Nose tackle is not a glamorous position. Huskies coach Joe Novak paid some deserving praise to a key player on the defense who has helped NIU to its 8-1 record and No. 23 national ranking. He is Leonard Cooksey, a 6-foot, 306-pound senior from Thornton High School. Cooksey came to Northern Illinois as a walk-on transfer from South Suburban College. He has been a regular since he replaced injured Anthony Faldo for the final four games last season. “Leonard is steady,” Novak said. “He tends to get overlooked. He’s not flashy and doesn’t say a lot. But maybe he has played as well in there as anybody since we’ve been here.” Cooksey, though often double-teamed, has 40 tackles–22 of them solos–one sack and four other stops for losses.
– Noon Saturday at Buffalo