In what promises to be a classic showdown, the nation’s first- and second-ranked rushing quarterbacks will square off Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

NIU’s defense will take on one of its sternest challenges of the season when the Huskies face off against the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin‘ Cajuns, led by standout quarterback Brian Mitchell.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior has rushed for 711 yards this season, second among the nation’s quarterbacks to NIU’s Stacey Robinson, who has gained 892 yards through eight games.

“He’s an excellent football player and an extremely gifted athlete,” said NIU defensive coordinator Tim McGuire. “He’s the best running quarterback we’ve faced. Overall, he’d rank very highly among the quarterbacks we’ve seen as far as total abilities.”

Mitchell, who has been called a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate, is the only Division I quarterback in NCAA history to run for 2,500 yards and pass for 5,000 yards in a career. He needs only 302 more yards to be among the top 15 offensive producers of all time.

Along with his running ability, Mitchell capably directs USL’s intricate run-and-shoot offense, which relies heavily on the versatility of its quarterback.

“There’s not a better run-pass quarterback in the country,” claimed USL head coach Nelson Stokley. “There’s nobody around that I’ve seen that can do all the things that he can do and do them as well as he can.”

In last year’s outing against NIU, Mitchell led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 45_0 triumph by rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns and completing 10-of-16 passes for 142 yards. This year’s contest is viewed as a battle between Mitchell and Robinson. Last year’s game was billed as a duel beteween Mitchell, nicknamed the “Sultan of the Swamp” and former Huskie quarterback Marshall Taylor.

McGuire feels that his troops will be better prepared to face Mitchell the second time.

“When we played him last year we underestimated his speed. We won’t do that this time,” he said. “We have to contain him and keep him out of the end zone, and I think we’ll do a better job defending him this time.”

Mitchell’s rare combination of prowess through the air and on the ground has led to the re-writing of almost all USL offensive records. The quarterback is coming off a career-high 343-yard passing performance against Southern Mississippi, a game in which he also ran for 134 yards.

For the season, the Louisiana native has accounted for 2,323 combined yards and 15 touchdowns for the 5-3 Cajuns.

Stokley maintains that his quarterback is without peer in the nation. “I’ll say it again, and I hope people hear what I’m saying … we have the best quarterback in the country in Brian Mitchell.

“What he does for our program can’t be measured in the statistics,” said Stokley. “He makes us go, that’s all there is to it. When he’s operating the way he’s capable, we’re a pretty good football team. He finds ways to put the ball in the end zone, and that’s the best measure of an offensive player that I know.”

McGuire, however, feels that Robinson is Mitchell’s equal. “I wouldn’t trade Robinson for Mitchell. I think “Sauce” (Robinson) is just as good as he is.”

Football fans will be able to judge for themselves on Saturday.