In his eighth year, Joe Novak has the No. 20 Huskies on top
When Joe Novak took the football head coach job at Northern Illinois in 1996, he inherited a team of losers —literally.
Subpar .500 seasons were the norm in DeKalb, Ill., and attendance for home games was minimal at best.
Novak methodically rebuilt and remolded the image of a football program that has since emerged from the cellar of Division I-A. But it didn’t happen overnight.
Novak lost 23 straight games in his first three seasons, accumulating a 3-30 record.
Now, five years later, BCS conference teams shudder at the thought of playing the No. 20 ranked Huskies.
“They’re the real deal,” said Iowa State Head Coach Dan McCarney. “They’re a damn good football team. Those of us in the coaching profession already knew the MAC is a solid conference.”
Novak — whose Huskies have already beaten Maryland and Alabama – said the MAC is blurring the line between big football and “mid-majors.”
“We think our league is under appreciated,” he said. “When we play games like this, we need to prove to everybody we can beat these teams. Schools in our league have done this before. We just need to do this more often.”
Novak will get yet another shot to prove the MAC belongs with the nation’s elite Saturday when the Huskies (3-0) host 2-1 Iowa State.
“I’m sure they looked on their schedule and said Northern Illinois is a game they have to win,” Novak said.
The Cyclones are coming off a 40-21 loss at Iowa. McCarney said his team must improve its kicking game, as NIU’s special teams have been solid all season.
“They are not going to beat themselves. My concern is we correct our mistakes from the Iowa loss,” McCarney said. “Our running game was nonexistent last week. We need to improve on that.”
Novak said the Huskies must have good ball control, which includes a steady diet of touches for senior running back Michael Turner. Turner leads the MAC in rushing with 380 yards.
“We’re not flashy on the offensive side of the ball,” Novak said. “Right now, we have been balanced. We have to throw the ball well enough to keep the heat off Turner.”
One of the surprises has been the consistent play of NIU junior Josh Haldi. He has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 667 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception.
“I hope we continue our focus. There are a lot of people talking about NIU football right now,” Haldi said. “We can’t look at that; we’ve only played three games. If they’re still wanting to talk all about us in two months, then we’re on to something.”
McCarney said his defense will have to keep constant pressure on the NIU offensive line in order to shut down the Huskies multiple threats.
“You got to be gap sound and scream to the football,” he said. “We can’t let Haldi sit back there all day and pick us apart and Turner can’t be gashing us all game long.”
Iowa State has an emerging weapon of its own in redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Flynn. The multi-faceted Flynn can beat opponents with both his arm and his legs, much like ex-Cyclone great Seneca Wallace.
Flynn has thrown 649 passing yards, including four touchdowns, and rushed for 202 yards.
Both coaches agreed Flynn isn’t Wallace yet, but is capable of disrupting defenses with his Wallace-esque skills.
“You rather see him throw it then run it because he can scramble and make big plays,” Novak said.
After Iowa State, no future BCS conference teams are scheduled to play at NIU. Novak said it’s going to be tougher to lure in bigger name schools because of the MAC’s repeated success.
“We scheduled all these people when they’re programs were down,” he said. “I’m willing to bet it’s not going to happen in the future. Right now, it’s not as attractive to them. I like to think coaches understand what they’re getting into.”
