DeKALB – As NIU football begins the final month of the regular season, the Huskies gear up for their first game of the midweek MACtion schedule: a Wednesday night matchup with Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The Huskies (4-4, 1-3 MAC) are in search of their first win since Oct. 12 after losing two-straight against Mid-American Conference opponents. Despite the team’s recent losing slump, head coach Thomas Hammock said the players’ morale hasn’t wavered.
“They’re resilient,” Hammock said. “They bounce back. We have the right type of kids in our program that, they’re not going to be swayed by results. They have to recommit themselves to the process to get them ready to play.”
Their next chance to bounce back will come against the Broncos (5-3, 4-0 MAC), the last unbeaten team in MAC play.
Stingy Huskies meet mighty Broncos
Wednesday night won’t only be NIU’s 50th meeting with its closest MAC comrade. It’ll also be a clash between the MAC’s top offense and top defense.
NIU has allowed 17.6 points per game this season. Western Michigan is averaging 34 points per game. NIU held opponents to 274.9 yards per game. Western Michigan has put up 408.9 yards on opposing defenses.
For the Huskies, slowing down the high-powered Bronco offense starts with pumping the brakes on the MAC’s leading rusher in redshirt junior running back Jaden Nixon. Senior defensive tackle Cade Haberman said facing senior running back Antario Brown every day in practice helps the defense prepare for a top-tier rusher.
“We see great backs all the time in practice,” Haberman said. “When you see backs like AB, he’s one of the top backs in the country. Seeing him every day in practice will be great for seeing a good conference back.”
NIU’s new senior sendoff goal
After the famed upset of the University of Notre Dame, the Huskies were considered the favorite to win the Group of Five’s automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. Calling that a grand sendoff for their 32 seniors would’ve been an understatement.
But NIU would go on to lose four of its next six games, including another loss to Ball State University on Oct. 26. The Huskies now sit near the bottom of the MAC standings with a 1-3 league mark and a trip to Detroit to play for the MAC title looks bleak.
With a sendoff conference championship for the seniors now out of the conversation, the team’s focus has shifted to getting the six wins needed to become bowl eligible – thus giving those seniors one more chance to play together.
“I love this game,” said senior tight end Grayson Barnes. “I’ve been playing since I was 6 years old, so getting that one more game, that one more opportunity is very important to me.”
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CST Wednesday at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The game will be carried on ESPN2. Live statistics will be available on StatBroadcast.
