DeKALB – Jerry Zakosek was starting to lose faith.

Down 20-0 at halftime, his beloved Northern Illinois University Huskies seemed headed toward another heartbreaking loss in the 2011 Mid-American Conference championship game. It was déjà vu for Zakosek, who one year earlier sat in Ford Field in Detroit and watched his favorite football team fall just short of a championship.

But this was not 2010, and the 50-plus year Huskies fan watched his team hoist a MAC Championship trophy after rallying to win the game, 23-20, in the second half.