In recent years, a trip to Toledo for the football team has meant a battle for first place in the MAC West.

This season, a visit to the Glass Bowl for the Huskies is a battle between the two bottom teams in the MAC West.

NIU (1-7 overall, 0-4 MAC) faces off against Toledo at 6 p.m. CST Saturday.

The game will not be televised, but can be caught on radio in DeKalb on WLBK-AM 1360 and on WCKG-FM 105.9 in Chicago.

The Rockets (3-5, 1-3) enter this weekend’s contest having won their first MAC game last weekend.

With a little over 30 seconds left in a tied game, Toledo punted the ball to Ohio.

Upon receiving the kick, the Bobcats fumbled the ball, putting the Rockets on the Ohio 21-yard-line with 26 seconds left. Toledo locked a victory as it kicked a field goal as time expired.

NIU is still looking for its first MAC win of the season.

Since rejoining the MAC in 1997, the Huskies have won a conference game by at least the seventh game of the year. This excludes the 1997 season, in which NIU went 0-11.

Despite going to Toledo under different circumstances than in the past, head coach Joe Novak is still glad to play the rival program.

“We used to play for championship in this game,” Novak said. “I think it’s good to have a game like this to get prepared for when the season has been going the way it has.”

Toledo has also seen the 2007 season go in a direction it did not expect.

The Rockets hold the second-worst total defense in the MAC and are the worst-scoring defense in the conference. On average, teams are scoring almost 43 points per game against Toledo.

NIU’s offense, however, may not have quarterback Dan Nicholson to lead it.

Nicholson took a hit in the end of the second quarter against Wisconsin last week and was unable to continue in the game. Novak said Nicholson was cleared for practice this week.

If he isn’t ready to go, the coach is prepared to put in redshirt sophomore

quarterback Ryan Morris. It would be Morris’ second start of the season.

No matter who is starting at quarterback for the Huskies, the players have been preparing for their bitter rivals. Even junior college transfer Chase Carter knows of the importance of this opponent.

“Everyone’s saying it’s Toledo. You should be ready,” the cornerback said. “It’s a huge rivalry. This is a game we want to win. This is a game we need to win.”