DeKALB — Football is back as the Huskies are preparing for their season opener against the Boston College Eagles.

“This is probably the biggest game in Huskie Stadium since 2003 against [University of Maryland], for our community and university,” said Rod Carey, Head Football Coach

Carey has still not announced who will be the starting quarterback as that has been one of the main questions surrounding the team during preseason.

The Huskies are looking for the right man for the job, as the person chosen will be counted on to make smart decisions after losing some talented offense players from last year.

NIU will need to find a replacement for former wide receiver Kenny Golladay whose services were lost to the 2017 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskies are young up front but experienced in their secondary with their senior cornerback Shawun Lurry, who won the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are entering the 2017 season with senior defensive end Harold Landry, who led the country last season with 16.5 sacks according to the NCAA’s official website.

“For us, facing Landry is like [Ohio State University’s Joey Bosa], but other [defensive lineman] are so good too,” Carey said. [Boston College’s] front [line] is a challenge,”

Landry also set the Eagles franchise record with his 16.5 sacks per game, and won 2016 defensive player of the year.

One player who is aware of these numbers but is up for the challenge is Max Scharping, redshirt junior offensive tackle.

“It doesn’t really matter who it is, but it is great to have a quality opponent the first week,” Scharping said.

One of the main goals for this Eagles team coming off a 7-6 record in 2016 is finding consistent quarterback play whether that is from graduate quarterback Darius Wade or redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Brown.

As for now, the two quarterbacks are still in contention for the starting role, according to Boston Colleges Athletics Website.

The Eagles will feature their senior captain and center Jon Baker, along with junior offensive linemen Chris Lindstrom and Aaron Monteiro.

The Huskies will play host to the Boston College Eagles 8:30 PM Friday at Huskie Stadium.