Sitting on a five-game losing streak, the NIU football team begins the second half of the regular season with a trip to Athens, Ohio, where they’ll meet the defending Mid-American Conference champion, the Ohio Bobcats.
The Huskies (1-5, 0-2 MAC) and the Bobcats (3-3, 1-1 MAC) will face off at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Peden Stadium. NIU remains in search of its first conference win, while Ohio will look to defend home field as it tries to rebound from a stinging loss to Ball State two weeks ago.
As NIU readies for what’ll likely be its toughest test of the season, the Northern Star went Behind Enemy Bylines with Charlie Fadel, the sports editor for The Post, to get the scoop on the high-powered Bobcats.
Northern Star: Ohio is coming off a bye week after getting upset by a one-win Ball State team in Muncie. What went wrong for the Bobcats in that game?
Charlie Fadel: The Ball State loss was maybe the worst loss since the 2022 MAC title game for Ohio. The Bobcats had a 14-0 lead at halftime, only for the second half to be some of the worst football I have witnessed since covering the team. The offense went completely inept, and penalties and fumbled snaps killed them all game, with a fumbled snap in the endzone leading to a game-changing safety in the second half. The Cardinals did score 20 points in the second half, and quarterback Kiael Kelly’s ability to run gave the defense some problems, but I don’t think the defense was nearly as at fault for the loss as the offense was.
NS: The Bobcats have been nearly unbeatable in Athens, going 20-1 at home since 2022. Why’s it so difficult for teams to win at Peden Stadium?
CF: Ohio has one of the best home-field advantages in the Group of Six right now, and that is something that is certainly a point of pride in the locker room. The phrases “Defend the Frank” and “We don’t lose on the Frank” are real talking points that reinforce how well the team plays on Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. The last game Ohio lost at home was the 2023 Battle of the Bricks against Miami, a game that derailed the MAC title hopes of that year’s team. Students and locals in Athens will also show up and make their presence felt for big games like homecoming or when schools like Iowa State and West Virginia come to town — both being games that Ohio won.
NS: NIU has beaten Ohio twice since Thomas Hammock took over in 2019 — once against Frank Solich and once against Tim Albin. How does first-year head coach Brian Smith‘s team compare to those of his two predecessors?
CF: Brian Smith as a coach is definitely a different type of coach than Solich or Albin. Solich was the guy who built the foundation and culture for success while bringing the program back from the basement of the MAC. Albin was essentially another version of Solich, and his conservative philosophies on offense and defense were apparent, but they resulted in three straight 10-win seasons. Smith is more of a modern offensive mind, being more aggressive on fourth down and throwing the ball more this season with Parker Navarro. He comes from a run-n-shoot background after playing and coaching at Hawaii, and prior to his tenure in Athens, he was the offensive coordinator for Washington State under Nick Rolovich.
NS: Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro has been regarded as one of the top QBs in the Group of Six. What’s made him so successful, and who else might also have an impact on Saturday’s game?
CF: The main thing that makes Navarro so special is his creativity and his ability to escape in the pocket. This year, he has improved as a pocket passer, letting his arm do the work more so than last season when he ran for 18 touchdowns, but his dual-threat abilities are still very real and very dangerous for opposing defenses. A play is rarely dead when Navarro has the ball in his hands. As for another player to impact the game, it has to be junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks. He has not only been the best wideout in the MAC this year, but one of the best in the country so far, as he has racked up 37 catches for 585 yards and four touchdowns. His 585 yards are good for sixth in the country.
NS: What weaknesses does this Ohio team have that NIU might be able to exploit to pull off an upset?
CF: One weakness that has been a problem all year for the Bobcats is special teams, and with a team like Northern Illinois coming to town, I could see the problems on special teams once again flaring up. It was a kick return touchdown that allowed the Huskies to beat Holy Cross in the first game of the season, and even when thinking back to the Notre Dame upset last year, the NIU special teams are what comes to mind when thinking about that game. Ohio still does not know who its first-team kicker is, and mental mistakes and poor coverage have caused problems in nearly every game so far this season. It is a classic strength vs weakness matchup, and I could absolutely see it affecting the game.
NS: Finally, what’s your final score prediction for this game?
CF: Despite all the doom and gloom around the team after the bad loss against Ball State, I still think Ohio should be the favorite for the MAC title with the talent on the roster, and a homecoming game off a bye week against a team with one of the worst offenses in the country should be a perfect “get right” game for the Bobcats. I could see the Ohio defense bending a fair amount but never totally breaking in this one, and if I had to make an exact score prediction, I would say Ohio wins 31-9.
