Kellen Winslow Sr. hated the idea of naming his son after himself.

"That was his mother's idea," Winslow Sr. said. "If I had my choice, it would have been anything but Kellen. I was not a fan of that."

Winslow Sr., a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee considered by many to be the greatest tight end in NFL history, worried about the pressures a namesake would face.

Tough To Keep These Dogs Down

Northern Illinois was considered a contender for the MAC's West Division title before the season began. That all seemed to go out the window after the Huskies suffered a string of misfortune that sidelined several of its key players Among those lost were: Thomas Hammock, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, who was diagnosed with a heart condition following NIU's season-opening win against Wake Forest. Hammock has been on medication since and his football future remains in some doubt. Lionel Hickenbottom, a top defensive back, blew out his knee in the opener and will not play again until next season. P.J. Fleck, the Huskies' leading receiver last season and a dangerous punt returner, played two games before being lost for the year with a hamstring pull. Anthony Falbo, the team's best defensive lineman, injured a knee against Central Michigan on Oct. 19 and underwent season-ending surgery. But instead of folding, Northern Illinois (8-3, 7-0) has pulled together and can earn a berth in the MAC championship game with a victory Saturday against Toledo (7-3, 5-1) at Huskie Stadium. "If you would have told me (about the injury situation) at the beginning of the year, I don't know what we would have done," said coach Joe Novak. "But, we've been very fortunate. We've had kids step in and play above my imagination." That's particularly true in the case of tailback Michael Turner, who enters this week's game a close-third nationally in rushing with a 154.7-ypg average. Turner has been simply sensational since taking over for Hammock. The 5-foot-10, 217-pound junior has rushed for more than 200 yards four times this season and has scored 13 touchdowns. Turner currently ranks fourth all-time in the MAC in single-season rushing with 1,702 yards, 203 yards behind record-holder Wasean Tait (1995) of Toledo. Despite not even being a starter at the beginning of the season, Turner could win the league's offensive player of the year award. "We knew he was a good talent," Novak said. "He just hadn't had quite the opportunity." Turner isn't the only NIU player to step up. Sophomore Dan Sheldon has ably replaced Fleck as a receiver and punt returner. Sheldon has returned two punts for touchdowns and leads the nation with a 20.7-average. He also leads the team in receiving with 30 catches for 543 yards (18.1 ypc) and four touchdowns. Quarterback Josh Haldi, who Novak estimates came into the season with 20 plays of experience, has been brilliantly efficient. Haldi has passed for 1,676 yards and 13 touchdowns and stayed away from turnovers since early in the season. "We told him all he had to do was just be the general and not make mistakes," Novak said. "He's not in a class with (Miami's Ben) Roethlisberger or (Marshall's Byron) Leftwich as a thrower, but he knows his role. He's certainly is playing far above our expectations." Other players, like defensive lineman Jason Dole and freshman tailback A.J. Harris, have also made important, and unexpected, contributions to NIU's most successful season in the MAC since winning the league title in 1983. To win the MAC again, the Huskies will have to beat Toledo, something they have been unable to do since 1989. "It's been a long time," laments Novak. "It's important that we win this one. This is a game we need to prove ourselves." -- Jorge Milian

That was long before his son, Miami sophomore Kellen Winslow Jr., chose to follow his dad's footsteps, not only playing the same sport, but the same position as his father.

Instead of running from the comparisons, Winslow Jr. embraces them. Matter of fact, he kicks it up a notch.

"I know one day I'm going to be better than him," Winslow Jr. says, before adding with emphasis, "I'm serious."

Maybe, Maybe not.

But Winslow Jr. certainly is moving in the right direction. Heading into Thursday's game against No. 18 Pittsburgh in the Orange Bowl, Winslow leads the top-ranked Hurricanes with 37 receptions to go with 472 yards and six touchdowns.

Miami coaches have raved about the play of Winslow Jr., who has seemlessly filled the hole left by the departure of Jeremy Shockey to the NFL.

"I don't know that there's been that big a dropoff in production." said UM offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.

Ask Winslow Jr,, though, and you get a different take. Winslow Jr. says he's played "good, not great" then goes into a merciless self-critique.

Part of the problem, Winslow Jr. admits, are expectations. His own, not those of others.

"I want to be a big-time tight end," Winslow Jr. "I want to be like Shockey or my dad. Both of them."

The words make Winslow Sr. cringe.

