Granted, Eastern Illinois was only a Division I-AA opponent. So when Northern Illinois pounded the Panthers 49-17 and rolled up 609 yards of total offense, the Huskies weren’t exactly knocking off Nebraska or Penn State.
But when you’re 0-3, any kind of a victory is a confidence-builder. And rookie quarterback Aaron Gilbert felt his confidence surge as he completed 10 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two TDs Saturday.
“Gilbert had no confidence after our first two games,” said coach Charlie Sadler. “(Saturday) he put the ball on the money, and he felt more confident about his knee.”
Sophomore Gilbert, from Roselle, injured his knee two weeks ago in a 29-9 loss at Southwestern Louisiana. He’s expected to be at full strength for Saturday’s home game against Nevada.
Gilbert’s slick passing Saturday night complemented a powerful 418-yard rushing game, headed by Charles Talley with 141 yards and Brian Grimes with 121.
Sadler said his defense “never had a lack of confidence, because they played stiff competition, but the offensive players understood that things had to fall together.”
Sadler felt that the trigger to the victory was the Huskies’ second-quarter goal-line stand, climaxed by Greg Parrish’s fourth-down interception in the end zone. “From that time on,” he said, “our defense did not allow much.”
