Cutting to the right edge, NIU running back Chad Spann saw he was almost out of real estate.

The junior knew he had to head downfield. But as he stretched out, he failed to reach the line of scrimmage.

Spann’s third rush of the game resulted for a one-yard loss.

As he got up from the field, the tailback had no idea that his average yards per carry just dropped 33 percent. But that’s what happens when, after two rushes, you have an average of 72 yards per carry. A one-yard loss will drop your average carry down to a mere 47.67 yards
per run.

“When I got back to the huddle, one of the o-linemen joked ‘there goes your rushing average,’” Spann said. “It was getting back to reality.”

It took Spann just two plays to achieve what took him quarters of work in his previous two games: 100 rushing yards. He finished the night with 174 yards: a new career best.

It all started with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter. Spann made a cut to the right in the backfield. EMU linebacker Matt Boyd went right through NIU’s protection. But the freshman made a rookie mistake; he followed the quarterback, not the ball.

Spann ran right past Boyd. Hitting the lane right next to the sideline, the Huskie tailback hit the afterburners. The Eagles sent three defenders to nab Spann. But the trio of hunters didn’t come near their prey. In just one play, NIU’s offense had a touchdown, as Spann rushed for a career-best 65 yards.

“I thought he got into the secondary and our guys really couldn’t run him down,” said Eastern Michigan coach Ron English. “He was a little faster than the guys chasing him.”

But Spann’s record run wasn’t meant to be.

In the middle of the second quarter, after catching his breath from his last run, Spann came back for his second carry. He would be out of breath in just a few more seconds.

“Willie Clark told me in the huddle before we came out, ‘Hey, Chad, bust this one again,’” Spann said. “I didn’t think I was going to do it.”

Coming off the left side, the tailback exploded past the defensive line. There wasn’t a single soul near Spann, as he strode 79 yards for his second touchdown of the game.

Two rushes, two touchdowns, two career-high rushes.

“I’m doing whatever I can,” the tailback said. “Either it’s run around them, try to beat them with speed or just run through them by lowering the shoulder.”

Spann’s 79-yard rush tied for the 10th longest in NIU history. It also marked the longest rush by a Huskie since 2004 when former NIU tailback Garrett Wolfe ripped off an 84-yard run against
Ball State.

While Spann didn’t produce another large run against the nation’s worst rushing defense, he didn’t do too shabby in his other nine carries of the game, as he picked up 31 yards. That’s just a mere average of 3.4 yards per carry, in case you were wondering.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.