After a heartbreaking 45-42 loss last weekend on the road at Kansas, the NIU Huskies will be the home team this week as they prepare to battle Wisconsin on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The big story heading into the game will be how NIU head coach Dave Doeren will fare going up against his former employer, whom he left only nine months ago.

The Huskies feel having the former Badgers defensive coordinator on their sideline will give them a slight advantage.

“He knows the personnel. He knows some of the plays, so [coach] Doeren will be a great asset for us,” said NIU senior offensive lineman Scott Wedige.

Beating the Badgers will be no small task.

Wisconsin routinely suits up football teams that compete year in and year out for Big Ten titles and Rose Bowls, and this one is no different.

The Badgers are ranked No. 8 in the nation, and are undefeated on the season after beating UNLV 51-17 in the opener and shutting out Oregon State Saturday 35-0.

Doeren said the Huskies want to keep the intesity high when they take the field against Wisconsin.

“Obviously we don’t want to be down by 30 points at the half, so we have to start fast and we have to play physical,” Doeren said.

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, a senior transfer from North Carolina State, turned heads this season with his plays.

Wilson threw five touchdowns this year and also has the ability to take off and run with the ball.

“He’s a great athlete,” said NIU sophomore cornerback Dominique Ware. “From watching film, he puts the ball right on the money and makes the right decisions on the field. It’s up to us to contain him. If we can, we’ll have a good chance of winning.”

It isn’t just Wilson that has big-play making ability.

Doeren said Wisconsin’s backfield, which features junior tailback Montee Ball and sophomore James White, improved their game during the offseason.

“I think the tailbacks are better than a year ago,” Doeren said. “Montee’s playing at an extremely high level [this year], and so is James.”

The Badger defense also will keep the Huskies on their toes with two All-Big Ten linebackers in sophomore Chris Borland and junior Mike Taylor, as well as a secondary that NIU senior quarterback Chandler Harnish says is off the charts.

“Their secondary is fast. They’re tough. You name it,” Harnish said. “We can’t turn the ball over against them.”

Though some say the Huskies’ offense scores too quickly, that notion won’t change its breakneck pace against Wisconsin’s defense.

“We’re going to keep pushing it,” Harnish said. “We’re going to play our no-huddle to its fullest extent because we don’t want to give that defense a chance to regroup. We want them to be in the most vanilla defensive scheme as possible.”

To add insult to injury, Wisconsin leads the all-time series against the Huskies 11 games to one.

NIU last played the Badgers in 2009 and almost won, coming back from a 22 point deficit to pull within eight points, before losing in the closing seconds 28-20.

For Harnish, who was NIU’s starting quarterback in that game, it proved that his team does have what it takes to beat big name opponents.

“The last time we played Wisconsin we had a chance. Late in the game we were down eight points with a fourth down. It ended on a bad note, and left bad taste in your mouth,” Harnish said. “But we definitely have confidence that we can play with these guys and have a chance to win at the end of the game. We’re not scared.”