CURTAIN CALL?Northern's 14 seniors ready for final home game
DEKALB — Last chance.
That should be the theme tonight when the Northern Illinois football team plays host to Mid-American Conference West Division champion Central Michigan (7-3 overall, 6-0) at 7 p.m. at Huskie Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
It will be the final opportunity for this year's 5-5 NIU team to beat a team with a winning record. The Huskies wrap up the season next Friday at Eastern Michigan (1-9). The team needs to win both to extend a streak of seven straight winning seasons and maintain its faint hopes of receiving a bowl bid.
It will also be the final home game for 14 Huskie seniors, including 13 who are in their fifth year with the program. One of the most productive classes in coach Joe Novak's 11-year tenure is led by running back Garrett Wolfe and left tackle Doug Free.
"It will be an emotional day," said NIU coach Joe Novak. "I don't care if we're 0-11 or 11-0, it's the last time they put that red jersey on. It will be an emotional time for everybody. It's like raising a son and sending them off into the world."
The class will be honored prior to the game.
Wolfe still leads the country in rushing (153.3 yards-per-game) and all-purpose yards (176.3) despite being held under 100 yards rushing for four straight games. On Thursday, he was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation's top running back.
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Free has 46 straight starts (every game of his career) and will be featured in the marquee matchup of the game when he goes head-to-head with CMU senior defensive lineman Dan Bazuin (6-3, 272). Both players are listed as two of the MAC's top NFL prospects this season and at least 10 professional teams will be represented, several by scouting and/or player personnel directors.
Wolfe's decline in production has been due in some part to a recently-revealed hamstring injury, apparently a strain
"He's like most of these kids," said Novak. "They don't complain. You play football, you're gonna be bumped and bruised. But he's practiced every day and played every game."
Last week, Wolfe came out of the Toledo game in the second quarter with what the coach termed a "shoulder issue."
But it was not related to the offseason shoulder surgery Wolfe had, said Novak. "It just hurt like the devil."
Wolfe said the seniors have accomplished a lot, "we all wish we could have done more. We all left it on the field."
And he downplayed his injuries.
"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to play in the game," said Wolfe, who was held out of several practices in the past week.
"People want to find things to blame the lack of production, but I played my whole sophomore year (1,656 yards rushing) with two bad hamstrings. There have been other reasons why things haven't been going well in the running game."
The visiting Chippewas wrapped up the division title last week with a 31-7 thumping of Western Michigan on a stormy day.
Novak said Central has improved considerably over the course of the season as redshirt freshman quarterback Dan LeFevour has settled in as the starter. The Benet Academy graduate from Downers Grove is 6-3, 215 pounds and poses a dual threat.
LeFevour has passed for 2,044 yards and 18 TDs with seven interceptions and rushed 95 times for 336 yards and 5 TDs.
His success hasn't surprised his prep coach, Gary Goforth.
"He got the starting job by injury but he's kept it," said Goforth. "He's a very, very hard-working and motivated young man."
LeFevour played tailback as a freshman at Benet but moved to QB as a sophomore to backup the starter. He progressed so well in practice Goforth started him in the seventh game and moved his other QB to running back.
"There's no question the resolution at the quarterback position allowed us to continue to progress," said Central's third-year coach Brian Kelly. "He has the makeup to lead a football team, regardless of what the situation is. All the things you would expect a fifth-year senior to do, he was already able to do as a freshman."
He's not the only youngster to help the Chippewas.
"We've played seven freshmen and they all came up big for us," said Kelly.
The group includes starting cornerback Josh Gordy, free safety Calivn Hissong and wideout Bryan Anderson.
And LeFevour is not the only CMU player with an Illinois connection. Kelly has done a good job mining talent in the Land of Lincoln.
The Chips starting running back and leading rusher (105-562 yards) is Ontario Sneed, a sophomore from Decatur who went to Clinton High School. Starting center Drew Mormino is from Buffalo Grove, backup right tackle Jeff Gilbert is from West Chicago and placekicker Rick Alreski is a Driscoll grad from Glendale Heights.
With the division title wrapped up, Kelly has to decide how much, if any, he will rest his regulars as they await the MAC title game (Nov. 30) and a subsequent bowl game.
Central Michigan (7-3) at Northern Illinois (5-5)
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