Rozner: NIU football only knows one way

The hard way.

From the outside, it may be difficult to understand and perhaps even to believe.

But it is more than an NIU mantra. To suggest so is an unintended oversimplification, because it's not something the Huskies merely say.

It's what they believe. It's a way of life.

Tuesday night in Toledo, Northern Illinois was a touchdown underdog to the 20th-ranked and undefeated Rockets, and trailing in the second quarter when they lost starting quarterback Drew Hare to a season-ending Achilles rupture and top speed receiver Tommylee Lewis to a knee injury.

To anyone watching it looked bleak. To the Huskies, it looked like another day at the office.

Another hard day at the office.

The only certainty when it comes to NIU football is the Huskies will not go away. It is not a guarantee of victory, but it is a promise that they will not quit.

It's a thread that runs through a history of coaches and a long list of players, never more embodied than in the career of Jordan Lynch, yet another overlooked player on the recruiting trail who stuck it to those who said he couldn't play college quarterback.

They all carry the chip and aren't shy about favoring a look to their shoulders.

So when they bring in redshirt freshman Ryan Graham - the Wheaton product who was fifth on the depth chart not that long ago - he carries on as if nothing unusual has occurred while a national TV audience wonders how this is possible.

"I don't have an exciting explanation," Rod Carey said as I sat in the head coach's office Thursday night. "We're very much process-oriented and we go through our process.

"That leads to a never-give-up mentality, because you work that hard and prepare that hard and you're not gonna let one injury or two injuries take you out of that as a team.

"They're all shown the same way by the senior class. It's been passed on in my time here and been emphasized. If you want to play your best football as a senior, watch them and learn from them. And your time could be the next play or it could be next year.

"You never know. Be ready."

Graham was ready, and the Huskies took down Toledo 32-27 with a fourth-quarter rally on the road, their chances at another MAC championship staring them in the face and keeping alive their hopes of a sixth straight 11-win season.

Only NIU and Oregon have done it the last five years, and NIU's 62 victories since 2010 trail only Alabama, Oregon and Florida State. The Huskies are the only FBS team to reach the conference title game the last five years, and the Huskies have won 20 straight in November.

It is the month that separates good from great. It is the month that displays depth of roster, character and coaching.

"We just do it with hard work and attention to detail," Carey said. "As boring as it sounds, it's what it is. When you're so consumed by the details, I don't think you have time to flinch.

"The best reinforcer in the world is to see it happen. It's happened a lot around here with different injuries, and we've seen a lot of guys step into roles and perform well because of the preparation they did beforehand and the process beforehand.

"Other guys have seen that before so it wasn't a big shock. Now, at the QB position, obviously, it's a lot more visible. But no one flinched, from coaches to players, as far as Graham going in.

"They did just the opposite. They said, 'OK, Ryan, it's your turn. Let's go.' It's a proud moment. You're proud of the players, but this is something that goes on all the time at a lot of positions."

One of those who picked up Graham immediately was junior transfer Kenny Golladay, who entered the weekend 15th in the country in receiving yards (801), 23rd in receptions (54) and among those with at least 50 catches, Golladay was eighth in yards per reception (14.8).

"He sought out Ryan at halftime and said, 'I got you. The whole team's got you. Just be yourself. You're a good player and I believe in you,'" Carey said. "Every position group on both sides of the ball really stepped up in the second half."

As amazing as the comeback was against Toledo, the Huskies (6-3, 4-1) still have mountains to climb if they want to win the division with three games remaining.

At 2-3, they knew they had to win out to reach the MAC title game again. They've won four straight, but lurking is a huge game with Western Michigan (6-3, 5-0) in DeKalb on Nov. 18 that might decide the West Division title and a berth in the conference title game.

They're also at Buffalo on Wednesday and close the regular season with Ohio at home on Nov. 24.

So it will not be easy … but at NIU there's nothing new about that.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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