Nov. 22, 2008

Northern Illinois Football 2008
GAME 12 -- Navy (6-4) at Northern Illinois (6-5, 5-3)
DeKalb, Illinois - Huskie Stadium (24,000)
Nov. 25, 2008 - 6 p.m. (CST) -- ESPN Classic
RADIO -- WSCR AM 670 (Chicago), WLBK AM 1360 (DeKalb)

Complete Release in PDF Format

HUSKIE FACTS
2008 Record/MAC Record: 6-5, 5-3
2007 Final Record/MAC Record: 2-10/1-6
Head Coach: Jerry Kill
Alma Mater/Year: Southwestern (KS)/1983
Record at NIU/Year: 6-5/1st
Career Record/Year: 110-62/15th
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: Jeff Compher
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800

NIU SCHEDULE & RESULTS

MIDSHIPMEN FACTS
2008 Record: 6-4
2007 Final Record: 8-5
Head Coach: Ken Niumatalolo
Alma Mater/Year: Hawai'i/1989
Record at Navy/Year: 6-4/1st
Career Record/Year: 6-4/1st
Location: Annapolis, Md.
Enrollment: 4,300
Conference: Independent
Colors: Navy Blue and Gold
Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/34,000
Superintendent: Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler, USN
Athletic Director: Chet Gladchuk
Ticket Information: 1-800-US4-NAVY
Football SID: Scott Strasemeier
Office Phone: 410-293-8775
E-Mail: sstrasem@usna.edu
Website: www.navysports.com

NAVY SCHEDULE & RESULTS

NIU HEAD COACH JERRY KILL
Jerry Kill, a college coaching veteran who has spent 14 years as head coach of programs at Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), Emporia State (Kansas) and, most recently, Southern Illinois, is in his first season as head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies in 2008. Now in his 15th season as a head coach, he has an all-time record of 110-62-0 for a winning percentage of .639.

Kill, who led SIU to five straight appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, compiled a mark of 55-32 in seven seasons in Carbondale for a winning percentage of .632. He was named the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year after leading the Salukis to a 12-2 record and the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. Kill was also honored as the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year following the 2004 season. His SIU teams won three straight Gateway (now Missouri Valley) Football Conference titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and were ranked in the 20 for 64 straight weeks beginning in 2003.

At Southern Illinois, Kill coached five first-team All-Americans and four Walter Payton Award finalists; four of his former players are currently on NFL rosters, led by N.Y. Giants tailback Brandon Jacobs and Ravens linebacker Bart Scott.

Prior to going to SIU, Kill spent two seasons as head coach at Emporia State in his home state of Kansas. In his first collegiate head coaching job, at Saginaw Valley State from 1994-98, he won 38 games and a 9-2 record in each of his last two seasons there.

A native of Cheney, Kansas, Kill began his career at Pittsburg State, a powerhouse program in NAIA and then Division II. He was the offensive coordinator for the 1991 PSU team that won the NCAA title while the 1992 Gorillas earned a runner-up finish with a 14-1 mark.

NEWS & NOTES

Season Finale: Northern Illinois plays its final regular season contest of 2008 Tuesday night with a TV game versus non-conference foe Navy as the Midshipmen make their first visit to Huskie Stadium. The Huskies are looking to complete a five-game turnaround from 2007 and post their eighth winning season in the last nine years.

Recapping: After winning just two games, and one MAC contest, a year ago, Northern Illinois has returned to the winning ways it enjoyed from 2000 to 2006, when the Huskies recorded seven consecutive .500-plus campaigns. NIU started 2008 with an 0-2 mark after road losses to Minnesota (31-27) and Western Michigan (29-26), then reeled off five wins in six games before losing back-to-back contests to MAC West leaders Ball State and Central Michigan. The Huskies rebounded last week at Kent State with their sixth win

Saluting the Seniors: Northern Illinois will honor 20 seniors who will play their final home game in a Huskie uniform on Tuesday. The 20-man class is the largest senior group at NIU in 15 years, since the 1993 senior day honored 23 players. This year, ten offensive players, nine defenders and punter Andy Dittbenner will be introduced with their parents and/or relatives prior to kickoff on Tuesday. Fourteen of the 20 signed with NIU in 2004, following the Huskies' 10-2 season in 2003, while five others came to DeKalb after Northern Illinois' appearance in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl. A list of the seniors, as well as their career highlights, follows.

