games but ended a four-game losing streak 10 days ago. Freshman quarterback Aaron Opelt is starting to feel comfortable and receiver Steve Odom has caught passes in 46 straight games?the longest streak in the nation. Toledo coach Tom Amstutz is 4-1 against the Huskies and could be good for a trick play or two.
Reid Hanley
rhanley@tribune.com
Copyright ? 2006, Chicago Tribune