No one really saw this coming. With three games left, the Huskies own a 1-8 record and have no shot at earning a bowl bid or even finishing at .500.

Some would think that means there’s nothing left to play for. But for the Huskies, they don’t want to end up on the wrong side of history. The last time the football team went winless at home and in the MAC was 1997 and coach Joe Novak was in his second year at the helm.

NIU has a chance to stop the bleeding, stop history and build momentum toward next year this Saturday when they return to Huskie Stadium for the first time in four weeks to take on a struggling Kent State team at 3 p.m.

The Golden Flashes, like most of the MAC, are also having a down year, having lost their last four games.

“We are both just trying to finish off the season strong,” Novak said. “They have most of their guys coming back as do we. I think in both cases we just want to continue to get these kids better, to finish off strong, and to try to improve for next season.”

A bright spot for KSU has been its running game. The Golden Flashes lead the MAC in rushing offense and have the No. 1 rusher in the MAC, Eugene Jarvis.

The Wolfe-esque sophomore from Pittsburgh is averaging 140 yards per game and figures to be a tough test for an NIU defense that allowed 812 yards of total offense two weeks ago against Toledo.

However, the Huskies are hoping that coming off a bye week will have them more mentally prepared for the final three games.

“I think [having the bye] definitely helps to get a few players back during the break,” linebacker Zach Larsen said. “That should help us against the Kent State rushing game. Getting away from football in general will help the whole team and the atmosphere around us.”