OFFENSE (10)
PLAYER, POS. SIGNED GP/GS CAREER STATS & HIGHLIGHTS
Marcus Perez, WR 2004 39/18 76 rec., 1,061 yds., 7 TDs; 1,700 AP yds, 2 pass and 1 rush TD
Britt Davis, WR 2004 44/33 143 rec., 1,653 yds., 11.6 avg., 8 TDs, 3-year starter
Evans Adonis, WR 2004 26/1 7 rec., 72 yds., TD, 26 KOR, 18.8 avg.
Greg Turner, WR 2005 44/9 35 rec., 382 yds., 3 TD, 19 PR, 203 yds., 10.7 avg./6 KOR, 91 yds.
Matt Simon, WR 2004 43/14 89 rec., 1,612 yds., 8 TDs; 969 rec. yards in 2007
Jon Brost, OT 2004 48/46 4-year starter, 2-time MAC All-Academic, electrical engineering major
Dan Keller, OG 2004 28/12 2008 starter
Brandon Beal, TE 2004 21/3 8 rec., 76 yds. (4-49 in 2008), special teams contributor
Montell Clanton, TB 2004 20/4 77 carries, 455 yds., 3 TDs, 2 knee injuries
Dan Nicholson, QB 2004 27/17 312-527, 59.2%, 3,559 yds., 23 TDs, 3,373 yds. total offense

DEFENSE (9)
Larry English, DE 2004 48/45 233 tackles, 61 TFL, 31.5 QS, 8 FF, 4-year starter
Craig Rusch, DE 2004 31/21 118 tackles, 27 TFL, 13 QS, 4 FR, TD, 7 PBU, 2-year starter
Alex Krutsch, DT 2004 37/28 79 tackles, 10 TFL, 3-year starter
Josh Allen, LB 2005 46/28 183 tackles, 19 TFL, 3 QS, 7 PBU, 2-year starter
Tim McCarthy, LB 2004 38/30 272 tackles, 17 TFL, 8 PBU, 3 FR
T.J. Griffin, LB 2004 24/1 33 tackles, 3 TFL
Melvin Rice, CB 2005 43/21 165 tackles, 8 TFL, 16 PBU, 2 INT, started parts of 3 years
Bradley Pruitt, CB 2005 44/26 174 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 PBU, 2-plus year starter
Chase Carter, CB 2007 23/22 80 tackles, 6 PBU, 51 solo stops, 2-year starter

SPECIAL TEAMS (1)
Andy Dittbenner, P 2005 45/- 204 punts, 8,140 yards, 39.9 average, 56 inside 20

Kill-er Credentials: The 20th head coach in Northern Illinois history, Jerry Kill is wrapping up his first season at NIU after seven years at Southern Illinois, where he led SIU to five straight appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. Southern Illinois advanced to the FCS semifinals in 2007 and the Salukis were ranked in the Top 20 for 64 straight weeks during his tenure. Kill owns a head coaching record of 110-62 (.639) in 15 seasons as the head coach at NIU, SIU, Emporia State and Saginaw Valley State. He was 55-32 at Southern Illinois and won the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

Dandy Debut: With last week's win over Kent State, Jerry Kill's debut season at Northern Illinois is guaranteed to be the most successful first year record for a Huskie head coach since Bill Mallory in 1980. Mallory's first team posted a 7-4 record. Since NIU moved to the Division I-A ranks in 1969, only two coaches - Mallory and Jerry Ippoliti in 1971 - have finished with a .500 or better record in their first years.

In-Frequent Foe: Navy and Northern Illinois meet for just the second time as Navy makes its first visit to DeKalb. The teams began the home-and-home series a year ago in Annapolis. Navy is one of the three "newest" opponents on the 2008 slate as NIU had played both Minnesota and Navy just once prior to this season and battled Tennessee for the first time this year.

The Last Meeting: A depleted Northern Illinois team mounted a valiant effort against a bowl-bound Navy team in Annapolis, but the Midshipmen ran for 359 yards on 60 carries with five touchdowns en route to a 35-24 win over the Huskies. Zerbin Singleton scored three rushing touchdowns for Navy, who had a pair of 100-yard rushers on the day, while NIU countered with 140 yards on 39 carries from Justin Anderson and a 21-for-35 passing day by back-up QB Ryan Morris. Matt Simon caught a pair of touchdown passes and Alex Kube led NIU with a season-high 15 tackles. The Huskies ran 79 offensive plays in the contest.

