IT WAS A DONE DEAL WHEN
The Huskies kept their composure, even when we had a burst of points in the 3rd quarter and pulled within a single score of them. They simply responded by marching on a FG drive. And then their defense stepped up with a defensive TD to make sure the case was closed.

GAME BALLS
OLB Greg Walker, continuing his development as a linebacker (after having been recruited as a DE), had a solid game. Last year, he had only 20 tackles (half of which were sacks). This game, he picked up 6 tackles. He looked like a much more complete LB, not being limited only to pass-rushing. ... QB D.J. McPhearson deserves a gameball for effort. D.J. ran for 93 yards, threw for 195, and tossed 3 TDs (and a two point conversion). Granted, he had bad moments, too. He fumbled 4 times and threw 3 interceptions, which is awful, but it's easy to forget that his rash of turnovers didn't begin until NIU demonstrated that they could pretty well score at will by repeatedly throwing the ball to Marcus Lewis (who had 200+ receiving yards and 4 TD catches, burning double coverage on a couple of them).

KEY STATISTICS
NIU converted half of their 3rd down attempts despite having a paltry rushing attack. They picked us apart in the air. ... David Taylor, moved from FB to HB this year because we weren't able to recruit a suitable tailback to replace Michael Clarke, had a rough outing in his new position. He ran 8 times for only 15 yards.

NOTES
Freshman K Casey Gipson missed his first ever FG attempt.