CSNbbs

Quote:DeKALB - Northern Illinois University tailback Justin Anderson disappointed his offensive line by not scoring a touchdown on his historic carry. Starting right guard Onyebuagu said the line discussed Anderson passing the 1,000-yard mark with a long touchdown run.

Anderson failed to please the line with a highlight-reel run, but did the next best thing - pleasing the stomachs of the linemen by treating them to a dinner at Johnny's Charhouse in Sycamore. The running backs promised the offensive line a steak dinner if the team ran for 200 or more yards. The Huskies finished with 235 yards rushing on 54 rushes.

“We wanted to give them a little motivation,” Anderson said of the dinner.

Anderson accomplished his historic feat with a 5-yard run on his second carry of Saturday's 27-20 victory over Kent State. The run pushed Anderson's name into an elite group of runners, extending NIU's FBS record streak to nine straight seasons. Anderson's name joins Williams Andrews, Thomas Hammock, Michael Turner and Garrett Wolfe as members of the historic streak.

Due to Minnesota not having a back with 600 yards with one game left in the season, the Huskies won't share the streak with any team next year.

“The offensive line did a great job,” Anderson said. “I think these were the biggest holes that I have seen all season.”

Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak witnessed the birth of the streak with Andrews' 1,000-yard season in 1999.

“It's a nice thing we have going,” Novak said. “We have some good running backs to have good endurance. It's a nice thing to have. I'm happy for him.”

Anderson played in limited duty after halftime due to a knee injury. He rushed for 98 yards on 19 carries. In the first half, Anderson carried the Huskies with 97 yards rushing, three catches for 26 yards and two touchdowns.

Anderson had two rushes in the second half, opening the door for backup David Bryant to get some carries. Bryant led the Huskies with 28 rushes for 110 yards. Freshman tailback Chad Spann suffered a possible season-ending knee injury on the kickoff team, leaving the Huskies with two healthy backs.

“It's me and Justin now,” Bryant said. “We have to do our thing. It was a good feeling to get out there. The offensive line did a great job.”

Bryant's 23-yard run on NIU's fourth drive led to Anderson's 4-yard touchdown. The touchdown gave the Huskies a 14-7 lead with 13:51 left in the second quarter.

“If you haven't noticed all we have left is Justin and David,” Novak said. “Chad Spann got hurt and he is likely done for the year. These guys, I mean, I love them to death, but they do not fool everybody out there. They take a lot of hits every game and I hope they can stick it out for the next two weeks and remain healthy because we have nobody left.”

WRONG SIDE

Anderson, not known as a quote machine, did reveal an interesting nugget about his 16-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. The 5-foot-11, 222-pounder lined up on the wrong side.

“I actually lined up on the wrong side of the field,” Anderson said. “I forgot the play and asked Danny (Nicholson) if I was in the right spot and he said ‘yes.' I ran the route and he really threw a perfect pass to get it to me in the end zone.”

Novak laughed off the mistake.

“We screw it up and lucked out,” Novak said.

INJURIES

Quarterback Dan Nicholson suffered a mild head injury on NIU's fourth possession after halftime. Reserve Ryan Morris played the rest of the game. Nicholson was diagnosed with a mild concussion against Wisconsin. Novak said Saturday's injury was not as severe.

“Danny got his bell rung again,” Novak said. “It was not as bad as in the past.”

Morris didn't attempt a pass in NIU's final three drives.

VICTORY FORMATION

Jeffrey Yordon, who donated $2.5 million to the athletic department, received the game ball from Novak. The victory ended a five-game losing streak and signaled the program's first home win this season.

”We practice it a lot and I see it a lot on Thursdays,” Novak said of NIU's victory formation.

TWO MORE STREAKS

Senior kicker Chris Nendick extended his consecutive scoring streak to 47 games. Nendick has scored a point in every NIU game in his career, tying him for second-longest streak in the country. Nendick's third successful PAT pushed him past Steve Azar as the all-time leader in career PAT attempts. Nendick raised his career total to 155-of-159.

Defensive end Larry English combined with Brandon Bice for a sack, pushing his streak to nine straight games with a tackle for a loss.