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Hawkeyes' next foe not just crying Wolfe
Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe has put up some impressive stats.
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By ANDREW LOGUE");
By ANDREW LOGUE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 26, 2006
Click on the Web site
www.watchwolfe.com, and you'll get the lowdown on Northern Illinois' rising star.
The bio page lists Garrett Wolfe as a 5-foot-7, 177-pound senior tailback from Chicago, majoring in communications.
Scroll up the right side of the screen and you can watch Wolfe roll up 285 rushing and receiving yards against top-ranked Ohio State.
There's even a link that lets you decorate your computer desktop with "Wolfe Wallpaper."
What's missing? How about an instructional page giving Iowa's defense a little insight into what it'll take to contain the all-America candidate when Northern Illinois visits Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.
"From what I've seen and what I've heard, he's shifty," Hawkeye linebacker Mike Humpal said. "He's explosive. He plays well in space, and his motor keeps running."
Huskies officials launched watchwolfe.com as a way to enhance his chances of winning postseason awards.
Wolfe leads the nation with 1,413 rushing yards this season, but his hopes of making a run at the Heisman Trophy took a hit the past two weeks.
Western Michigan and Temple held him to a total of 70 yards on the ground.
"It's always great for a 'mid-major' to have a kid like that put a spotlight on our program," coach Joe Novak said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. "But the bottom line is about winning and losing.
"I've got 109 other guys besides Garrett Wolfe that are all working for the same thing."
When Wolfe was a freshman, Northern Illinois created a hot sauce in hopes of drawing attention to Michael "The Burner" Turner.
The concoction didn't spice up Turner's Heisman candidacy, but he did end up with the NFL's San Diego Chargers.
Wolfe takes the promotional ploys in stride.
"I think most players in my position find it to be something that they enjoy," Wolfe said. "I really don't think you can keep a low profile given the high standard college football is held at today, and the great media attention that other players from other schools receive."
Wolfe gained national attention Sept. 2 when he ran for 171 yards on 26 carries against Ohio State. He also caught five passes for 114 yards. The Huskies lost 35-12.
"At Ohio State he had a great football game," Novak said. "And in that locker room I didn't see anyone hurting more than Garrett Wolfe."
The mood was upbeat after last week's 43-21 win over Temple. Wolfe had 45 rushing yards, but the team finished with 377 through the air.
"We're getting a lot of folks defending us down there ... doing a good job of playing some of our run-blocking schemes," Novak said.
Wolfe dismissed the notion that shutting him down was the key to beating Northern Illinois.
"I think teams might have shared this notion originally," he said. "Now that we've proven we can be productive in the passing game, I think we put defenses in a tough position."
That hasn't stopped opponents from heaping praise on Wolfe.
Go to watchwolfe.com and click "Words on Wolfe" to read what Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had to say:
"He's everything everyone's been talking about. He's a guy that can keep them in every game, and when they talk about what's the definition of a Heisman Trophy winner, they talk about the person that makes the most profound impact on their team."