If you look at the 12-game college football season in terms of quarters, the first three have been brutal for the NIU football team. Each game led to a new injury and most of the talk was focused on which players wouldn’t play rather than on who would.

But after beating Kent State and hanging with Navy until the final whistle, the Huskies (2-9, 1-5) have a chance to close out the fourth quarter at 2-1 and end the season on a high note when they face Ball State this Saturday at Huskie Stadium. The Senior Day game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on Comcast.

Last year, NIU beat BSU (6-5, 4-2) in Muncie, Ind., behind Garrett Wolfe’s record-setting 353 yards rushing. This time, the Huskies face a much improved Ball State team that is bowl-eligible with six wins.

“We want to end the season on the right note and send the seniors out with a win,” said junior wide receiver Matt Simon. “Any win is important, but to end the season with a win would be a good tribute to the team.”

Last week, the Huskies had to deal with Navy and its high scoring offense. This week, NIU looks to silence the Cardinal offense that ranks second in the MAC in total yards, averaging 437 a game.

On the other hand, the Huskies’ offense is still ailing. Dan Nicholson sat out last week because of a concussion he suffered the week before. It’s likely backup Ryan Morris will get the call at quarterback once again this week.

“I think Ryan has done a terrific job,” Simon said. “He has definitely put us in positions to help us win. He’s smart and has made all the right checks. He’s more than capable of getting it done.”

The workhorse of the group has been Justin Anderson. The redshirt sophomore running back played at less than 100 percent last week and still carried the ball 39 times. He will likely see the bulk of the carries once again as David Bryant, the only other available tail back, is still nicked up.