Sports writer Thomas Hiley breaks down the key players for the Redhawks as they face off against the Huskies at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Oxford, Ohio. NIU won the last matchup between the teams in 2014, taking home a 51-41 win.

Quarterback

Redshirt senior quarterback Drew Kummer has appeared in six games in 2015, averaging 142.7 passing yards per game for the Redhawks. Kummer has taken the most snaps of all the quarterbacks on the team. He has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions, completing less than 50 percent of his passes. Kummer has struggled this season, being benched in the team’s last game against Ohio (5-1, MAC 2-0) for freshman quarterback Billy Bahl, who threw four interceptions in the process. Kummer has the most experience on the team and gives them the best chance to succeed.

Running Back

Redshirt freshmen Alonzo Smith and Kenny Young carry the bulk of the running load for the Redhawks. The two have combined for 334 yards on 79 rushing attempts. The backs are averaging around 4.2 yards a carry on the year. Smith and Young also possess the ability to make catches out of the backfield if given opportunities to do so.

Wide Receiver

The Redhawks have an array of wide receivers who are able to make big plays for their offense. Sam Martin, Jared Murphy, Chris Hudson and Rokeem Williams all have above 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns have been distributed amongst them.

Defensive Line

Redshirt junior JT Jones is an imposing defensive lineman, standing at 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds. In 2014 Jones had 50 tackles with five sacks, three fumbles and eight tackles for loss. As a freshman, Jones picked up 26 tackles, six for-loss and three sacks, only starting once all year. He has career totals of 76 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks. In 2015, Jones has 15 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Linebacker

Sophomore linebacker Paul Moses has played well for the Redhawks in six games this season. Moses made the switch to linebacker after a freshman year where he was a running back. At 6 feet and 227 pounds, Moses is the third leading tackler on the team with 41, second on the team for tackles for loss with 4.5 and is the current sack leader for the Redhawks with three.

Secondary

Redshirt senior defensive back Brison Burris missed all of last season for the Redhawks because of an injury and is playing in his first action since 2013 when he started all 12 games and finished the year with 75 tackles. In 2015, Burris has played in every game for Miami, totaling 42 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, one interception and two pass breakups.