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Coaches reunite on very big stage
Novak, Carr were assistants on Illini staff in 1978-79

By Bill Jauss
Tribune staff reporter

September 2, 2005, 10:41 PM CDT

In 1978-79, when Illinois won only three of its 22 football games, coach Gary Moeller's staff included two young defensive assistants, Joe Novak and Lloyd Carr.

"What do I remember first from those days?" Novak recalled this week. "That we all got fired ."

Novak and Carr, now both 60, have rebounded pretty well in their post-Illini careers. At an age when many of their peers have retired, they are at the top of their games as head coaches: Novak at Northern Illinois and Carr at Michigan.

On Saturday, a national TV audience and more than 107,000 fans at Michigan Stadium will watch Novak's and Carr's teams compete against one another.

The Wolverines, ranked No. 4, have won five Big Ten titles in the last eight years. Novak has led the Huskies into the national spotlight with five straight winning seasons.

Neither coach's success has surprised the other. They recognized one another's talents when they worked together in Champaign.

As they lauded one another this week, Carr and Novak also explained what kind of game they expected.

"Joe has done as good a job as anybody in the country," Carr said. "He's an old-fashioned, fundamentally sound coach. He likes to run the ball. They're very aggressive. They get you on the ground. You have to stay on your feet on defense."

Novak returned the compliment.

"I knew at Illinois that Lloyd was in for great things," he said. "He's intense and intelligent, very smart. He loves football and works hard. A great combination."

The competitive spirit of the two used to surface in Champaign, Novak recalled, in tennis matches pitting Carr and Joe's wife, Carole, against Joe and Lloyd's wife, Laurie.

"Just a little friendly mixed doubles," Novak said. "Lloyd and I really got after it."

The Carrs have three sons, three daughters and nine grandchildren. The Novaks have two sons and three grandchildren. Oddsmakers apparently figure the Wolverines enjoy a similar manpower advantage. Michigan is an 18-point favorite.

Novak said he plans a ball-control offensive to try to offset this edge. Carr, aware of Novak's strategy, has counter-plans for his defense.

"The best way to defend against them is to keep the ball," Novak said. "[It's hard] because they're so explosive and more balanced this year. Our goal is to get first downs. If we do that, we'll score. We can't go three and out, or it will be a long day."

Carr said he knows what to expect.

"Joe really likes to run the ball," Carr said. "He passes off play action. He doesn't like the drop-back throw as much as I do."

The cornerstone of NIU's ball control is the running of tailbacks Garrett Wolfe and A.J. Harris behind a veteran offensive line.

"We have to control the clock," Harris said. "If we do that, we can give our defense a good rest and keep it fresh while we keep the ball away from their offense."

These tactics won't surprise Carr. He said he views Wolfe and Harris as "the best tandem" of runners in the nation.

So what happens if Michigan overloads its defense against the run?

"If he lines up eight or nine men in the box, we can't run," Novak conceded. "We have to be able to throw the ball. We have play-action passes off the run, but our pocket passing in practice has been as good as it ever has been."

Phil Horvath, a junior from Naperville Central, played quarterback for the Huskies for the first four games last year when star senior Josh Haldi was injured. Novak said he believes that experience can help Horvath quiet the yips that often grip visiting quarterbacks when they play at Michigan.

"Phil played before big crowds on the road at Maryland and at Iowa State," Novak said. "He played on national television and had just about a perfect game against Bowling Green."

Two factors make ball control a necessity for the Huskies. One is the relative inexperience of the Northern defense. The other is the explosiveness of Michigan's big-play guys: tailback Mike Hart, quarterback Chad Henne and receiver-returner Steve Breaston.

As for history, it's solidly in the Wolverines' favor. Carr's 10-year record in home games is 58-6.

wjauss@tribune.com