Toledo will look to ballhawk Chandler Harnish on Tuesday with its talented senior cornerback, Desmond Marrow.

The 6’3”, 210-pound senior has been tough for opposing offenses to handle so far this season.

Marrow was named MAC Defensive Player of the week for two weeks. Through the first eight games, the Youngstown, OHIO native netted 48 tackles, which leads the Rockets’ defense and is tied for the top spot in the MAC with eight passes broken up.

“Their defense forces a lot of takeaways,” said NIU head coach Dave Doeren.

Last week, Marrow intercepted two passes against MAC foe, Miami (Ohio).

Marrow is counted on for his senior leadership for the defensive backs in a veteranled defense.

Marrow will be flying around the ball trying to force Harnish to throw into coverage.

Chandler Harnish-NIU

Coming into the biggest game of the season against a conference rival, NIU’s Chandler Harnish will need to have another solid performance to clip the Rockets.

Not only are the Huskies and Harnish trying to beat Toledo to jump ahead in MAC West race, this current group of Huskies are looking for their first win at the Glass Bowl.

“[Toledo is] 18-2 at the Glass Bowl over the last 20 appearances there,” said NIU head coach Dave Doeren. “So I think it’s pretty obvious; it’s a tough place to play.”

This season, Harnish has thrown for 1,697 yards with 12 touchdowns.

That, however, is not the only way Harnish will get to the end zone, as he’s scored eight touchdowns of his own on the ground.

To win on the road against the top team in the MAC West, the Huskies’ offense needs to be sharp in every facet of the game, and that starts with a strong performnace by their quarterback.

The availability of the slough of receivers that NIU has will be key to Harnish’s success with the pass game, needing to subdue Toledo’s cornerback, Desmond Marrow.

If the passing game breaks down, look for Harnish’s ability to scramble and run the option play to dismantle a stout Toledo defense.