Oct. 16, 2007

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Northern Illinois Huskies at Wisconsin Badgers
Oct. 20, 2007 - 11 a.m. (CDT) - Big Ten Network
Madison, Wisc. -- Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)

HUSKIE FACTS
2007 Record: 1-6
2007 MAC Record: 0-4
Head Coach: Joe Novak
Alma Mater/Year: Miami (OH) 1967
Record at NIU/Year: 62-72/12th
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Enrollment: 25,254
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /24,000
President: Dr. John Peters
Associate VP/Athletic Director: Dr. Jim Phillips
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800

NIU SCHEDULE & RESULTS

SERIES RECAP
Overall: Wisconsin leads 9-1
In DeKalb: N/A
In Madison: Wisconsin leads 9-1
First Meeting: UW 31, NIU 0 (Sept. 11, 1971)
Last Meeting UW 24, NIU 21 (Sept. 14, 2002)

BADGERS' FACTS
2007 Record: 5-2
2007 Big Ten Record: 2-2
Head Coach: Bret Bielema
Alma Mater/Year: Iowa 1992
Record at UW/Year: 17-3/2nd
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: Madison, Wisc.
Enrollment: 41,169
Conference: Big Ten
Colors: Cardinal and White
Stadium: Camp Randall
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/80,321
President: John Wiley
Athletic Director: Barry Alvarez
Ticket Information: (608) 262-1440 or (800)-462-2343

UW SCHEDULE & RESULTS

HUSKIE NEWS & NOTES
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Northern Illinois (1-6, 0-4 MAC) goes on the road for the fourth time in the last five weeks to take on Big Ten foe Wisconsin (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) in Madison.

NON-LEAGUE SLATE: Since re-joining the Mid-American Conference in 1997, NIU is 14-24 in non-conference games, including a 2-2 mark in its 2006 non-league contests. The Huskies are 1-2 in its three non-conference games so far this year with this game at Wisconsin and a Nov. 17 meeting at Navy still on the schedule. Northern's non-conference opponents since '97 have included Ohio State, Kansas State, N.C. State, Northwestern, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and Wake Forest.

RECORD ON THE ROAD: Under Joe Novak, Northern Illinois is 25-40 in road contests over the last 11 years, with 18 of those 25 victories recorded since the beginning of the 2002 season. NIU's road opponents have included nearly all of those listed above. The Huskies compiled a 3-3 record on the road in each of the last two seasons.

TAKING ON THE BIG TEN: Northern Illinois has become well-acquainted with teams from the Big Ten over the years, having played 31 games against nine different teams from the league, most recently Iowa in the 2007 season-opener (a 16-3 loss). NIU has played Wisconsin more than any other Big Ten team (10 times) with its lone win over a Big Ten squad a 19-17 victory over the Badgers in 1988. Northern also earned a 16-16 tie at Northwestern in 1987. The Huskies will face two Big Ten opponents for the third straight year in 2007 after playing at Iowa and Ohio State in 2006, and Michigan and Northwestern two years ago. The Huskies have never met Purdue or Michigan State.

NOVAK'S NUMBERS: NIU Head Coach Joe Novak enters his 12th season at the helm of the Huskie program as the dean of Mid-American Conference coaches. Novak, who ranks second all-time at NIU in games coached (134) and is third in victories (62), took over sole possession of ninth place on the MAC career wins list with 61 (his first win came before NIU re-joined the league). His 46 league victories are tied for 10th all-time.

HOMECOMING HEARTBREAK: Playing without starting QB Dan Nicholson and two of its top receivers, Northern Illinois could muster just one touchdown against Western Michigan as the Huskies dropped a 17-13 Homecoming decision to the Broncos in DeKalb. NIU got 132 rushing yards from Justin Anderson and Matt Simon collected 160 receiving yards, 59 on a TD pass from receiver Marcus Perez, but the Huskies were shut out in the second half and fell for the third straight game. Northern's defense again played well, giving up only two short touchdown drives (42 and 40 yards).

