Liam Ezekiel was not about to miss Saturday’s long-awaited matchup between Northeastern and the University of Massachusetts.

Not with a chance to break the Division I-AA record for career tackles. Not even if playing with two pins and a numb left thumb were his only alternatives.

The senior All-American linebacker played with the same ferocity he has throughout each of his games at Northeastern, recording seven tackles to gain 481 for his career, one more than former record holder Western Illinois’ Lee Russell.

“It hurts,” he said of his thumb. “There’s two pins in there and I can feel them coming through my skin.”

Ezekiel has been a model of consistency at Northeastern, starting with a third-team all Atlantic-10 honor his freshman year. The seven tackles on Saturday were a culmination of the standards and success he has achieved throughout his years as NU’s middle linebacker.

“The guy is a great football player,” said UMass coach Don Brown, Ezekiel’s coach for his first years at NU. “He’s got a shot to play in the NFL. There aren’t many true middle linebackers in college football, regardless of the level, and he is one. He is a 6-1, 250-pound guy that is born to be a middle linebacker. He has a great career ahead of him.”

After NU’s final two games of the season, starting at Hofstra University this weekend, Ezekiel will play in a series of off-season games as he works toward his goal of playing in the NFL.

“It looks pretty good,” he said of his chances. “There’s going to be a lot of NFL personnel at the outside games. I think I’ve done enough in my career at NU.”

The NU training staff will numb Ezekiel’s left thumb again in Saturday’s game, as the Huskies look to improve upon a 3-6 record.

“I did as much as I could,” Ezekiel said of his career at NU. “Coaches gave me the opportunity and I just went out there and did my job.”