FINISHING THE COURSE. We've followed the efforts of Jake Coffman, Marine reservist, Northern Illinois defensive end, who retired from football as a Touchdown Club honoree but chose to return.

The senior defensive lineman, 26, is an ex-Marine, a veteran of two tours of duty in the Middle East, and he simply couldn't bring himself to abandon a mission early.

"He walked into my office and said, 'I've finished everything in my life, and I want to finish this,' " coach Jerry Kill said. "I went down to tell our defensive line coach (Jeff Phelps), and he about jumped out the window."

It's opening night from Ames, Iowa, where the Big Twelve broadcast network is bringing us Football Saturday Night on Thursday. Things are not going well for the Huskies. Most of this season's games will be on Saturday, but there will be some Tuesday night games come November.

It's amateur athletics. It has nothing to do with money.