Going into this Saturday’s game with a Kansas State team that has failed to win in 29 straight games, one would think that NIU might look past the Wildcats to next week’s game with Western Illinois.

“We’re not going to take them lightly,” defensive lineman Rodney Akis said. “Looks can be deceiving. We can have a bad game and then turn around and have a good one.”

However, it is not just KSU’s last 29 games that must be looked at. The Wildcats are 299-509-41 in their 93-year football history, the only team to have lost more than 500 games, and they have the worst record among Division I schools.

“They won’t be like Nebraska,” defensive lineman Phil Bucaro said, “but we’re not going to play any different because of that.”

Kansas State has had only four winning seasons in the last 44 years. In 1953 and 1954, the ‘Cats were 6-3-1 and 7-3, respectively. The other winning seasons were in 1970 (6-5), when Lynn Dickey (of Green Bay Packer fame) was their quarterback, and in 1982 (6-5-1), when they made their only bowl appearance, a 14-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Independence Bowl.

They also have a new coach this season. Bill Snyder was lured away from his position as offensive coordinator at Iowa, a job he held for 10 years. Snyder should be somewhat familiar with NIU from when the Huskies played the Hawkeyes in 1986.

“Northern Illinois played us well at Iowa,” Snyder said. Iowa won that game 57-3.

Along with a new attitude, Snyder also brought with him a new logo.

“There are a lot of Wildcats across the country,” Snyder said. “We wanted something that, when you look at it, you can say this is Kansas State football.”

In 1987, under Stan Parrish, the ‘Cats managed only a 17-17 tie with Kansas en route to a 0-10-1 season. Along the way, KSU suffered a 41-14 loss to Army and then in consecutive weeks, a 59-10 loss to Oklahoma, a 56-3 trouncing by Nebraska and finally a 56-7 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State.

Parrish, whose tenure at KSU lasted from 1986-88, compiled a 2-30-1 record. Those two victories were over Western Illinois, 35-7, and Kansas, 29-12, in 1986.

The good news for the Huskies is that defensive end Cary Caliendo will be back in the starting lineup.

“This will be my first game where I’ll be playing at 100 percent,” Caliendo said. “I should have a very good game.”

As for the outcome of the game, Caliendo said, “They don’t have a prayer. We’re going to be so fired up after this week off.”