HUSKIE BITES

·         The NIU Huskies play host to Western Michigan on Senior Night at Huskie Stadium as 17 NIU seniors - including 10 starters - make their final home appearance in a Huskie uniform.

·         NIU became bowl eligible for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons with its win over Eastern Michigan on Oct. 26 and are looking to win eight or more games for the seventh time in the last eight years.   

·         Defensive end Sutton Smith, named one of 18 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defender, broke the NIU season record for tackles for loss with two last week to give him 22 on the year. He ranks second in the FBS in TFLs and is third in sacks with 10.5. 

·         In his five seasons at the helm of the Huskie program, Head Coach Rod Carey has led NIU to a 31-7 regular season record versus MAC foes for an .816 winning percentage, and a 43-22 (.661) overall mark.  

·         In his five starts, redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers has led NIU to a 4-1 record and thrown 10 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.

·         The Huskies have held five opponents to less than 100 net rushing yards in 2017, with only two foes able to gain more than 150 yards on the ground.

·         NIU opponents are converting just 26.9 percent (56-of-167) on third downs so far in 2017, the lowest defensive conversion rate for NIU going back to at least 1985 (earliest that the stat is found).

·         Senior safety Jackson Abresch became just the third player in FBS history - and the first since 1997 - to score two touchdowns on blocked punts in the same game last week. NIU has now blocked four punts in the last three games to record the first blocked punts by NIU since 2011.

·         Junior linebacker Jawuan Johnson intercepted his fourth pass of the season last week, the most by a Huskie linebacker since 2010. communities

NIU FACTS
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Founded: 1895
Enrollment: 19,015
Affiliation: NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /23,595
Acting President: Dr. Lisa Freeman
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Sean T. Frazier
    Alma Mater, Year: Alabama '92
Ticket Information: 815-753-PACK (7225)

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BRONCOS' FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Tim Lester (Western Michigan/1999)
Record at Western Michigan/Years: 6-4/1st
Career Record/Years: 6-4/1st
2016 Record: 13-1
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 8-0/First 
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Enrollment: 23,914
Conference: Mid-American, West Division
Colors: Brown & Gold
Stadium: Waldo Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/30,200
President: John M. Dunn
Athletic Director: Kathy Beauregard
Athletics Website: wmubroncos.com
Twitter: @WMU_Football 
Ticket Information: 1-888-4-WMU-TIX

2017 WMU Schedule & Results

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NIU-WMU SERIES FACTS
Overall: WMU leads 24-18
In Kalamazoo: WMU leads 13-8
In DeKalb: WMU leads 11-10
Streak: WMU, 1
First Meeting: Sept. 23, 1950; WMU 40, NIU 13 (A)
Last Meeting: Oct. 8, 2016; WMU 45, NIU 30 (A)
 

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-Western michigan on ESPN2

·         The NIU-Ball State game will air on ESPN2, marking the Huskies' seventh appearance on a broadcast network so far in 2017, and first ESPN2 game of the year.

·         The game will also be available online at ESPN.com and on mobile devices via the ESPN App.

·         Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Desmond Howard (color analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sidelines) will be on the call of the game.
 

RADIO: NIU sports network

·         The NIU Sports Network broadcast for the Western Michigan game begins at 5:30 p.m. CT, 30 minutes before kickoff.

·         The game will be carried on NIU network affiliates WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb), AM 560 The Answer (Chicago) and SportsFan Radio AM 1330 (Rockford).

·         Hear the broadcast online via NIU All-Access (subscription), and on mobile devices via TuneIn. Download the app free and find the NIU Huskies channel.

·         Bill Baker is in his 38th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 32nd season, while Brian Sleik fills in on the sidelines for Andy Garcia
 

INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

·         Fans are invited to attend the one-hour show Mondays at Noon (through Nov. 20) at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy).

·         Listen live with the TuneIn app; hear it Monday at 7 p.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb, 8 pm Mondays on 560 AM The Answer in Chicago and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on SportsFan Radio 1330 AM in Rockford.

·         Hear from host Bill Baker, NIU Head Coach Rod Carey, Huskie players and athletic department guests.
 

NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

·         Airs Friday at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday at 8:30 a.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on SportsFan Radio AM 1330 in Rockford at 6:30 a.m Saturdays.

·         Also hear it on NIUTube (subscription).

·         Hosts are Andy Garcia and Sean T. Frazier, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics.

·         The 30-minute show features interviews with football coach Rod Carey, other NIU head coaches and guests.
 

NIUTube (Huskie All-Access)

·         See weekly and post-game press conferences, video features, Huskie Olympic sports and special events.

·         Hear all NIU live radio broadcasts, including football and basketball games and NIU radio shows.

·         Purchase a daily, monthly or annual subscription.

·         Go to NIUHuskies.com for rates and information.
 

GETTING SOCIAL

·         Twitter: @NIUAthletics, @NIUScores, @NIU_Football

·         Facebook: NIU Huskies, NIU Football

·         Instagram: niuhuskies, niufootball

·         YouTube: niuhuskiesdotcom

·         See NIU Athletics' social media hub online to see all of the Huskie team and coaching staff accounts.