"When it comes to playing football, I've just tried to make him understand to be yourself," Winslow Sr. said. "He cannot get wrapped up in what I did 20 years ago. I haven't caught a football in 15 years. That's a ghost and I don't want him chasing ghosts."

Winslow Jr. can hardly help it. He not only loves his father, but idolizes him.

The younger Winslow's earliest memories are of himself proudly draped around his dad's leg while standing in the middle of the San Diego Chargers' locker room.

Winslow Sr. that raised his son part-time in San Diego after separating from his mother.

Despite his success in the game, Winslow Sr. did not allow Kellen Jr. to play organized football until he was 14.

"Too many bad coaches out there," Winslow Sr. explains. "I'm not a big fan of 9- and 10-year olds putting on helmets and shoulder pads. Never have been."

Instead, Winslow Sr. instructed his son on how to play chess.

That's right. Chess.

It's a game, Winslow Sr. said, that serves as a metaphor for sports and everyday life.

"You have to understand how the pieces work, what you can and cannot do and how the strategy goes together," said Winslow Sr., who works as a motivational speaker as well as a commentator for Fox Sports Net. "If you understand the concepts, you understand that there is a system involved and you can be successful once you understand the system."

Every now and then, one has to buck the system.

The Winslows did that while Kellen Jr. was being recruited.two years ago.

Kellen Jr. originally decided to attend Washington, but his father refused to sign the school's national letter of intent.

Kellen Jr. insists that the root of the problem stemmed from Washington coach Rick Neuheisel's decision to recruit the younger Winslow through his high school while bypassing his father.

"They tried to get around my dad and not get him involved," Winslow Jr. said. "My dad didn't trust Rick Neuheisel. He wasn't up front with us."

Whatever the hangup, Winslow Sr. took the opportunity to rail against the college football establishment and the lack of black head coaches at the Division I-A level. Winslow Sr. went on to say that he preferred that his son play at Michigan State, whose football coach was black. Bobby Williams, then the Spartans' coach, has since been fired.

"Somebody had to say it," Winslow Sr. said. "Everybody thinks it. I just was the one that said it. I don't know what people were so surprised about. We all do it, whether it's deciding where we're going to shop, what neighborhood we're moving into, where our kids are going to school.

"Some people took it the wrong way. Bottom line, I was a father looking after his son. If I don't share with him what I know, I don't deserve to be a father."

Miami, Winslow Jr.'s second choice, turned out be a compromise both father and son could live with.

After spending most of last season playing primarily on special teams while splitting time between receiver and tight end, Winslow returned this year with approximately 20 pounds of added muscle.

"I'm a receiver in a tight end's body," said Winslow Jr., who is 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds.

Winslow's combination of size and speed gives opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.

Winslow has also given UM coaches fits. He was benched for the start of the Oct. 5 game against Connecticut for skipping mandatory study hall.

"You mess up, you take the punishment," Winslow Sr. said. "You have to be accountable for the things that you do. I've always tried to hold him to that standard."

Matching Kellen Winslow Sr.'s standard isn't easy, but his son is more than willing to try,

"I want to be the best of all time and I'm working my tail off to get there," Kellen Jr. said.

Around the Big East

Boston College
Boston College defeated Syracuse, 41-20, and are bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year. The Eagles have never previously made it to the postseason in four straight years. ... Derrick Knight rushed 19 times for a career-high 171 yards and went over 1,000 yards for the season. BC has had a runner gain at least 1,000 yards for five straight seasons. ... Saturday's game marked only the second time Boston College has scored 40 points in 43 all-time meetings with Syracuse. The first time came during the 1974 season. ... The Eagles continue to be hit with injuries on defense. Starting safety Doug Bessette sustained a severely sprained right ankle and his status for Saturday's game against Temple is questionable. BC hopes to get starting linebacker Brian Flores back for Saturday's game. He did not play against Syracuse because of a concussion suffered against West Virginia. ... With the win over the Orangemen, BC has a chance for an eight-win regular season. The Eagles have Temple and Rutgers left on their schedule. A bowl victory would give BC nine wins, something it hasn't managed since 1993.

