Huskies double their pleasure

DeKALB - Northern Illinois University's 27-20 victory over Kent State won't make big headlines, not like Illinois' 28-21 toppling of top-ranked Ohio State. In a matter of 195 minutes, the Huskies did end a five-game losing streak, won their first game at home and doubled their season win total. Not earth-shattering, but another baby step for a young team. “It's amazing when you're 1-8 a game like that is a great victory,” said NIU coach Joe Novak. “I'm really proud of the kids. I know it has been a long time since we had a win and a win at home nonetheless. It was a good game for our kids to win.” The victory wasn't a masterpiece, but the Huskies improved to 2-8 on the season and captured their first Mid-American Conference victory. The successful outcome came even after the Huskies tried to toss away a victory with their usual assortment of errors Saturday. Kent State defensive back Jack Williams ended NIU's first two drives with a fumble recovery and interception. The Huskies missed a field goal and botched another attempt on a bad hold by Matt Simon. A strong running game and inspired defense helped squash a late KSU uprising. The Huskies' comeback coincided with Williams missing the final three quarters with a shoulder injury. Northern Illinois scored three straight touchdowns, two by Justin Anderson, to seize a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. The Northern Illinois offensive line had one of its best games of the season, forming Secret Service-type protection of quarterback Dan Nicholson and opening up gaping holes for Anderson and David Bryant. Anderson passed the 1,000-yard mark on NIU's first drive, rushing for 97 of his 98 yards in the first half. Anderson, who sat out most of the second half with a slight knee injury, extended NIU's streak to nine straight years with a 1,000-yard rusher. Bryant rushed for a team-high 110 yards on 28 attempts. Tailback Chad Spann suffered a serious knee injury on the kickoff team, leaving the Huskies with Anderson and Bryant as the lone two healthy backs. Anderson injured his knee before halftime, but returned to carry the ball twice in the second half. “Our offensive line played well,” Novak said. “Justin Anderson was able to see some big holes tonight and it showed.” Nicholson, who didn't return after a head injury late in the third quarter, showed flashes of his old self. The junior completed 10 of his first 12 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns to guide the Huskies to a 21-7 lead. However, Nicholson ruined his strong start by tossing two interceptions to kill drives in KSU territory. Nicholson was replaced by Ryan Morris for the second time this season because of a head injury. Nicholson completed 21-of-28 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. As a unit, the offense tried to impersonate Toledo with 369 yards in the first half en route to 510 yards on 83 plays. The Huskies converted six of their first seven third down attempts to wear out KSU's defense. The defense showed dramatic improvement from their last game in which Toledo tallied 70 points and 812 yards of total offense. The NIU defense failed to contain Kent State tailback Eugene Jarvis, who ran for 170 yards on 20 rushing attempts. The Golden Flashes suffered big blows with game-ending injuries to Williams and quarterback Giorgio Morgan. Kent State was forced to use its fourth-string quarterback Jon Brown for the second half. The Huskies held Kent State to six second-half points and 4-of-14 on third downs. The NIU defense tallied four sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Linebacker Josh Allen, who delivered a crunching blow late in the game, registered two tackles for a loss and forced a fumble. Defensive end Brandon Bice notched one and a half sacks to pace the defense. Even so, the Huskies needed a leaping interception by John Tranchitella deep in NIU's territory with 1:14 left in regulation to secure the victory. “I was joking with Larry (English) after the play about it and we were both thankful to get off the field because we were pretty tired at that point,” Bice said. Novak elected to relish the victory instead of talking about next week's game at Navy. The Midshipmen football team defeated North Texas 74-62 Saturday. “I would like to enjoy this one for a while because it hasn't happened very much this year,” Novak said. So would many of the fans, players and other coaches. Bobby Narang can be reached at bnarang@daily-chronicle.com.