Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak’s message to his players this week will be simple and urgent: We still can achieve our season goal and win the Mid-American Conference championship.
“We control our own destiny,” Novak said after Saturday’s 31-17 loss to Ball State. “We’re going into November and can still win the MAC.”
In order to win the MAC West and advance to the league’s title playoff game, NIU must win its three remaining regular-season games: at Central Michigan and Toledo and home against Western Michigan. This would leave all four teams with at least two league losses, and NIU, at 6-2, would be the West champion by virtue of beating the others head-to-head.
To do this, however, Novak’s team must regain the strong rushing game that disappeared Saturday. The Huskies, who had been averaging 232.9 rushing yards per game, were held to 66 by the fired-up Cardinals, who went into the game ranked 117th and last in Division I with an average yield of 256.7. . . .
Star tailback Garrett Wolfe is expected to miss his third straight game this week due to a sprained knee.
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Next: Saturday at Central Michigan, noon