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Northern Illinois Emerging Seniors---Adrian Davis & Shatone Powers---Earn MAC Grid Awards

DeKalb, IL --- Two emerging football seniors. That’s the term one would accurately describe both Northern Illinois University tailback Adrian Davis and wide receiver Shatone Powers.




October 24, 2005

Northern Illinois Emerging Seniors---Adrian Davis & Shatone Powers---Earn MAC Grid Awards

DeKalb, IL --- Two emerging football seniors. That’s the term one would accurately describe both Northern Illinois University tailback Adrian Davis and wide receiver Shatone Powers.

One could also describe Davis and Powers as the Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively. League commissioner Rick Chryst made the announcement Monday (October 24).

“That’s tremendous for both of those seniors,” said Huskie head coach Joe Novak upon hearing the news. “Adrian patiently waited his turn and made a major contribution to this football team last week. He got an opportunity and really jumped on it. Shatone has really started to emerge in our kicking game. One hundred and eight yards in punt returns was big-time in that game Saturday.”

Davis (Kenosha, WI / St. Joseph) experienced one of those “Fantasy Island” days at the office. The 5-foot-5, 185-pound tailback went from the third-string to the seventh-best rushing day in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-A football in a seven-day span. The “mighty mite” produced some King Kong-sized ground-gaining figures.

In his first career major-college start and subbing for injured tailback teammates Garrett Wolfe (left knee sprain) and A. J. Harris (right shoulder sprain), Davis gained a career-best 252 yards and three touchdowns (four, a career-long 52, and two yards) on 37 carries in three quarters during last week’s 34-3 Mid-Am success at Kent State University. The 252-yard performance represented the second-best rushing game in the MAC this season and tied the 10th-best in Northern Illinois history (252 by tailback Darryl Richardson vs. Ball State in 1983).

En route to his 252 yards, Davis also recorded the fourth-best Huskie rushing effort for a half with 205 yards on 25 attempts. Only Wishbone quarterback Stacey Robinson (an NCAA record 287 yards vs. No. 24-ranked Fresno State in 1990) and unanimous First-Team All-America tailback LeShon Johnson (221 yards vs. Iowa and 206 vs. Southern Illinois in 1993) managed better ground yardage totals in 30 minutes.

Davis recorded 10 gains of 10 yards or longer (46, 20, 52, 11, 11, 12, 18, 11, 11, and 19 yards) against the Golden Flashes and erased his previous 1-A career best (104 yards on 20 carries vs. Akron in 2004). In 26 previous appearances in a Northern Illinois uniform prior to K-State, Davis had accumulated 441 career rushing yards on 106 attempts.

“I’ve said all along that Adrian was a good back and he played great at Kent State,” Novak added. “Adrian might not be a Garrett Wolfe---and who is?---but when he’s coming out of the blocks, he’s pretty good. For Shatone, we’re really pleased how he’s done on the punt return team. This is his first year back there and he has come into his own. Shatone really gave us some great field position in the Kent game.”

Powers (Broadview / Riverside-Brookfield) contributed 135 all-purpose yards against KSU. Not only did the six-foot, 190-pounder tie a Northern Illinois single-game record with the nine punt returns, but that figure leads the nation in 2005. His 108 punt return yards also tied the second-best PR yardage total in school history (108 by HB Rodney Taylor vs. Toledo in 1987). Powers’ nine punt returns also tied ex-Huskie teammate and WR Dan Sheldon---now on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad---for the third-most single-game PRs in Mid-Am history.

Five of his punt returns reached twin-digit yardage and left Novak’s offense in outstanding field position. Powers had a 15-yard return to the NIU 40-yard line, a 20-yarder to thet KSU 41, a 25-yarder to the NIU 48, a 22-yarder to the Huskie 47, and a 14-yarder to the Kent 48.

The respective MAC Player of the Week nominations, believe it or not, were the first for both NIU seniors.

Davis and Powers also were the third and fourth Huskie student-athletes selected for MAC Player of the Week honors this season. Wolfe earned the Mid-Am Offensive Player of the Week honor against (then) No. 4-ranked University of Michigan on the opening weekend of the season. Junior quarterback Phil Horvath made MAC Offensive Player of the Week versus the University of Akron.

This week’s other Mid-Am Player of the Week winners included Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller (co-West offense), WMU linebacker Ameer Ismail (West defense), Ohio tailback Kalvin McRae (East offense), Ohio linebacker Matt Muncy (East defense), and Miami (OH) cornerback Ryan Kidd (East special teams).

(For further information, please contact Mike Korcek) -NIU-