 

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NEWS & NOTES

SERIES HISTORY: Western Michigan owns a 24-18 record overall in the series although NIU has won six of the last seven meetings, dating back to a 48-3 win over the Broncos at Huskie Stadium in 2009. The Broncos won last year's game, 45-30, at Waldo Stadium to snap NIU's seven-game series winning streak. The Huskies have won the last four games between the teams at Huskie Stadium, including a 27-19 victory on Nov. 18, 2015. The last Bronco victory in DeKalb was Oct. 13, 2007 when Western Michigan defeated the Huskies, 17-13.

THE LAST TIME WE MET: NIU pulled within one point of then-No. 15-ranked Western Michigan late in the third quarter before the Broncos scored twice in a little over three minutes to defeat the Huskies, 45-30, in Kalamazoo. Huskie quarterback Anthony Maddie threw for 224 yards and ran for 111 to lead the way for NIU. He scored on an eight-yard run and also caught a nine-yard pass from receiver Christian Blake.

MIDWEEK MACTION: With its 63-17 victory over Ball State last week, NIU improved to 18-3 in league games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since 2010. Toledo and Ohio are the only two schools to defeat the Huskies during midweek MACtion. The Huskies also fell to the Rockets last year at Guaranteed Rate Field on Nov. 9, while Ohio scored a 26-21 win over NIU on Nov. 24, 2015 at Huskie Stadium. 

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 146-98-2 all-time in MAC play and 110-53 (.675) in league action since 1997, when NIU rejoined the league. Since 2010, NIU is 54-8 and has recorded three undefeated campaigns and two one-loss seasons in league play, winning six-straight division championships during that stretch. The Huskies are in their 32nd season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2017-18, including an initial stint in the league from 1975-85.

SUTTON SEMIFINALIST: NIU defensive end Sutton Smith has been named one of 18 semifinalists for the 2017 Chuck Bednarik Award as the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The first Bednarik Award semifinalist in school history, Smith is the lone MAC representative, and one of two players from "Group of 5" schools, among the 18 Bednarik semifinalists this year. Twenty-two of the redshirt sophomore's 47 tackles have gone for a loss in 2017.

SUTTON ON THE SACK: Sutton Smith recorded a sack of Ball State quarterback Jack Milas in the second quarter to give the Huskie defensive end 10.5 on the season, which is tied for third on NIU's all-time single-season list with Larry English (2007). Smith ranks third in the nation in sacks, averaging 1.05 a game. He needs 1.5 more sacks to tie the school's single-season record of 12, set by Larry English (2006) and Scott Kellar (1984). 

NATIONAL LEADER: Sophomore Sutton Smith recorded two TFLs versus Ball State, but fell behind national leader Bradley Chubb of N.C. State and now ranks second in the country with an average of 2.2 per game (22 total). With his TFLs last week, the Huskie defensive end broke the school single season record, which had stood at 20 since 1984. Smith made a career-high five tackles for loss in the season opener versus Boston College; he recorded a season-best three sacks against Kent State.  

BLOCK PARTY: The Huskies lead the nation in blocked kicks with six and are tied for first in blocked punts with four. NIU has blocked at least one punt in each of the last three games, with one each against Eastern Michigan and Toledo, and two versus Ball State, all by different players. NIU also blocked a field goal at Nebraska and another against Eastern Michigan. The school record for punt blocks in a season is six, set in 2010.

Player  (Block Type) - Opponent
William Lee (FG) - Nebraska
TEAM (FG) - Eastern Michigan
Mitchell Brinkman (P) - Eastern Michigan
Jackson Abresch (P) - Toledo
Trayshon Foster (P) - Ball State
Jauan Wesley (P) - Ball State

TWICE AS GOOD: NIU's two blocked-punt effort against Ball State marks the first time NIU has blocked multiple punts in a game since Nov. 20, 2010 when they blocked three punts - coincidentally - at Ball State. NIU also returned a punt block for a touchdown in that contest as Jimmie Ward returned Jordan Delegal's first punt block of the game 15 yards for a score.

IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS: Jackson Abresch scored a pair of touchdowns on NIU's two blocked punts versus Ball State to become just the third player in NCAA history to score twice off of blocked punts in the same game. Abresch joined Air Force's Frank Staine-Pyne (1997 vs. Hawaii) and Auburn's David Langner (1972 vs. Alabama) as the only FBS players to achieve the rare feat. 

IN THE HUSKIE RECORD BOOKS: Abresch's first touchdown of the night, a 13-yard return, was NIU's first touchdown off a blocked punt since Sept. 3, 2011 when Jimmie Ward returned one 14 yards against Army. Abresch tied Ward for career blocked punt returns for a touchdown when he recovered NIU's second blocked punt of the night in the end zone. He is also the first Huskie to block a punt (vs. Toledo) and score a touchdown on a blocked punt since Ward in 2010.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Wide receiver Jauan Wesley caught his first career touchdown pass and blocked his first punt in NIU's 63-17 victory over Ball State. Wesley was on the receiving end of a 70-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Santacaterina in the fourth quarter. Two Cardinal possessions later, he blocked Morgan Hagee's punt in the end zone which Abresch recovered for the score.