Miami
Lately, there's been more talk about why Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey shouldn't win the Heisman Trophy than talk about why he should win. Dorsey's critics say he has good, not great, statistics and is the beneficiary of the outstanding talent surrounding him. "The biggest thing is people don't want to give me credit (and) that's fine," Dorsey said. "If people don't respect what I've done here and what I'm doing here, that's their prerogative. I know what I've done, and people can't take that away from me. There's a lot of people out there who don't like me, who don't like this program. There's people who like the program, but don't like me. They can think whatever they want." ... Miami could break a four-way tie for seventh place on the NCAA's all-time list for winning streaks by defeating Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes have won 31 in a row, matching the streaks of Oklahoma (1948-50), Pittsburgh (1914-18) and Pennsylvania (1896-98). ... Miami has gone 23 straight quarters without giving up a touchdown to a Big East opponent in the Orange Bowl. ... The Hurricanes have won 10 straight games against ranked opponents. ... Tailback Willis McGahee has recorded 47 plays in which he's gained 10 yards or more this season. Of the 208 times he's touched the ball, McGahee has gained a first down or scored a touchdown 69 times (33.2 percent). ... In its last 12 home games, Miami has outscored its opponents by 570-94. ... The Hurricanes have defeated Pitt four straight seasons and in 12 of the last 13 meetings.

Pittsburgh
Playing the nation's No. 1 team has been nothing but trouble for Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 0-11-1 against top-ranked teams going into Thursday's game against No. 1 Miami. ... Pittsburgh has won seven of its last eight road games and nine consecutive Big East games. ... Fullback Lousaka Polite, who did not play against Temple two weeks ago because of a sprained ankle, is expected to start against Miami. ... Pittsburgh has forced 21 turnovers in its last seven games. The defense has 13 interceptions after picking off only six passes all of last season. ... Quarterback Rod Rutherford has thrown five interceptions in his last seven games after being picked off five times in Pittsburgh's first three games.

Rutgers
Rutgers appeared on the verge of its first conference victory since 1999 after taking a 17-3 halftime lead on Temple, but collapsed in the second half on the way to a 20-17 loss. The defeat was the 21st straight in Big East games. "This was as tough a loss as we've had since I've been here," said coach Greg Schiano. ... The Scarlet Knights were inept offensively in the second half, totaling 43 yards on 27 plays. ... Freshman quarterback Ryan Hart threw two touchdowns, the first of his career. ... The Knights gave up eight sacks, adding to their league-worst total of 45. ... Rutgers' offense ranks last nationally in total offense and scoring offense and next-to-last in rushing offense. ... The 20 points allowed by the Knights' defense were its fewest in a Big East game since a 21-10 win against Temple on Oct. 31, 1998. ... Saturday's announced crowd at Rutgers Stadium was 10,225, the lowest in the Big East this season. ... The Scarlet Knights finish the season on the road, facing Notre Dame on Saturday followed by Boston College on Nov. 30. The Irish have beaten Rutgers by a combined 155-17 in three previous matchups.

Syracuse
Syracuse's 41-20 loss to Boston College assures the Orangemen of their first losing season since 1986. ... Tailback Walter Reyes became the seventh Syracuse running back to gain 1,000 yards in a season. He's the third straight Orangemen runner to reach 1,000 yards, following Dee Brown (2000) and James Mungro (2001). ... Syracuse has allowed opposing offenses to gain at least 500 yards six times this season and has given up 30 or more points eight times. The Syracuse defense allowed an opponent 500 yards of offense only once last season. ... Syracuse takes the week off before completing its season against No. 1 Miami on Nov. 30 in the Carrier Dome.

Temple
A week after setting the Big East record with five field goals, Cap Poklemba made one of the biggest kicks of his career by nailing a game-winning 22-yarder with 39 seconds remaining to give Temple a 20-17 win over Rutgers. It was the Owls' fourth straight win over the Knights. "None of my kids have ever lost to Rutgers," said Temple coach Bobby Wallace. "I hate to make that a point, but I also hate that we got voted out of the Big East. So it becomes a point." Temple is being booted out of the conference following the 2004 season. Rutgers gets to stay despite far less success than the Owls have enjoyed in recent seasons. ... Tailback Tanardo Sharps ran for a 215 yards and set school and Big East records with 48 carries. It was Sharps' 15th career game over 100 yards, tying Miami's Clinton Portis for fifth in the Big East record book. ... Sharps rushed for at least 100 yards in his four career games against Rutgers, becoming only the eighth Division I-A runner to go over the century mark in four games against the same opponent. ... Temple has beaten Boston College the last two times the teams played in Philadelphia.

