The day finally has arrived.

At 6:35 p.m. today, NIU football kicks off its much-anticipated season against No. 13 (ESPN/USA Today) Maryland at Huskie Stadium.

Fox Sports Net will televise the game nationally to potentially reach 95.4 million households.

NIU’s home opener has the potential to be a sellout if everything goes as planned, ticket manager Mike Rockovich said.

Rockovich said a huge walk-up crowd is expected as well, and any students coming late may have to sit in the upper corners of the west side.

Maryland comes into tonight’s contest as the highest-ranked team ever to play at Huskie Stadium. Playing a top-tier team is nothing new for NIU, which took on No. 22 (Associated Press) Wisconsin last season. However, this time the game is at home, which excites the players.

“We just gotta play mistake-free football,” NIU quarterback Josh Haldi said. “We’re gonna have to play really well to beat those guys, because they are a great football team. We’re just really excited; it’s a great challenge to get a team like that into Huskie Stadium and see what we can do with them.”

The Terrapins are coming off an 11-3 season and a Peach Bowl victory over Tennessee, but the Terps have some early season injuries that may help the Huskies.

Maryland senior running back Bruce Perry will not start and is not expected to play, according to the Washington Post. Sophomore Josh Allen will get the starting nod.

NIU Football Season Preview“I think he’d be starting for a lot of clubs,” Maryland offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe told the Washington Post. “He gives us an explosive back in his own right.”

Starting quarterback Scott McBrien is expected to play despite a sprained groin muscle.

The Huskies haven’t fared well against Top 25 teams with a 2-20 record all-time, with one of those being a 26-17 victory last year against Bowling Green.