Only a junior, Marshall’s 6-foot-6 heavyweight Bryon Leftwitch is better suited, by physical appearance, as an offensive lineman.

But the Washington, D.C., native has an arm disguised as a cannon and is swifter in the pocket than his 240-pound frame belies. Thus, the Heisman candidate performer rests at the quarterback position for the Thundering Herd.

Leading Marshall off to a 2-1 (1-0 in conference) start at this early stage of the season, with their only loss to No. 1 ranked Florida, the Thundering Herd heads into DeKalb to face the Huskies (2-2, 0-1) for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff at Huskie Stadium on Saturday.

But with the size, accolades and all the hype surrounding Leftwitch, NIU’s cornerback Randee Drew, who is going to be partly responsible for containing Marshall’s passing attack, is not one bit intimidated by this week’s opponent.

“Yes, he is probably one of the top quarterbacks in the country,” agreed Drew. “However, we don’t fear anyone.”

Looking at this game not as a tough challenge to worry about, Drew and the Huskies instead are taking the approach that this game is a good opportunity and could put them on the map with a win.

“As a secondary we are trying to be sound in our coverage,” Drew said. “Leftwitch has a good arm, so we are just going to try and frustrate him with different looks, nothing elaborate. They come in with the top passing offense, and we are down on our passing defense so this game could give us a name as a secondary if we could shut them down. I think a win would give us some real respect around the country. It’s a big game for us.”

With Leftwitch averaging 165 yards a game this season, along with a 64 percent passing percentage, he is looked at by some as a high first-round pick after he graduates.

While Leftwitch threw for 327 yards and scored four touchdowns on 21-35 attempts and was named the Offensive Player of the Week in the MAC last week, the Marshall Sports Information Department is pushing his Heisman candidacy hard.

With his own Web site set up by Marshall — LeftwitchQB.com — hyping him as a top Heisman candidate, Leftwitch has had plenty of help from his receivers that cannot be overlooked.

In last week’s statistically filled performance, sophomore Darius Watts accounted for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

“Watts is a good receiver, and he’s one that we have to watch,” said Drew.

With the Huskies staying close to Toledo last week — whom Drew calls the best team in the MAC — but falling short in the end, they are not looking for any more moral victories.

“We don’t want any more moral victories,” said Drew. “We’ve got to start winning these games, and this is very winnable for us. We’ve just got to go in and play the way we are capable of, and we can expect to come out with the win.”