BADGERS 'N DOGS: Wisconsin has been the Huskies' most frequent Big Ten opponent as Saturday's game marks the 11th meeting between the schools. NIU defeated the Badgers in 1988, 19-17, to notch its lone Big Ten victory. The teams met for the first time in 1971, and played five times in the '80s. Just four points have separated the teams in the two meetings since the Huskies' 1988 victory with the Badgers claiming an 18-17 win in 1992 and a 24-21 decision in 2002.

THE LAST MEETING: Wisconsin QB Brooks Bollinger scored on a two-yard run with 1:21 on the clock to give the No. 18 Badgers a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over an NIU team which dominated every statistical category except the scoreboard. Northern Illinois got 160 yards rushing and two TDs from Michael Turner, 161 receiving yards on eight catches from Sam Hurd, three field goals from Steve Azar and sacked Bollinger 10 times. The Huskies out-gained UW 455-275 and had a 182-68 rushing edge. NIU had gone ahead with 5:55 left on a one-yard Turner run but Wisconsin benefited from three critical penalties called on the Huskies during their game-winning drive.

CHEESE-HEADS: The 2007 Northern Illinois football roster features players nine players from Wisconsin, although only four of those are currently seeing playing time for the Huskies, and two of those four did not play last week due to injury. As the "cheese-heads" head for home this weekend, Brodhead's Kevin Skatrud is the lone Wisconsin-ite in the NIU starting line-up with Racine defensive tackle (who started the season on the offensive line) Dan Keller also seeing playing time. TE Reed Cunningham (Cambria) may be ready to return, while the status of NG Mike Krause (Germantown) is more questionable due to a staph infection. Freshman Scott Wedige (Elkhorn) is expected to redshirt. LB Tim McCarthy (Neenah) and DT Craig Rusch (Hilbert) were starters for NIU before going down with injuries with senior RB Cas Prime (Janesville) also sidelined.

NATIVE SON: NIU first-year offensive coordinator Roy Wittke is another Wisconsin native returning "home" for this weekend's game. A native of Racine who graduated from William Horlick High School and Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wittke spent 12 seasons at Eastern Illinois (where he coached Tony Romo) before moving on to Arkansas (2003-05) and Arizona State (2006) before joining the Huskies last winter.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: With the addition of the Wisconsin game to the Big Ten Network schedule, a total of 10 NIU football games are scheduled to air on television this year; NIU has appeared on national television 14 times since 2004, with 34 total games broadcast. Earlier this season, the Eastern and Central Michigan games were selected as the ESPN Plus MAC Game of the Week and were also picked up by ESPN GamePlan. ESPNU aired the season-opener against Iowa, and the syndicated telecast of the Idaho contest also was available through ESPN GamePlan. Northern Illinois' Nov. 17 tilt at Navy will be shown on CSTV, and four NIU home games will be seen on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

INJURY MONSTER: The rash of injuries that have hit Northern Illinois in 2007 can't be attributed to a simple "bug." To date, 13 starters have missed at least one full game due to injury. In addition, 20 different players listed on the depth chart have lost at least one game to injury, with 16 of those spending multiple games on the sideline. Eight players - NG Adam Schroeder (shoulder surgery), TB Montell Clanton, DT Craig Rusch and DE Anthony Antonacci (all rt. knees), LB Saul Ibarra (ankle), RB Cas Prime (knee), TE David Koronkiewicz (elbow) and DE Jake Coffman (foot) - have been sidelined for the season. Starting MLB Tim McCarthy (rt. knee) will miss significant time and possibly the season. Last week, the Huskies were without WRs Britt Davis (hamstring) and Greg Turner (shoulder) for the second straight game, while starting QB Dan Nicholson did not play due to a sprained ankle.

