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Northern Illinois and Chandler Harnish look to run over Illinois

Unsure earlier in the year if he would play this fall because of lingery knee problems, Northern Illinois junior quarterback Chandler Harnish ran away with the starting job after his return to the starting lineup last weekend.

After serving only as the holder during a 27-10 loss to Iowa State in the season opener, Harnish rushed for 178 yards and passed for another 146 in the 23-17 win over North Dakota on Saturday. He was named the starter the previous day.

"It was a natural feeling for me,'' said Harnish, a 6-foot-2, 219-pounder from Bluffton, Ind. "Now I've got a renewed love for the game of football again.''

His doctor didn't think Harnish would play this season because of an injury to his meniscus that isn't a tear, he said. The questions over his durability -- the same injury sidelined him three games last season -- didn't help Harnish's job prospects, but he's a key part of the first talented running attack faced by Illinois this season.

Northern Illinois (1-1) will face Illinois (1-1) in a non-conference game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m., Big Ten Network). The Huskies play Big Ten-style football, Illinois coach Ron Zook said.

"They're going to try to big boy us,'' Zook said. "It's going to be important that we go out there ready to play. They're a lot like a Big Ten team. They're physical and big. They want to run the ball, pound it in there and play-action pass.''

Quarterback DeMarcus Grady led the Huskies through a lackluster effort at Iowa State, then Harnish earned a big ovation prior to his start against North Dakota, an FCS program. After Missouri dismissed star running back Derrick Washington and Southern Illinois posed little running threat, Harnish and junior running back Chad Spann are a different kind of threat for the Illini. Spann leads the Mid-American Conference with 220 yards rushing, just ahead of runner-up Harnish.

"They've got a pretty good rushing attack,'' said Illini safety Tavon Wilson. "We've got a pretty good run-stopping defense. We'll see where our tackling really is against a good rushing offense.''

While Northern Illinois leasds the MAC in rushing (260 yards per game), Illinois allowed 72 rushing yards per game to rank third in the Big Ten and 12th in the nation.

Harnish took what North Dakota was giving, when the Fighting Sioux were concentrating on running back Spann, who scored the game's first touchdown on a 79-yard run. Harnish ran it 21 times, just like Spann, who finished with 140 yards rushing.

"As a quarterback, you never expect to run the ball 20 or 21 times,'' Harnish said. "With our offensive scheme, those things happen. They did a pretty good job of taking away Chad. I was forced to make some plays with my feet. We did that. The most important thing is we got away with a win.''

Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill told reporters after the game Harnish finally ran hard.

"He ran the way I want him to run,'' Kill said. "I liked watching him do that. He's had his butt chewed for two years and finally ran the ball (the way) I wanted him to run."

Last season while Northern Illinois compiled a 7-6 record and appeared in the International Bowl, Harnish ranked second in the Mid-American Conference in passing efficiency (137.9 rating) and averaged 167 yards passing while passing for 11 touchdowns with six interceptions.

But the knee problems lingered in the offeseason, and those quesitions over durability arose.

"There's a lot of times when you question yourself, the health of your body and what the coaches are thinking,'' Harnish said. "I went through some tough times. Right now, I'll take that opportunity and run with it.''

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

A look at NIU

Record: 1-1.

So far: Lost to Iowa State 27-10, defeated North Dakota 23-17.

Coach: Jerry Kill, 14-14 in third season at NIU, 118-71 in 17th year overall.

Players to watch: QB Chandler Harnish, RB Chad Spann, SS Tracy Wilson, DE Sean Progar.

Did you know? Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys will fill in if doctors say Kill isn't able to attend Saturday's game.

Quote: "It's therapy for (Kill) to at least be there and be a part of it. I anticipate if he is in the (coaching) box, he'll be sitting right next to me and be pointing at stuff.'' -- NIU offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover.

Dawg bones

Big wins by the Huskies over power conference teams in the past decade.

2009 -- NIU 28, Purdue 21

2003 -- NIU 24, Iowa State 16

2003 -- NIU 20, No. 13 Maryland 13

2003 -- NIU 19, Alabama 16

2002 -- NIU 42, Wake Forest 41