Home Field Advantage: In 42 seasons and 227 games, Northern Illinois is 131-94-2 all-time at Huskie Stadium for a winning percentage of 58.1 percent. NIU has won 40 of its last 52 home contests (76.9 percent), including a 4-1 mark in 2008, and is 24-9 on Brigham Field since the beginning of 2003.

Out of Conference: Since 1997, Northern Illinois is 15-27 in non-conference games, including a 1-2 mark in non-league games this year. The Huskies fell to Minnesota and Tennessee by four points each on the road, and defeated Indiana State at home on Sept 20. The DeKalb game with Navy wraps up a home-and-home series between the schools.

Snow Day: Northern Illinois put together one of its to performances of 2008 in a 42-14 win on a snowy night at Kent State last Tuesday (Nov. 18). Chandler Harnish ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more, while the Huskie defense limited KSU to 253 yards, 127 rushing. NIU picked up three fumbles, with defensive end Craig Rusch scoring on a 60-yard fumble return. Harnish ran for 117 yards, and passed for 173, hitting favorite target Marcus Perez four times for 75 yards.

MAC Wrap: Northern Illinois closed out its 2008 Mid-American Conference schedule with a 5-3 record, a far cry from its 1-6 mark of a year ago. NIU's MAC win total is higher than that of eight league schools as only Buffalo in the East and West Division foes Ball State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan own better MAC marks than the Huskies. NIU went a perfect 3-0 versus MAC East Division opponents Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green and Kent State.

Closing Out Season 107: In its 107th season of intercollegiate football, Northern Illinois owns an all-time record of 494-449-51 in 994 games for a winning percentage of .523. The Huskies played their first game in 1899 and moved into the "major college" ranks in 1969.

NCAA Leader: NIU's Larry English leads all active NCAA FBS players in career sacks (31.5), sack yardage (220)and tackle for loss yardage (279). He has recorded double-digit tackles for loss in each of his four seasons and leads NIU this year with eight sacks and 14 TFLs to rank second in the MAC. English has also forced eight fumbles in his career, three in 2008. With two sacks versus Kent State, he surpassed Cary Caliendo (1987-90) for the NIU career sacks record, and his total ranks fifth on the Mid-American Conference career sack chart. He already holds the Northern Illinois record for career tackles for loss with 59, which is ninth in the MAC record book.

English Lessons: Larry English broke the Huskie career record for quarterback sacks with two takedowns at Kent State to give him 31.5 for his career and eight for the season. His second sack caused a fumble, which his Northern Illinois defensive line mate Craig Rusch picked up and ran 60 yards for the score. English has recorded at least one tackle for loss in eight of the Huskies' 11 games this year and in 18 of his last 23 contests overall. The Kent State contest continued a string of superior performances for the Aurora, Ill. senior, who made five tackles, 2.5 for loss with 1.5 quarterback sacks, versus Central Michigan.

Growing Up: Freshman quarterback Chandler Harnish continues to develop in his rookie season as he was responsible for a career-high four touchdowns - two rushing and two passing - and compiled 290 yards of total offense on a snowy night at Kent State. Most importantly, Harnish and the Huskie offense did not turn the ball over despite the conditions, which deteriorated throughout the game. Harnish ran for a career-high 117 yards on 20 carries to record his second 100-yard rushing game of the season as he now has 414 rushing yards on 92 carries with four rushing TDs. He also completed 12-of-19 passes for 173 yards and two TDs as the Huskie offense held onto the football for 9:30 more than Kent State in the game. Harnish missed three-plus games with a foot injury and has made just seven career starts.

A Rookie Record: With 1,640 yards of total offense in his eight games, Harnish has established a new record for most yards of total offense by a Northern Illinois freshman. His 414 rushing and 1,226 passing yards (to date) break the 23-year-old record previously set by Marshall Taylor, who had 1,600 yards as a freshman in 1985. In addition, Harnish's 414 rushing yards are the most by a Huskie quarterback since Stacey Robinson, the most prolific rushing quarterback in Huskie history, rushed for 1,238 yards on 193 attempts in his senior season of 1990. Robinson owns the school record for rushing yards by an NIU quarterback with 1,443 yards in 1989 and 2,727 for his career. With 113 yards on 19 carries versus Bowling Green,Harnish posted the first 100-yard game by a QB since Nov. 10, 1990, when Robinson rushed for 109 yards versus East Carolina.