D-LINE D-MOLISHED: The Huskies have lost seven players on the defensive line to injury this season with freshman D.J. Pirkle, who made his first start last week in relief of the re-injured Mike Krause, the latest added to the list. Pirkle's current status is doubtful for Wisconsin with a shoulder injury. Craig Rusch, Anthony Antonacci, Adam Schroeder, Zach Holycross, Krause, Jake Coffman and Brandon Bice have all missed at least one game, with Rusch, Antonacci, Schroeder and Coffman done for the season. Wisconsin native Dan Keller was moved from offensive to defensive line. Four freshmen have played on the defensive line in 2007, with Pirkle, Ed Jackson (RS Fr.) and Krause (RS Fr.) all starting games.

OH SO CLOSE: Despite the injuries and the number of players who have started and played for the first time in 2007, four of NIU's six losses have hinged on just a play or two. Northern Illinois has lost games by one (Temple), two (Eastern Michigan), three (Southern Illinois) and four (Western Michigan) points this season. Temple was helped by a pair of NIU missed extra points, EMU won when penalties made a potential game-winning field goal a 50-yard try and SIU triumphed after recovering an on-side kick and catching two tipped passes for scores in the final minute. Those four losses have come by a total of 10 points.

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: Northern Illinois teammates elected four juniors as captains for the 2007 season, the first time under Joe Novak that the permanent captains do not include a senior. Unfortunately, three of those four captains - wide receiver Britt Davis, quarterback Dan Nicholson and linebacker Tim McCarthy - sat out the Western Michigan game due to injury, leaving defensive end Larry English to carry the captain's mantle.

SENIOR SHORTAGE: NIU opened the season with only nine seniors on the roster and only four of those - LT Chris Acevedo, TE Brandon Davis, SS Mark Reiter and K Chris Nendick - have played significant roles for the Huskies in 2007. Three seniors - NG Adam Schroeder, LB Sal Ibarra and RB Cas Prime - are among those out for the season due to injury. 35/8/16: Thirty-five different players now have started games for NIU in 2007 as only eight - four on offense and four on defense - have started every game this season. In addition, 16 players have made their first career appearance in the starting line-up, most recently freshman NG D.J. Pirkle, LB Zach Larsen and QB Ryan Morris last week versus Western Michigan. The eight "survivors" (seven-game starters) so far this year include LB Josh Allen, CB Chase Carter, DE Larry English and NT Alex Krutsch on defense and four linemen on offense: C Eddie Adamski, T Jon Brost, T Chris Acevedo and G Jason Onyebuagu.

SECOND-HALF SOLUTIONS: After being shut-out in the second half for the third time this season last week, Northern Illinois continues to search for second-half solutions. Only 32 of NIU's 133 points this season (24 percent) have been scored in the second half with 17 third-quarter and 15 final period points. NIU did not score in the second half versus WMU, CMU and Iowa and has been blanked in the fourth quarter five times.

JUST-IN TIME?: Sophomore Justin Anderson continues to thrive in the featured tailback role for the Huskies. Since taking over as the starter versus Eastern Michigan, Anderson has recorded FIVE consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games and is averaging 157.4 yards per game with four 150-plus yard outings. Anderson has provided a bright spot for the NIU offense with his rushing and receiving. A look at his last five games and season total:

FOUR FOR FOUR: Anderson - NOT heralded Heisman candidates Michael Hart (Michigan), Ray Rice (Rutgers), Darren McFadden (Arkansas) or P.J. Hill (Wisconsin) is the ONLY running back in the country who can claim four of the Top 75 rushing days in the NCAA FBS this year as his outings rank 53rd, 58th, 64th and 75th on the list. Each of those games has occurred since he assumed the No. 1 tailback role when Montell Clanton went down with a season-ending knee injury versus SIU. Anderson now ranks ninth nationally in rushing with 124.0 yards per game. His five-game "starting" average of157.4 yards would lead the country as he follows in the footsteps of Huskie greats Michael Turner (now with the San Diego Chargers) and Garrett Wolfe (Bears).

