A CLASS PROJECT WORTHY OF VINCE LOMBARDI. I give you the Cut Block Simulator.

Craig Rusch had plenty of down time on the sidelines during the fall of 2007. After a season-ending knee injury, it was watching and waiting with a little time to reflect and daydream.

He watched practices he couldn’t compete in, film he wasn’t in and drills – like a cut-blocking drill where coaches rolled a 60-pound ball at defensive lineman – he couldn’t participate in.

One day – he doesn’t remember which one – an idea came to him.

What if there was a better way to simulate a cut block?

It's Rube Goldbergian, but it works.

Once the sled was complete, it was time for the class presentation.

While the sled didn’t fit in the classroom, it was rolled into the engineering building for the presentations encore.

When the three students walked into the room to present, they were a bit surprised – it was packed. NIU coach Jerry Kill was there with defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, defensive line coach Jeff Phelps, athletic director Jeff Compher, members of the engineering industry and a whole lot of family members.

Patent pending.