It’s been 19 seasons since NIU football last beat Toledo at home.

But Huskies head coach Jerry Kill isn’t focusing on that fact. He doesn’t know much about NIU’s struggles against Toledo.

“That’s the good thing about being a new coach,” Kill said. “The only thing I can tell you about [Toledo] is I was walking off the field on Saturday and I hadn’t even walked past the endzone and somebody yelled to me ‘You better beat Toledo!’ And it wasn’t a student.”

NIU’s (3-3 overall, 2-1 MAC) first year head coach will get his shot to beat Toledo (2-4, 1-1) at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Huskie Stadium. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet. It will also be aired over the radio on WSCR AM 670 (Chicago) and WLBK AM 1360 (DeKalb).

Toledo is coming off a 13-10 victory over Michigan. The win marks the first time a MAC program beat the Wolverines in 25 attempts.

Toledo wide receiver Nick Moore was crucial in the win, as he was a major factor in moving the ball for the Rockets. The senior caught 20 passes for 162-yards in the ‘Big House.’

NIU might not have to deal with Moore though, as he will not start on Saturday. Moore and defensive end Albertson Alexandre, who will not start either, were both arrested outside of a bar in Toledo on Sunday morning. The two players were not suspended, so after the first play, they will be theoretically available.

True to this year’s motto, though, NIU is not focused on its opponent.

“We’re not really focused on last year,” defensive tackle Alex Krutsch said. “It’s in the books. It doesn’t matter.”

What has mattered to NIU is health. The Huskies will be without cornerback Bradley Pruitt this week. Linebacker John Tranchitella was also questionable for Saturday.

Kill did have some good news: Strong safety Mike Sobol and linebacker Tim McCarthy will return to the line up, though the linebacker rotation might be limited.

“We may not be able to substitute so much,” Kill said. “Any injury right now is a concern. But it’s something that we can’t control.”

What the Huskies can control is how they prepare themselves for the 2008 homecoming.

Although NIU has not successfully ground the Rockets, it has been successful in homecoming games. In the last 10 years, the Huskies have won nine of their 10 homecoming games by an average of 20 points.

NIU will hand the ball to quarterback Chandler Harnish to continue the successful homecoming trend, as Kill said, Harnish will start against Toledo. In two quarters again Miami (Ohio) last week,

the red-shirt freshman was 4-for-9 for 48-yards.

“It’s odd,” said left tackle Trevor Olson about having three starting quarterbacks this year. “But we just look at it as we have another person back there. We do the same thing no matter who’s back there.”