CATCH AS CAN: Anderson has proven to be equally as effective catching the ball as he ranks second on the Huskie team in catches (30) and receiving yards (202) after making six grabs in the WMU game. Anderson has caught five or more passes in four games this season and has at least one catch in every game. With eight catches versus Southern Illinois, Anderson posted the highest single-game catch total for an NIU running back in at least 25 years, since prior to the 1983 season. With 30 catches through seven games, Anderson is on pace to catch 51 passes, which would surpass the NIU single-season record for catches by a running back of 43, set by Jack Dean in 1963.

A FINE LINE: The Huskies' offensive line, led by the play of junior tackle Jon Brost and sophomore center Eddie Adamski, has earned kudos from the NIU coaching staff and led Justin Anderson to his rushing success while allowing only 11 sacks on the season. Brost, who Novak says has returned to his 2005 form, and Adamski, the 2006 Freshman All-American, have allowed only one sack between them this season. Brost, has been on the field for every single offensive snap for the Huskies this season and leads all players on the current team with 30 career starts.

RELIEF PITCHER: Quarterback Ryan Morris, a former walk-on, performed admirably in a relief role for Northern Illinois last week. Morris completed 13-of-25 passes for 144 yards in his first career start and was 8-of-15 for 85 yards in the second half. More importantly, Morris recorded the first interception-free game by NIU in 14 outings and over a year, since the 2006 Ball State game (Sept. 30).

SACK MASTER: Huskie defensive end Larry English continues to pile up the sacks and tackles for loss as the Aurora, Ill. junior tallied 1.5 sacks in the WMU game to up his season and career totals to 8.5 and 21.5, respectively. English ranks tied for first in the MAC and fourth in the country in sacks with 1.21 per game. His five sacks versus Idaho remains the top single-game performance by any FBS defender this season and he ranks fourth in the country among active FBS players in career sacks while his per-game average of .67 sacks per game is second.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: English continues to climb the Northern Illinois' career lists as the junior now needs only two sacks to take over second place on the Huskies' all-time list. Cary Caliendo (31 sacks) is the NIU record-holder, while Scott Kellar has 23 and English 21.5. English also has at least one tackle for loss in each of NIU's last six games to move into seventh place on that career list with 34.

DOMINATING DAY: Defensive end Larry English was too much for the Idaho offense as the junior from Aurora sacked Vandals' QB Nathan Enderle five times to break the school single-game record he established last year (4.5 versus Temple). English also was credited with five quarterback pressures and a career-high 12 tackles in that game. On one play, he forced the Idaho QB to fumble into the endzone, where English recovered for his first career touchdown. Despite playing 90 of the Huskies' 95 defensive plays, he made a game-saving sack on the final play of the game to preserve the NIU victory. For his efforts, English was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week and earned the FWAA Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week award.

ENDURANCE: According to Northern Illinois' coaches', English has been on the field for an amazing 518 of 534 defensive plays (97 percent) this season, including 90 of 96 snaps versus Idaho, every defensive down of the Temple and Eastern Michigan contests and 79 of 80 plays last week. With seven defensive linemen sidelined by injury so far in 2007, English's presence and performance is even more critical as he and tackle Alex Krutsch are playing alongside as many as five freshmen on the D-line.

DEFENSIVE DOINGS: The Northern Illinois defense has played withstood injury and inexperience (only one senior plays) to move to the top of the Mid-American Conference rankings in both pass efficiency defense and scoring defense. Huskie opponents have a passing efficiency of just 123.91 with a 57.8 percent completion percentage and eight passing TDs on the season. NIU is allowing opponents 24.86 points per game but has given up 21 or fewer points four times in Huskie losses. In its last two outings, Northern Illinois has given up just 16 and 17 points to Temple and Western Michigan, respectively.

EVERY WHICH WAY: While Northern Illinois' defense has given up only 18 TDs on the season, NIU opponents have reached the end zone 23 times. In addition to the 10 rushing and eight passing scores, Huskie opponents have scored on a punt return (Idaho), a kickoff return (Central Michigan), a pair of interception returns (SIU) and a fumble recovery and return (Temple).

