Something interesting to pass along for Saturday's game...

Not only is Saturday's Northern Illinois-Idaho game the 1,000th game in program history for the Huskies, but the game will be officiated by a crew from the C-USA/MWC/WAC officials' group that includes the only female official in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Sarah Thomas.

The New York Times did a story on Thomas on Sept. 18, which you can read here.

Finally, the coaching staffs for both teams are taking part in the annual American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach to Cure MD project.

This is the second straight year the AFCA has encouraged its members across the country to help raise awareness and funds to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood which primarily affects boys across all races and cultures.

Both coaching staffs will wear a Coach to Cure MD logo patch, a public service announcement promoting the event will run on the video board and donation boxes will be set up in the Huskie Athletic Scholarship Fund tent. In addition, fans will be informed that they can donate to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by texting the word CURE to 90999 and a $5 donation will automatically be added to your phone bill.

The Big Ten Conference office announced on its Web site that it will impose a one-game suspension on Purdue guard Zach Reckman for violating the Big Ten Sportslike Conduct Agreement during Purdue’s game against Northern Illinois on Sept. 19.
 
The Big Ten determined that Reckman’s actions – a late hit on NIU defensive end Sean Progar after the final play – at the end of the Northern Illinois contest violated Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01.1.A.1 – “Striking or attempting to strike or otherwise physically abusing an official, opposing coach, spectator or athlete.” The conference office also publicly reprimanded Reckman for his actions.

“We appreciate Purdue’s and head coach Danny Hope’s attention to this issue and feel a one-game suspension is appropriate,” Commissioner James E. Delany said in a news release. “The behavior of Zach Reckman at the end of the Northern Illinois game is unacceptable and could have triggered a larger incident.”
 
The Big Ten Conference considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.

As we reported yesterday, Progar didn't make a big deal over the late hit.

"Of course I wanted to take it back because I saw that green [grass] but I just made a decision," Progar said after Tuesday's practice. "We got the win so I just went down. I didn't even notice that guy hit me afterwards either until I watched the film the other day. I didn't even notice. I thought it was one of my own players jumping on me."

Asked if he thought it was a cheap hit, Progar said, "No. I mean, it was but I don't really care."

Northern Illinois defensive end Sean Progar isn't making a big deal over a late hit from Purdue guard Zach Reckman at the end of Saturday's 28-21 NIU victory.

You can refresh yourself with Reckman's hit here (or here or here). Progar recovered a fumble on the final play of the game and slid to the ground to end the play and clinch NIU's win.

"Of course I wanted to take it back because I saw that green [grass] but I just made a decision," Progar said after Tuesday's practice. "We got the win so I just went down. I didn't even notice that guy hit me afterwards either until I watched the film the other day. I didn't even notice. I thought it was one of my own players jumping on me."

Asked if he thought it was a cheap hit, Progar said, "No. I mean, it was but I don't really care."

We'll have more on Progar and the NIU defense in Saturday's Daily Chronicle and on HuskieWire.com

Kritikos at practice: Senior defensive end Mike Kritikos, who has been out since the spring with a leg injury, was in uniform at Tuesday's practice. Returning to the field in a game is still questionable at this point for Kritikos.

"He's moving around," NIU coach Jerry Kill said. "But I don't know what his status is as far as playing or anything like that. They're moving him around a little bit today. We're not going to play him tomorrow because he hasn't really been doing anything.

"But the kid's a senior. He wants to do well, so you give him credit for trying. We'll see what happens. We've got a long season. The way things are going, guys are getting nicked up, we may need him."

Schepler suffered the injury in the first half against Purdue this past Saturday.

Right guard Joe Pawlak (ankle) is questionable for Saturday. If he doesn't start, Panan Tense will. Pawlak was injured in the fourth quarter against the Boilermakers.

"Panan did very well and if Joe's not 100 percent we'll play Panan and we'll feel good about it," Kill said. "I think Panan did a nice job."

Linebacker/kick returner John Tranchitella (knee) will not play this week and the Huskies hope to have him back for next week's MAC opener against Western Michigan.

Finally, defensive end Jake Coffman is questionable for this week.

"That one I do not know where we're at," Kill said. "He will not practice today... Right now we're very. very cautious with that situation so he will not practice."

Coffman went down on the final play of the game and it's still unclear what happened.

Film analysis: Kill acknowledged that the win over Purdue was a great victory for the Huskies and how it meant a lot to the program to get its second-ever win over a Big Ten team.

But the game left Kill wanting a little more.

Here's what he had to say on what he saw on film...

"I have to look at it as a great week, but I have to go back in there and dissect it the film and I just see us, we could get so much better – just being honest with you – we could be so much better. Yeah, we won the game, we had this amount of yards and all that but we could have been so much better.

"Shoot, we left three touchdown passes on the field. We could be so much better. So that's my job. I've got to coach them. Everybody looks at the big picture but I've got to coach them on a day-to-day basis."

We'll have more on this and Kill's approach to this week in Wednesday's Daily Chronicle and right here on HuskieWire.com.

Kill also commented on the improving defensive line, specifically some of the young players...

"Sean Progar is gaining some confidence, he was a little banged up at the end of camp and now he's feeling better about himself," Kill said. "[Brian] Lawson is playing very well. Alan Baxter is playing unbelievable for a true freshman. Not good, unbelievable for a true freshman."

Quotable: "I don't think he has many bad days." – Kill on running back Chad Spann.

More fake punt: We'll have three videos up from today's news conference later tonight, including one of Kill being asked to rehash the fake punt from the fourth quarter of the victory against Purdue.

Kill credited Ron Newcomb for his play to help spring Justin Anderson on his first-down run.

"Ron Newcomb threw a critical block on that play," Kill said.