DeKALB – Coming off a win that made NIU bowl eligible for the third time in four seasons, the Huskies will be on the road for the final time of the regular season when they visit the reigning Mid-American Conference champion Miami University.
The Huskies (6-4, 3-3 MAC) and RedHawks (6-4, 5-1 MAC) will meet for the 21st time Tuesday night as the two teams battle for control of the Mallory Cup – created in 2018 to honor the late Bill Mallory, who coached Miami (1969-73) and NIU (1980-83) to MAC Championships during his hall of fame career. NIU seeks its first claim to the trophy after Miami won each of the first three Mallory Cup games – in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
“It’s going to be big,” said senior defensive end Raishein “Ray” Thomas. “Myself, I haven’t seen or held the Mallory Cup. I think that’s going to be a big thing for the seniors in the class. I think it’s going to be big to bring the cup back to DeKalb.”
To do that, the Huskies’ top-10 defense will need to keep a lid on Miami’s passing offense led by RedHawks veteran sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert. Miami is averaging 224.1 air yards per game and has totaled 19 passing touchdowns this season.
On the other side of the ball, NIU’s MAC-leading offense will be faced with Miami’s third-leading defense. The Huskies are averaging 402.7 yards per game while the RedHawks have given up 320.8 yards on average.
NEW WEEK, SAME GOAL
A win Tuesday would give NIU its first rivalry game victory and its best regular season finish since the 2021 MAC title season. However, head coach Thomas Hammock said the team’s drive to win this week isn’t any different than before.
“It’s not any more important than beating Akron last week,” Hammock said. “Every week we play, we want to have a chance to win. So we’re not going to act like this trophy is more important, that we have to win the game.”
NIU will also have an opportunity to hinder Miami’s path back to Detroit as the RedHawks look to defend their MAC Championship title from last season. But as far as Hammock’s concerned, it’s a classic gridiron matchup with no clear favorite.
“I don’t look at it as a spoiler,” Hammock said. “I look at it as two evenly matched football teams that’s trying to compete to get a victory.”
PLAYING ON A NATIONAL STAGE
Tuesday’s contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, marking the first time the Huskies will play a midweek MACtion game on the network and their 18th overall appearance.
“It’s a huge opportunity to play on ESPN,” Thomas said. “We’re going to capitalize on that, make sure we put on a show for the nation.”
The fourth Mallory Cup game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CST kickoff time at Fred C. Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio.