Big Difference: Northern Illinois ranks among the 2008 FBS leaders in scoring defense as the Huskies are giving up 18.27 points per game (201 total points) to rank second in the MAC and 17th nationally. A year ago, the Huskie defense gave up an average of 30.8 points per game (370 in 12 games). That differential of 12.5 points is the second-largest among all NCAA FBS teams, behind only the University of Florida, which has a 14.2 point difference from 2007 to 2008. The five most improved scoring defense teams in the country (other teams stats as of Nov. 20):
1. Florida 14.2 (25.5 in 2007, 11.3 in 2008)
2. Northern Illinois 12.5 (30.8 in 2007, 18.3 in 2008)
3. Florida International 11.9 (39.1 in 2007, 27.2 in 2008)
4. Boise State 11.3 (21.6 in 2007, 10.3 in 2008)
5. Northwestern 10.8 (31.0 in 2007, 20.2 in 2008)

Scoring at Home: In the "friendly confines" of Huskie Stadium, Northern Illinois has outscored its five 2008 opponents 149-69, and the difference has been on defense. At home, the Northern Illinois is allowing opponents just 13.8 points per game as compared to giving up 22 points per game on the road. Central Michigan is the only foe to score more than 13 points versus NIU on Brigham Field. The Huskie offense, meanwhile, scores 29.8 points per game at home and has posted a 25.8 scoring average on the road.

Remarkable Turnaround: The difference between the Northern Illinois defense of 2008 and the Huskie defense of a year ago is as drastic - in terms of numbers - as the points scored by Toledo versus NIU in 2007 (70) and 2008 (7). While the numbers put up are markedly different, the names are similar, as the Huskies returned nine starters on defense this season, led by DE Larry English and including Josh Allen, Brandon Bice, Chase Carter, Alex Krutsch, Alex Kube, Bradley Pruitt and Melvin Rice. The chart below shows Northern Illinois' current MAC and NCAA defensive rankings as compared to last year's end of the season numbers:

NIU has never finished a season as the MAC leader in scoring or total defense and last led the league in rushing defense in 2002.
*NCAA rankings as of November 17.

Spann's the (TD) Man: Sophomore Chad Spann, who originally came to NIU as a walk-on, has scored three touchdowns in the Huskies' last two games and leads the team with eight TDs on the year. He scored on a 26-yard run at Kent State to give NIU a 35-14 lead at the end of the third quarter. One of four players to start at tailback for NIU in 2008, Spann ranks third on the team in rushing with 339 yards on 70 carries to average 4.8 yards per carry. He has scored touchdowns in six games this season, including the game-winner versus Miami; the CMU game was his second two-touchdown game of the year. He also recorded a pair of scores versus Toledo, when he had a season-best 82 yards on 15 carries, and he has the longest run of the year for NIU, a 55-yard score versus Indiana State. At Minnesota, he blocked a punt. Spann gained just 61 yards on 11 carries in 10 games a year ago.

Working Overtime: The Huskies overtime loss to Central Michigan marked NIU's sixth-ever overtime game, but the first since Sept. 24, 2005, when Northern Illinois dropped a 48-42 decision at Akron. NIU played at least one overtime game every year from 2002-2005, winning each of its first four overtime outings before the losses to Akron and now CMU. Each of the Huskies' overtime games has ended after the first extra session.

Here's the Kicker: Head Coach Jerry Kill calls NIU's Mike Salerno "the best kicker in the league." While Salerno, a transfer from Winona State, leads the Mid-American Conference, and ranks 11th in the country in field goals with 17 after his third three-field goal day of the year versus Central MIchigan, Kill also appreciates Salerno's skill on kickoffs. That ability was on display in the Central Michigan game as the Huskies perfectly executed TWO onside kicks in the second half, leading to 10 points. Salerno has booted his traditional kickoffs for an average of 65.2 yards with over 25 percent (16 of 61) downed in the end zone. The average starting position for NIU opponents is the 21.3 yard line.

