Before the biggest game of his life, Northern Illinois quarterback Anthony Maddie heard from some old friends.
About to prepare for his first collegiate start, against a tough run defense in Ball State, he got texts from former NIU teammates Tommylee Lewis and Desroy Maxwell.
The Huskies faced a game with plenty of weight on the shoulders of Maddie as he prepared for the start. They were winless in their first four games, and the idea of their reign over the Mid-American Conference West and their streak of eight bowl games in a row were on the chopping block.