Football (4-3, 2-1 MAC) will face off against Eastern Michigan (1-6, 0-3 MAC) in its 109th Homecoming game on Saturday. The Eagles have lost five games in a row.

NIU is on a two-game winning streak, their last win coming against Miami (Ohio) (1-6, 0-4 MAC) in a 45-12 match last weekend. The Huskies’ offense gathered a total of 514 yards, the bulk of those coming from the running game with 311 yards and five rushing touchdowns.

The offense has scored 104 points in its last two games after struggling during a three-game losing streak.

“We sped up the offense more,” said junior wide receiver Aregeros Turner. “We’ve been focusing on details a lot more everyday in practice and really just moving a lot faster, hoping we catch the defense off guard in the game. We finally found our groove.”

The Eagles have struggled on defense this season, giving up 43.8 points-per-game to their opponents compared to the Huskies’ average of 35 points. Despite EMU’s record, the Huskies “have a lot of respect for the Eastern Michigan team,” said head coach Coach Rod Carey.

“Coach [Chris] Creighton, they do a nice job,” Carey said. “They’re well-coached, you can see that they have some good talent. Young in some spots but they have some vets in there, too.”

The Huskies rank third in the MAC West behind Toledo (6-0, 3-0 MAC) and Western Michigan (3-3, 2-0 MAC), and have a chance to creep higher in the standings Saturday. The pressure of homecoming and putting on a show for former players and NIU alum is “a big deal, and can be a good and bad thing,” Carey said.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” Carey said. “We welcome them with open arms. We love seeing them. It’s a big deal for them to come back, and we really enjoy that part. That part that we have to be careful of is that they come back and it’s fun for them now.”

Two players the Huskies may have to keep track of in the game are senior running back Darius Jackson and redshirt freshman Shaq Vann. Jackson has run the ball for 719 yards with 10 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards-per-carry. Vann has run for 432 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards-per-carry.

The game will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies came out on top with a 28-17 victory when the teams met in 2014, rushing for four touchdowns in the effort. NIU has defeated Eastern Michigan in seven consecutive games.