Kendrick Ballantyne has finally gotten a chance to prove himself.

After transferring to Northeastern in 2004 and an injury-shortened 2005 campaign, The Northeastern News Player of the Week has shown his worth to the football team on and off the field.

“It was very frustrating because I was trying to prove myself not just to the team, but also in the league and in the conference,” Ballantyne said. “You almost feel like you’re letting the team down when you’re hurt and can’t finish out the season.”

An elbow injury took Ballantyne off the roster after six games in 2005. Since then the senior co-captain has come back to play a solid tight end for the Huskies in 2006. He is leading the team in receiving with 562 yards and tied for second in touchdowns with five.

Ballantyne’s career-high in receiving came last weekend during the Huskies’ 34-24 win at Hofstra, when he caught four passes and racked up 114 yards.

Ballantyne said the most memorable game of his career thus far was Northeastern’s Oct. 21 upset of then-No. 6 New Hampshire during Homecoming. Ballantyne had five receptions for 72 yards and scored two touchdowns.

His touchdowns were the first and last of the game for the Huskies. His second, coming on a fourth-and-five play in overtime with the Huskies down by seven, set Northeastern up for the two-point conversion that won the game 36-35.

“[The touchdown] felt great,” Ballantyne said. “I broke it down the middle of the field and John Sperrazza, the quarterback, hit me in the hole and I just caught the pass and got across the line of the endzone.”

Ballantyne transferred to NU in 2004, but was not allowed to play due to NCAA transfer regulations. Prior to Northeastern, Ballantyne redshirted for a season, then played in five games in 2003 for Maine. He is the only active Husky to have played in a game against Northeastern.

“It was weird playing against my friends,” Ballantyne said. “I’m still friends with a number of kids up there but it wasn’t that much different than playing any other team. When you’re on the field it doesn’t really matter if you’re friends or not. It’s football and you still play the same.”

In 15 games with the Huskies, Ballantyne has totaled 49 receptions for 630 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He will play his last game in a NU uniform this Saturday against Rhode Island.

“[The season] has gone pretty well except for the beginning but