PICKOFF PLAYS: Senior Mark Reiter added Northern Illinois' fifth interception of 2007 last week as the Huskies are just two pick-offs away from equalling their 2006 season total in that category. Newcomer Chase Carter leads the way with two INTs and 120 of the team's 142 return yards. Carter brought his first career pick-off back 95 yards for a score versus Idaho, tying him for the eighth-longest scoring play in Northern Illinois history, and recording the second-longest interception return TD ever (behind Dave Petway's 100-yard INT return versus SIU in 1977).

DEFLECTION SECTION: With 26 pass break-ups by nine different defenders in 2007, Northern Illinois is already threatening its 2006 total of 30 PBUs. CB Melvin Rice leads the way in the deflection section with five break-ups, while LB John Tranchitella and DE Brandon Bice have four PBU's each. The Huskies tipped a season-high eight passes at Idaho with Tranchitella getting his hands on three passes and adding his first interception of 2007.

SIMON SAYS...CATCH!: Matt Simon continues his breakthrough season as the junior recorded his third 100-yard receiving day of the season versus Western Michigan with six grabs for 160 yards and a 59-yard touchdown catch. Simon has two 59-yard TD catches and a 92-yard effort on the year. He leads NIU, and ranks 26th nationally in receiving yards with 580, while his 31 catches and 18.7-yard average also lead NIU. The junior has caught at least one pass in every Huskie game this season.

BIG DAY: Simon's 92-yard touchdown was the highlight of a career-best and team season-high nine-catch, 205-yard effort versus Central Michigan. The Minnesota junior, who was coming off of his first career 100-yard receiving game at Idaho with four grabs for 115 yards, recorded just the sixth 200-yard receiving day in NIU history, and the first since Sam Hurd set a school record with 266 yards on 12 catches versus CMU in 2005.

SIMON SAYS...BLOCK!: NIU wide receiver Matt Simon tallied the first punt block of his Huskie career versus Idaho. The block was recovered by Jeff Fontana in the end zone to give Northern a 28-7 lead. Northern Illinois tallied four blocked kicks a year ago, including a blocked punt versus Western Michigan and three blocks in the bowl game versus TCU. Simon, who plays on several of the Huskies' special teams, ranks second on the team in all-purpose yards with 670, nearly 100 per game.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE: NIU quarterback Dan Nicholson and receiver Matt Simon hooked up on a 92-yard pass play versus Central Michigan which now ranks as the third-longest completion in the country (FBS) this season. The play also ranks on the Huskie charts as the fourth-longest touchdown pass ever and was the longest pass play for NIU since Sept. 30, 2000, when Dan Urban connected with Justin McCareins on a school-record 99-yard score versus Ball State.

CATCHING ON: With six catches at Central Michigan, Britt Davis moved into ninth place on Northern Illinois' all-time receptions list as he now has 119 catches for 1,355 yards. Davis passed the 100-catch mark versus Iowa in just his 25th career game, the earliest an NIU player has reached 100 catches. Already the NIU record-holder for catches as a freshman (42) and as a sophomore (57), Davis has caught at least one pass in 25 of his last 26 games played, but has missed the Huskies' last two games with a strained hamstring.

RETURNING RECEIVER: With two of the Huskies top three receivers -- Britt Davis and Greg Turner -- out of the line-up the last two weeks, the unit was buoyed by the return of junior Marcus Perez, who recorded his best day of the year with five catches for 63 yards at Temple. Perez totaled 168 all-purpose yards on the day as he added 14 yards rushing on a reverse, an 18-yard punt return and 73 yards on three kickoff returns. He completed the "cycle" last week in the Western Michigan game by throwing his SECOND career touchdown pass as he hit a wide-open Matt Simon with a 59-yard bomb. Perez also had a TD pass versus Southern Illinois in his freshman year of 2004.

