Mistakes kill NIU again

KALAMAZOO - Combine a new coach with freshmen playing prominent roles and any program is bound to have ups and downs.

Northern Illinois certainly has had its share of the former through two weeks, with plenty of promise for the future sprinkled with some immediate results.

Unfortunately for Jerry Kill's first Huskies edition, it is the latter that has won out, with just enough mistakes from the freshmen - and the other three classes - at the wrong times turning what could be a 2-0 start into 0-2.

The Huskies failed to hold a fourth-quarter lead on the road for the second straight week, falling 29-26 to Western Michigan in front of 26,262 at Waldo Stadium.

Freshman quarterback DeMarcus Gray felt those highs and lows in one quarter. He gave Northern Illinois a 19-14 lead with 14:17 remaining on a 3-yard run, then fumbled on Northern's ensuing drive that led to a Broncos touchdown and a 10-point deficit.

"He feels terrible," Kill said. "He says 'Coach I fumbled the ball.' I said 'Hey, you hadn't played. You were reading a card a year ago. You have to get experience.' "

Kill didn't build Southern Illinois into a power with moral victories, and he would have none of such talk after a mistake-filled game that included 2 turnovers and 7 penalties.

"We have to look in the mirror," Kill said. "A week ago we didn't make a lot of mental errors. We made some mental errors as a football team tonight."

The final one came with the Huskies mounting another last-minute rally. Driscoll product Greg Turner caught a 16-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left, and Wheaton North grad T.J. Griffin recovered an onside kick.

But Northern Illinois lined up wrong on the play, failing to have four players on each side of the hash, and was called for a false start.

The Huskies defense had no answer for Western Michigan (1-1) in the fourth quarter, watching the Broncos march effortlessly 82 yards to regain a 22-19 lead.

"We just weren't making the plays we should have," said reigning MAC Player of the Year Larry English, who was held to 4 tackles and no sacks.

Freshman quarterback Chandler Harnish played only two series. A right foot injury turned the rest of the night over to senior Dan Nicholson (16 of 29 for 239 yards).