Three Things: With 17 field goals in 23 attempts so far this season, Mike Salerno has made long field goals, short field goals, multiple field goals and pressure-packed field goals. His latest "pressure" field goal came versus Central Michigan when he sent the game to overtime with 19 seconds on the clock with a 25-yard conversion. Earlier this year, his 30-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining gave NIU a 16-13 victory over Bowling Green. For long threes, check out his school record-tying 52-yarder versus Bowling Green and a 49-yard effort at Minnesota. Salerno ranks sixth on the NIU single season charts for both field goals made and attempted, while his 84 points are the sixth-best annual total in school history. The CMU game was his third three-field goal day of the year (Tennessee, Bowling Green) and he made two threes in each of the first three games of the season.

Three Grand: With 75 receiving yards on four catches at Kent State, Marcus Perez will become the third current Huskie senior to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in career receiving yards. Perez, who leads NIU in receiving this season with 28 catches for 400 yards, has 1,061 career yards on 76 catches with seven receiving TDs. After grabbing his eighth career scoring toss last week, Matt Simon's career numbers stand at 89 catches for 1,612 yards and seven TDs, while Britt Davis has 143 career grabs for 1,653 yards and eight scores. Since 2004 (Perez and Simon's freshman year), the three have combined for 308 catches for 4,326 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Turnover Turnaround: In Northern Illinois' six wins in 2008, its opponents have turned the ball over 13 times with seven fumbles and six interceptions. In the Huskies' five losses, opponents have lost six fumbles but have not thrown an interception. The Huskies are 4-1 this year when committing fewer turnovers than their opponents, but are 2-4 when turning the ball over an equal number of times or more than their foes. The Huskies have committed nine turnovers (three fumbles, six INTs) in their five losses with just five turnovers (two, three) in their six wins. NIU has not picked off a pass since the Toledo game and has just one interception in its last five games.

Block Party: Northern Illinois has a school-record five punt blocks this season with each of the blocks by a different player. The Huskies blocked two punts versus Bowling Green to set the school single-game record for blocked punts. Wide receiver Landon Cox' fourth-quarter block set up the Huskies' game-winning field goal versus BGSU; earlier in the game, safety Spencer Williamson got his hand on a Falcon punt. Tailback Chad Spann (Minnesota), cornerback Patrick George (Tennessee) and receiver Willie Clark (Indiana State) are the other players who have blocked punts for NIU this year.

Academic Honors: Huskie linemen, and engineering majors, Jon Brost and Craig Rusch were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V team by the College Sports Information Directors of America, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that NIU has had at least one player honored. Brost, a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Draddy Award who also earned a MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor this year, earned Academic All-District honors for the second straight season.

In Any League: Larry English proved that he would be a force in any league with his performance versus the offensive line of Tennessee. In that game, English had a season-high 2.5 sacks for losses totaling 26 yards to earn MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors. He made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game when he sacked UT QB Nick Stephens in the third quarter to force a fumble that NIU recovered on the Tennessee nine yard line and later converted into a field goal.

Successful Stretch: Between the Western Michigan game on Sept. 6 (a 29-26 loss) and the win over Bowling Green on Oct. 25, no Northern Illinois opponent scored more than one touchdown against the Huskies. That defensive run included games versus Indiana State, Eastern Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, Toledo and Bowling Green. In three contests (Indiana State, Eastern Michigan, Miami), the NIU defense did not give up a touchdown, although Miami scored on a punt return. In those six games, the Huskies surrendered just 49 total points (3, 0, 13, 13, 7 and 13, respectively) for an average of 8.2 per game.

Playmakers: Running back turned safety David Bryant leads the Huskie defense in tackles with 64 on the season, but the Northern Illinois defensive stats go deep as the Huskies have rotated players throughout the season. NIU boasts 21 players with at least 10 tackles and 21 defenders have recorded at least one tackle for loss on the year. Following Bryant on the Huskie tackle chart is fellow safety Mike Sobol, who recovered two onside kicks in the Central Michigan game, and has 52 tackles, a team-leading 37 solo, on the year. Larry English leads NIU in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks, while Melvin Rice has four pass break-ups.

