DeKALB – With Iowa and Utah in the rearview mirror, the Huskies look forward to a familiar foe in he Central Michigan Chippewas who come into Huskie stadium with the same 0-2 record as the Huskies. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

The Huskies look to start conference play on the right foot. These two programs have played every year since 1997, with Central Michigan leading the overall series record 29-23-1. The Chippewas have won the last four games, and the Huskies will be looking for an opportunity to prove they are a new team, ready to defend their home field.

Last weekend, the Huskies fell to the University of Utah 17-6. The game was a tale of two halves once again as the Huskies went into halftime with a 3-0 lead. After giving up the lead at the beginning of the second half, the Huskies fell short following a decisive late game pick-six thrown by sophomore quarterback Marcus Childers. Head Coach Rod Carey said he was proud of how hard his team fought.

“I was very disappointed with the outcome, but very happy with how our guys competed, Carey said. “We had a opportunity in the fourth quarter, multiple opportunities, and didn’t capitalize on any of them.”

Childers will be looking for a bounce-back game after completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 216 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions through two games this season. Childers got roughed up against Utah’s pass rush after getting sacked three times and suffering an minor injury that resulted in zero missed plays.

“He got a little dinged, but he’ll be fine,” Carey said. “ Certainly everyone’s going to look to the critical error at the end and that’s fair. It happened, and it solidified the game for Utah.”

The Huskies tough defense will have the task of stopping Central Michigan’s offense. The Chippewas struggled in their last game against the University of Kansas 31-7. Sophomore quarterback Tony Poljan threw for 177 yards with one touchdown to go with 4 interceptions.

Although Central Michigan struggled in their last game, Coach Carey said he won’t let the 0-2 records diminish the teams’ identities.

“I think it’s two good teams that know a lot about each other, and you’re always going to get a good fourth quarter battle,” Carey said.