Many of the revelers at Miami University’s 90th homecoming had left campus before Sunday night’s game, but those who stayed were treated to another all-star showing by Northern Illinois’ Garrett Wolfe.
Perhaps the alumni who had to go home so they could get to work Monday morning watched Wolfe on ESPN, which persuaded Miami and Northern to play Sunday night. Those who stayed were likely talking about it on the brick streets of High Street in uptown Oxford.
Wolfe gained 162 yards on 29 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Huskies (4-2, 2-1 Mid-American) survived 28-25. It was his 11th straight game of 100-plus yards and the 20th of his career. The Heisman Trophy candidate also has scored a touchdown in 11 straight games.
Three yards that didn’t show up on the stat sheet might have been as important as any Wolfe gained. He carried Miami linebacker Joey Hudson into the end zone for a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to give the Huskies their three-point margin.
Phil Horvath hit Brandon Davis with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 7 minutes 46 seconds left to put the Huskies ahead 26-25.
Miami (0-6, 0-2) came back from a 17-12 first-half deficit to take an 18-17 lead late in the third quarter on a 9-yard run by Andre Bratton.
Another Bratton touchdown in the fourth quarter gave the RedHawks, who shredded the NIU secondary for 372 yards passing by quarterback Mike Kokal, a 25-20 lead.
Wolfe came into the game as the leading rusher in the country, averaging 236.2 yards per game and 9.3 yards per carry. He became the eighth straight 1,000-yard rusher at NIU after gaining 353 yards last week against Ball State. The senior from Chicago has 1,343 yards this season.
This figured to be a big night for Wolfe, as the RedHawks’ defense had given up an average of 5.2 yards per carry and Cincinnati had run for 253 yards last week. Wolfe got off to a slow start but scored two first-half touchdowns as the Huskies took a 17-12 lead.
The 177-pound Wolfe was smothered by a fired-up Miami defense in the first quarter. He lost yardage on his first two carries and finished the quarter with just 23 yards on seven carries. But Wolfe raised his totals to 82 yards on 12 carries at the half.
One of those carries was a 16-yard touchdown run that gave the Huskies a 7-3 lead. Northern got a break when an Andy Dittbenner punt hit the foot of Miami’s Wendell Brunson and the Huskies’ Greg Turner recovered at the Miami 22-yard line.
Wolfe gained 6 yards on the first play and then ran in for the score on the second play of the drive.
Late in the second quarter, ESPN and the fans at Yager Stadium witnessed some vintage Wolfe. He burst off right tackle and ran 55 yards before being tripped up by Miami’s Robbie Wilson at the RedHawks’ 3-yard line. Wolfe scored on the next play.
Miami picked on the NIU secondary for 235 yards passing in the first half.
Senior quarterback Kokal and redshirt freshman receiver Dustin Woods combined for 127 of those yards.
Woods caught an 80-yard touchdown pass that cut the Huskies’ margin to 17-9 and then set up a late Trevor Cook 31-yard field goal that drew Miami within 17-12.
This has not been a stellar season for Miami, known as the “Cradle of Coaches” for producing the likes of Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, Randy Walker and Ron Zook. The RedHawks’ 0-6 start is their worst since 1976.
One of the alumni who came back was NIU coach Joe Novak.
Novak, a 1967 graduate, is the third Miami alumnus to coach the Huskies. Doc Urich, Class of 1951, coached NIU in 1969-70, and Bill Mallory, Class of 1957, coached Northern in 1980-83.
Sunday night’s victory raised Novak’s record against his alma mater to 4-3.
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rhanley@tribune.com