SCORING MARKS: Northern Illinois kicker Chris Nendick has scored at least one point in every game of his Huskie career, a school-record 44 straight contests, and now ranks third all-time at NIU in scoring with 308 total points. Nendick ranks second all-time in kick scoring, 62 points behind leader Steve Azar (2000-03). He is second in career field goals made with 53 and in field goal attempts (73). The Naperville product ranks fourth in the NCAA among active kickers in career PATs made (149) and attempted (153) and is fifth in scoring. He needs to make three extra points and attempt six to become NIU's all-time leader in those categories.

HOTTEST STREAK: Dan Nicholson quietly set a school record for most consecutive pass completions during the SIU game when he hit 15 straight while leading the Huskies to their four touchdown drives. He broke the record set by Phil Horvath, who completed 13 consecutive throws versus Akron on Sept. 24, 2005. Nicholson's streak began on the Huskies' first drive of the second quarter and continued until he missed Britt Davis on a deep pass in the third period.

YORDON CENTER DEDICATED: On Sept. 8, 2007, NIU officially dedicated the new Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon Center. Located adjacent to the North End Zone of Huskie Stadium, the Yordon Center houses nearly all of Northern Illinois' student-athlete support units and serves as the home for the Huskie Football team. From the "smart" classrooms in the academic center to the rehabilitation pools in the athletic training center to the expandable storage area in the equipment room, everything about the Yordon Center says "first-class." The football team meets together in the tiered, 150-seat auditorium while technology-enhanced position meeting rooms, coaches offices overlooking Brigham Field and a locker room large enough to accommodate the entire team highlight the "football" areas of the 62,000-square foot building. Construction on the $14-million privately-funded facility began in June 2006. It is named for Northern Illinois supporters Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon, who in November 2006 announced a $2.5 million gift to the project, the largest gift to Huskie Athletics in the 107-year history of the institution.

CAREER YEAR: In his third season as NIU's punter, Andy Dittbenner is enjoying the best year of his career; he currently ranks 14th nationally with a punting average of 44.3 and seven of his 32 punts downed inside the 20. Dittbenner's current average ranks only fifth in the league as MAC punters dominate the top of the national charts. The Northern Illinois record for single season punting average is 41.78 yards and Dittbenner's current number would blow that mark away.

HANG TIME: Dittbenner also is moving up the Huskie career punting charts for punts and punting yards while also ranking on the punting average list. His 141 punts are ninth-most in Huskie history while his 5,585 punting yards are eighth. Dittbenner's current punting average of 39.6 would rank fourth on the NIU career lists.

HUSKIES IN THE NFL: As the National Football League opened regular season play, seven former NIU players were on team rosters, including 2007 draft choices RB Garrett Wolfe (Chicago Bears) and OT Doug Free (Dallas Cowboys). The rest of the Huskie NFL contingent includes: OT Ryan Diem (Indianapolis Colts), WR Sam Hurd (Cowboys), WR Justin McCareins (New York Jets), NT Hollis Thomas (New Orleans Saints) and RB Michael Turner (San Diego Chargers).

WORTH NOTING: The 35 points surrendered by Northern Illinois in the first half at Central Michigan were the most since Kansas State scored 59 points in the opening half on Sept. 12, 1998 in Manhattan. In addition, NIU's six turnovers (four INTs, two fumbles) were the most by a Huskie team in 101 games, since a 16-3 loss to Toledo on Oct. 31, 1998 when Northern Illinois committed seven turnovers. Finally, NIU's 521 yards of total offense in that game was the 15th-highest total in school history and marked the fifth time in school history, that the Huskies gained 500 or more yards in a game and lost.

RECORD-SETTER: The season-opening GEICO Soldier Field Showdown between NIU and Iowa (Sept. 1) set new attendance marks for both Northern Illinois and the Mid-American Conference with a sell-out crowd of 61,500 packing the lakefront facility. NIU's previous record home crowd occurred on Oct. 18, 2003, when 28,211 people came to Huskie Stadium for a contest versus Western Michigan. The previous largest home crowd in league history was recorded Oct. 27, 2001 when Toledo played Navy in front of 36,852 at the Glass Bowl.