Going Long: After recording just 28 plays of 25 yards or longer in 2007, Northern Illinois has 37 long plays - 13 rushing, 14 passing and 10 on returns - this season. NIU had eight long plays in the Ball State game, six in the Central Michigan contest and four more at Kent State. The long plays versus Ball State came on four kickoff returns by Me'co Brown, two 25-yard rushes by Chandler Harnish, a 40-yard run by Ricky Crider and a 25-yard pass from Harnish to Matt Simon. Versus CMU, the Huskies' long plays came on Crider kickoff returns of 75, 30 and 31 yards, and passes of 39, 30 and 25 yards from Harnish to Marcus Perez, Simon and Greg Turner, respectively. At Kent State, Harnish and Chad Spann scored on runs of 31 and 26 yards, the QB and Perez hooked up on a 41-yard completion, and defensive end Craig Rusch added his name to the list with a 60-yard fumble return.

The Best Defense...: ...is a good offense? In the Bowling Green game, Northern Illinois had scoring drives of 10:06, 8:05 and 4:43 in the second half en route to the 16-13 win. Bowling Green ran just 14 offensive plays in the half and gained 77 yards as the NIU defense enjoyed long stretches on the sidelines. The Huskies' had scoring drives of 17 and 16 plays versus BGSU, the longest drives, in terms of plays, since an 18-play, 84-yard drive in the NIU win over Maryland on August 28, 2003. The Huskies employed the same tactic at Kent State, possessing the ball for 34:45 to KSU's 25:15, and using a 14-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to take 7:07 off the clock in the first half. On the year, Northern Illinois is hanging onto the ball 4:10 more per game than their opponents, 32:05 to 27:55.

Quick Hitters •With five kickoff returns for 180 yards versus Central Michigan, including a 75-yard return, Ricky Crider earned the fourth-highest single game kickoff return total in school history and the most since A.J. Harris had a school-record 185 yards versus Akron in 2005. •Sixteen Huskie players have scored touchdowns this season as NIU ranks tied for second nationally in number of different players who have scored. •Senior Matt Simon recorded his fifth career 100-yard receiving day, and his first of the season, with six catches for 131 yards versus Central Michigan. A year ago, Simon had nine catches for 205 yards versus CMU with a 92-yard touchdown reception. He has 19 catches for 375 yards in three career games against the Chippewas. •In 11 games in 2008, Northern Illinois has been led in receptions by eight different players, including six receivers, walk-on fullback Connor Flahive (at Ball State) and tight end Brandon Beal (vs. BGSU).

HUSKIE MULTIMEDIA

TELEVISION Originally scheduled for an ESPN2 national showing, the Northern Illinois-Navy game will instead air on ESPN Classic as ESPN2 will pick up the MAC West game between undefeated Ball State and Western Michigan (9-2). Chicagoan Eric Collins and former Tulane quarterback Shaun King, who were on hand for the NIU-Central Michigan game on Nov. 12, are back to call the action.

RADIO The Huskie Sports Radio Network will carry the Navy game beginning with the pregame show at 5:30 p.m. (Central). Bill Baker is in his 29th year as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies. Casey Kahler moves into the booth for this contest as usual analyst Mark Lindo has a prior obligation; NIU Live co-host Andy Garcia will handle sideline reporting duties. The 2008 Huskie Radio line-up includes WSCR-AM 670 (Chicago), WTMJ-AM 1380 (Beloit, Wisc.) and the flagship station, WLBK-AM (1360) in DeKalb. The Score also is the home of "NIU Live," the weekly 30-minute radio show that is all about Huskie Sports. NIU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher joins Garcia and Huskie coaches for the show, which airs Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m. on WSCR 670 AM.

ON LINE To hear every Huskie Radio Network broadcast and 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 year-long pass for $49.95. Fans can also enjoy more FREE video content than ever before including Inside Huskie Sports, Jerry Kill's weekly and post-game press conferences and other special events. Also go to www.niuhuskies.com for the latest statistics, feature stories, player Q&As as well as weekly and daily updates.

WEEKLY TV For complete game highlights as well as commentary from Head Coach Jerry Kill and special features, watch "Inside Huskie Sports" weekly on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and on my Network TV in Rockford. The 30-minute highlight show airs next Tuesday (Nov. 25) at 4:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. In Rockford, catch IHS at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays on myNetworkTV. Check www.niuhuskies.com under "Huskie Multimedia" for the most up-to-date list of IHS taping and air dates.