Virginia Tech
Tailback Kevin Jones, who missed the Syracuse game after injuring a hamstring against Pittsburgh, is listed as probable for Wednesday's game against West Virginia. ... Virginia Tech tailback Lee Suggs has scored a touchdown in an NCAA-record tying 23 consecutive games. The senior can break the record he shares with Arkansas' Bill Burnett (1968-70) against the Mountaineers. ... Coach Frank Beamer said the bye week was good for the Hokies, who have lost two straight and fallen out of the BCS picture. "Mentally, I think we needed a rest -- and physically, for sure," Beamer said. ... Starting linebacker Vegas Robinson, who has missed three games with a sprained ankle, is expected to play. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall (back) remains questionable. ... The Hokies have won four straight and seven of the past eight games against West Virginia. ... Including the game with West Virginia, V-Tech will have played two games on Sunday, one game on Thursday and one game on Wednesday as well as the traditional Saturday games. ... The Hokies haven't lost three straight regular-season games since 1992. ... Suggs is the third Virginia Tech player (Cyrus Lawrence, Roscoe Coles) to gain 1,000 yards in two seasons. ... With three games to go, Ernest Wilford has a chance to become the first Virginia Tech player to reach 1,000 receiving yards. Wilford has 716. The school record is 962 yards, set by Andre Davis in 1999.

West Virginia
West Virginia enters Wednesday's game against Virginia Tech ranked second nationally in rushing offense, averaging 295 yards a game. Last season, the Hokies stuffed the Mountaineers, holding Avon Cobourne and company to only 33 yards on 36 carries. Virginia Tech's defense was considered one of the best in the country this season until giving up 1,087 yards in consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and Syracuse. ... What has been the biggest difference for coach Rich Rodriguez between this season and last season? "Oh gosh, I sleep and eat a lot better," Rodriguez said. "Last season was an extremely long year, both personally and professionally for me.". ... If West Virginia loses to Virginia Tech, they could be in line for a Continental Tire Bowl matchup with Clemson on Dec. 28. The game will be played in Charlotte, N.C. ... The last time West Virginia defeated the Hokies in Blacksburg was in 1992.