OLD SCHOOL: Although it was broadcast on-line, the NIU-Temple game marked the first time in 21 games - since Nov. 5, 2005 when Northern Illinois faced Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant - that a Huskie football game was NOT available via an over-the-air telecast. The final three games of the 2005 campaign were televised along with every game last season (13) and each of the first five games this year. During that span, NIU appeared on ESPN or ESPN2 six times, on ABC once, was part of an ESPN Plus or ESPN GamePlan package four times, played on ESPNU on three occasions, and had seven games televised by Comcast SportsNet.

TV TOTALS: In 40 seasons of televised games, Northern Illinois is 51-53-1 all-time on television, including a 29-23 mark since the start of the 2001 season. All 13 Huskie games were aired a year ago; NIU went 5-4 in its nine television appearances in 2005 and posted an impressive 8-2 mark on TV in 2004. The Iowa game on ESPNU was the 26th ESPN Network broadcast all-time for Northern Illinois, with six ESPN airings last year.

SELECT COMPANY: Northern Illinois looks to extend its streak of non-losing seasons to eight in 2007 as the Huskies have posted a winning mark every year since 2000 and still have a chance to avoid their first losing campaign this decade. NIU is one of only 18 FBS schools in the country to post six straight winning seasons, and entered 2007 with the longest current string of winning campaigns in the Mid-American Conference. The seven straight winning seasons is also a modern-day school record.

HUSKIE DEBUTANTES: Nineteen different players have made their Huskie debuts in 2007, including nine redshirt freshmen, seven true freshmen, transfers Anthony Mason and Chase Carter, and junior Vincent Matthew. True freshmen John Hopkins, D.J. Pirkle, Chad Spann, Patrick George, Nolan Owen, Landon Cox and Kyle Skarb have now all seen playing time this year. The redshirt rookies are Alex Kube, Ed Jackson, Mike Lepper, Bryan Beckner, Ricky Crider, Justin Stewart, Jake Coffman, Mike Krause and Vernon Sims with Kube (S), Jackson (DT), Pirkle (NG), Beckner (TE) and Krause (NG) all starting at least one game.

HOME-GROWN: The 2007 Northern Illinois roster includes 75 players from the state of Illinois and 61 from the Chicagoland area, the highest concentrations of any NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school in the state. In all, 66 percent of NIU's 2007 football players hail from the Land of Lincoln. A quick glance at the rosters of Northwestern and Illinois show the Wildcats with 26 in-state products, 18 from Chicago, while the Fighting Illini roster lists 50 home grown players and 30 from the area.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS MULTIMEDIA
Watch It....on the Big Ten Network (check local listings to see if it is on your cable system). Wayne Larrivee is on the play-by-play call, while Charles Davis handles the color analysis.

Hear It...on the Huskie Sports Radio Network.Bill Baker returns for his 28th year as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies while Mark Lindo is back for his 23rd season on the broadcast team. Casey Kahler enters his second season as the adidas sideline reporter. WSCR-AM Chicago 670
WLBK-AM DeKalb 1360
WSEY-FM Rockford 95.7
WRHL-AM Rochelle 1060
WTJK-AM Beloit, Wisc. 1380

On the Net...to hear every Huskie Radio Network broadcast as well as SEE live video of select NIU games, sign up for the Huskie All Access package at www.niuhuskies.com. Purchase the monthly package for $6.95 or a season-long pass for $49.95.

Review It...on "Inside Huskie Sports", weekly on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The 30-minute highlight show airs every Thursday at 4 p.m. Also, join Head Coach Joe Novak and host Brad Hoey at the live taping of "IHS" Mondays at 6 p.m. at Fatty's Pub and Grille, 1312 West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Live It...on "NIU Live." The weekly 30-minute show airs on WSCR AM 670 "The Score" in Chicago Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. WSCR sports director Andy Garcia and Huskie athletic director Jim Phillips co-host the show with guest appearances by Northern coaches, including Joe Novak.

Read It...on www.niuhuskies.com. For the latest statistics, feature stories, player Q&As and weekly and daily updates.