After two games this season the Huskies are still looking for their first win, despite losing both games by a combined total of seven points.

On Saturday, the Huskies (0-2) will try for their first victory under head coach Jerry Kill against Football Championship Subdivision Indiana State (0-2).

“It has been tough losing the first two,” said NIU center Eddie Adamski. “We’re glad to be home. We just want to get that win.”

In order to get that win, NIU has had to adapt to a new game plan.

Three weeks ago, the Huskies prepared freshman quarterback Chandler Harnish to lead the pack. Yet, NIU was forced to change gears early against Western Michigan.

In the second offensive series, Harnish suffered a mid-level foot sprain in his right leg. The injury forced him out of the game and Kill said he will have a boot on till at least Tuesday. The injury forced the first-year coach and his staff to adjust by playing senior quarterback Dan Nicholson and red-shirt freshman DeMarcus Grady.

“In fairness, it took [offensive] coach [Matt] Limegrover and I a little bit of time to get into a rhythm on how to handle the new quarterback situation because we had to game plan with Chandler [Harnish],” Kill said. “So it took us a little bit to get settled on how to do that. Eventually we got moving the ball.”

In preparation for this week, Grady and red-shirt junior Ryan Morris have been taking snaps. Nicholson also took some snaps, but Kill was cautious, as the quarterback’s shoulder is still sore after shoulder surgery. Kill said there is a possibility that freshman Brandon Rogers might dress if need be, although he does not want to remove the red-shirt tag off Rogers.

“It’s kind of hard at times, not knowing who’s going to be there all the time,” said wide receiver Nathan Palmer. “When they throw us the ball, we have to make sure that we catch it – no matter who it is.”

As Kill has promised all season, he will start whomever will give NIU the best shot to win the game. This philosophy extends to more than just the quarterback situation, as the head coach said it also applies to the running backs.

“We’ve got to figure out who plays with consistency,” Kill said. “I think right now, Me’co [Brown] is playing with some good consistency.”

Finding consistency at the running game could be crucial for NIU’s success. In two games this season, the Sycamores are allowing teams to average 294.0 rushing yards per game. In a 52-0 loss against Eastern Michigan, ISU allowed the Eagles to rush for 424-yards.

So far this fall, NIU’s offensive strength has been from the passing game. Despite the injury to Harnish and Nicholson’s sore shoulder, the Huskies lead the MAC with 311.5-yards per game from the air.