Around the MAC
Tailback Bob Hendry needs 89 yards against Kent State to become the seventh runner in Akron history to gain 1,000 yards. Hendry went over the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season in the Zips' 21-10 win against Buffalo. The junior gained 119 yards on 27 carries and scored two touchdowns. Hendry is averaging 135 yards in his last five games. ... Akron athletic director Mike Thomas has declined to comment on the future job prospects of coach Lee Owens. Owens is 32-56 in his eight seasons with the Zips. ... Quarterback Andy Roesch has provided Ball State with a spark since he replaced Talmadge Hill as the starter in the sixth game of the season. Roesch passed for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the 38-21 win over Central Michigan. It was the second time Roesch has thrown for five touchdown passes in the Cardinals' last four games. No other Ball State quarterback has ever thrown five touchdown passes in a game twice. Roesch's 304 passing yards were the eighth most in school history. ... Freshman receiver Dante Ridgeway caught 10 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. ... Hill, who started BSU's first five games at quarterback, has been moved to receiver. ... After 11 straight victories, Bowling Green has lost two consecutive games. The seven points scored by the Falcons in the 26-7 loss to South Florida were their fewest since a 42-7 defeat to Michigan in the 2000 season opener. ... Buffalo is 3-28 against MAC opponents since joining the conference four years ago. The Bulls have never won a league game on the road going into Saturday's game at Ball State. ... Central Florida still has a slim hope of winning the MAC's East Division. The Knights must win their last two games and hope Marshall loses twice. ... Tailback Alex Haynes rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 23 carries in UCF's 32-6 win against Kent State. The Knights rushed for a season-best 246 yards. ... The crowd of 7,354 at the Citrus Bowl was the Knights' smallest since 6,681 showed up in 1992 for the season finale against James Madison. UCF was a Division I-AA school that season. ... Central Michigan, losers of seven of its last eight games, can enter the offseason on a positive note by beating rival Western Michigan, which has also struggled this season. "They're not where they want to be and we're not where we want to be," said coach Mike DeBord. "But this game will allow one team to go into the offseason feeling a helluva lot better than the other.". ... Western Michigan hasn't won at Central Michigan since 1973. ... With its 49-21 loss to Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan has given up 503 points this season. That's the first time a school has given up more than 500 points in the MAC's 56-year history. The former MAC record was the 492 points allowed by Kent State in 1996. ... Kevin Walter caught 10 passes for 136 yards and broke the school's single-season record of 78 receptions set in 2000 by Kenny Christian. Walter has 86 catches this season. ... A completely forgettable season could finish on a good note if Kent State is able to win its season finale against rival Akron. The Zips have beaten the Golden Flashes five consecutive seasons. ... Running back Eddie Beccles, Kent State's second-leading rusher, quit the team several days before the UCF game last week. ... Quarterback Joshua Cribbs (hamstring) did not play against UCF. He's unlikely to play against Akron. ... The Golden Flashes were held to 83 rushing yards by UCF, 159 below its season average. ... Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio. As of Monday, Leftwich was still employing crutches because of a leg injury sustained against Akron on Nov. 2. "Certainly, it's better than it was against Miami, but he still hasn't practiced," said MU coach Bob Pruett. ... If Leftwich can't play, backup Stan Hill will receive his second straight start. Hill was outstanding last week in the 36-34 win against Miami (Ohio), throwing for four touchdowns and running for the game-winning touchdown with five seconds left. Hill, who completed 25-of-39 passes for 292 yards, was named the MAC's East Division offensive player of the week. ... Receiver Darius Watts played a gutsy game. Watts caught nine passes, three for touchdowns, despite playing with a painful shoulder injury that forced him out of the game several times. ... Miami played valiantly in its 36-34 loss to Marshall, but displayed disgraceful conduct following the game. The worst of it came when Miami defensive coordinator Jon Wauford was arrested on the field and taken away in handcuffs for allegedly slugging a fan. Another assistant, linebackers coach Taver Johnson, admitted he trashed a coaches booth during the game. Both coaches were suspended with pay while the school investigates. ... Northern Illinois must find a way to run against Toledo to win Saturday's game. Last year, Thomas Hammock faced the Rockets after having rushed for 100 yards in eight straight games. He was held to 10 yards on 10 carries. "We've always struggled to run against them," said NIU coach Joe Novak. ... The Huskies' turnaround has been significant. In 1997, NIU was 0-11. "There hasn't been a lot of success in football here over the years," Novak said."Win, lose or draw (against Toledo), we've come a long way. It hasn't been with big steps, it's been with baby steps.". ... Since the MAC went to divisional play in 1987, no West Division champ has ever finished with an unbeaten record in the conference. ... If Ohio beats Marshall and Central Florida defeats Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, the surprising Bobcats can win the East Division by beating UCF in Orlando on Nov. 30. Two years ago, Ohio defeated Marshall, 38-28, at home. ... The Bobcats and Herd are playing for the 50th time. ... Ohio's turnaround this year has been eye-opening considering the Bobcats lost to Division I-AA Northeastern, 31-0, in the season's second game. Ohio has won four of its last six games after starting the season 0-4. ... The Bobcats lead the MAC in rushing with an average of 248.7 yards per game. ... Fullback Chad Brinker is continuing his uplifting comeback from a life-threatening cyst on his skull by and needs 47 yards in the Bobcats' final two games to reach 1,000 yards. ... Toledo is 23-6 all-time against Northern Illinois, but has lost five of the six games at Huskie Stadium. The Rockets haven't lost to NIU since 1989 and have outscored the Huskies, 270-118, in the last eight meetings. ... If Toledo beats NIU, it can win the MAC West Division by defeating Bowling Green on Nov. 30. ... Receiver Donta Greene accounted for 213 all-purpose yards in the Rockets' 42-21 win over Western Michigan. Included in that total was a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown. ... Greene has 168 career receptions and needs eight more to surpass Mel Long Jr. (1997-2000) in the school record book. ... Quarterback Brian Jones had another big day on Saturday, completing 25-of-35 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns while rushing eight times for 94 yards and a touchdown. ... Tight end Andrew Clarke has caught five touchdown passes in his last five games. ... Western Michigan plays at Central Michigan on Saturday, where the Broncos haven't won since 1973. WMU is 0-11-1 during that stretch. Ten of the games have been decided by 10 points or less. ... Safety Jason Feldspausch made nine tackles in the Broncos 42-21 loss to Toledo and forced a fumble, his MAC-leading fifth of the season. ... WMU has lost five games by a total of 22 points.

Jorge Milian covers college football for the Palm Beach Post.