Coach Joe Novak said Monday that first-string tailback A.J. Harris hasn’t recovered from the sprained ankle that has sidelined him since Sept. 24.
“He has to practice this week or he won’t be able to play at Central Florida on Saturday,” Novak said. “We’re not going to rush him back too quickly.”
Tailback is one of the Huskies’ deepest positions. Garrett Wolfe, a 5-foot-7-inch, 174-pound sophomore, replaced 6-1, 221-pound Harris, a junior, and rushed for 203 yards in the second half against Bowling Green. Wolfe and 5-5, 181-pound junior Adrian Davis rushed 110 and 104 yards, respectively, last week when NIU routed Akron 49-19.
“We have three very capable backs,” Novak said. “Sometimes we’ll go with the one who’s hot.”
Harris, Wolfe and Davis share the position once dominated by Michael Turner, who rushed for a school-record 4,941 yards in the last four seasons.