BALL-HAWKING BACKER: Linebacker Jawuan Johnson recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season when he picked off Ball State's Jack Milas in the third quarter. He is the first Huskie linebacker with at least four interceptions since Tyrone Clark, who finished with a team-best four INTs in 2010. The school record for interceptions by a linebacker is six by Rich Marks in 1972.

OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE: Jawuan Johnson's third quarter interception ended a two-game interception drought by the Huskie defense. The Huskies have 14 INTs on the year, which ranks second in the MAC and 11th in the nation. The Huskie defense tallied its fourth multi-interception game of the season with three at Bowling Green, including Trayshon Foster's first career INT. NIU had three interceptions versus Kent State (Oct. 7) and at Nebraska (Sept. 16) and two against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 9). The Huskies had 14 interceptions all of last season.

HUSKIE SEE HUSKIE DO: Nine different Huskie defenders have accounted for NIU's 14 interceptions this season. Linebacker Jawuan Johnson leads the way with four, while safety Mycial Allen and cornerback Shawun Lurry have two each. Linebackers Bobby Jones IV and Kyle Pugh, safeties Jackson Abresch, Mykelti Williams and Trayshon Foster and defensive end Josh Corcoran each have one.

TE FOR THE TD: Shane Wimann caught his team-leading seventh touchdown pass of the season on a four-yard shovel pass from Marcus Childers in the first quarter versus Ball State to set a new NIU record for most touchdown catches by a tight end in a season. Wimann broke his own record of six touchdown receptions set last year, and his 17 career scores are also a Huskie tight end record. Wimann is the only player on the current roster to have caught a touchdown pass from each of the last five NIU starting quarterbacks. 

PLAYING LIKE A SENIOR: A week after catching a career-high six passes for 37 yards at Toledo, Shane Wimann added a touchdown reception against Ball State to give him a single-season best 28 catches on the year.  The senior tallied a career high 70 yards - on four catches - against Eastern Michigan with a career-long 50 yard grab in the contest. The Wisconsin Dells native has 266 yards receiving on the season

ALL MY CHILDERS: Marcus Childers became the first Huskie quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game since Drew Hare threw four versus Murray State on Sept. 12, 2015 with his career-best foure TDs versus Ball State. Childers connected with four different receivers in three quarters of work. He hit Shane Wimann on a four-yard pass to open the scoring; Jordan Huff took a Childers' pass 24 yards to the endzone in the first quarter. He hit Mitchell Brinkman on a five-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and Christian Blake for a 19-yard strike to cap his day. Childers finished the game with 141 yards on 10-of-22 passing.

QUARTERBACK COMPARISON: Marcus Childers is the first redshirt freshman to start at least five games at quarterback for NIU since Chandler Harnish in 2008. In his five starts, Childers has out-performed the Huskie great. While Harnish did leave his second start early due to injury, Childers has 31 more carries, has thrown for more TDs and yards, and averages more passing yards a game. Harnish averaged almost two more yards per carry than Childers and had a better passer efficiency rating, 145.46-130.08.

	W-L	Carries	Yards	TD	Avg/Rush	C-A-I	Yards	TD	Yards/G
Harnish (2008)	2-3	50	251	0	5.0	50-83-3	717	5	143.4
Childers (2017)	4-1	81	275	3	3.4	97-169-2	1117	10	223.4

BOWL-ELIGIBLE HUSKIES: After earning its sixth win with the victory over Eastern Michigan, NIU is bowl eligible for the ninth time in 10 seasons and will play in a bowl for the 12th time as an FBS team. The Huskies appeared in eight straight bowl games from 2008-15, including the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Wide receiver D.J. Brown, who leads NIU with 35 catches on the season, recorded his first 100-yard receiving game when he tallied 104 yards on seven receptions, including a touchdown, against Eastern Michigan. The redshirt junior scored the initial touchdown of the game on a career-long 69-yard pass from Marcus Childers in the second quarter. 

FOUR OF A KIND: NIU has four receivers with 300 yards or more receiving yards. The last time NIU had that many players with as many receiving yards for the season was in 2011 when Martel Moore, Nathan Palmer, Perez Ashford and Da'Ron Brown hit the mark. Spencer Tears leads the way with 408 yards, while Chad Beebe is next with 390, followed closely by Christian Blake with 378. D.J. Brown leads the Huskies in receptions with 35 for 333 yards.

GOING DEEP: Six Huskie players have caught a pass of 50 yards or longer in 2017, another sign of the depth of the NIU receiving corps. Spencer Tears (81 yards), Chad Beebe (73), Jauan Wesley (70), D.J. Brown (69), Christian Blake (50) and Shane Wimann (50) all have at least one long reception with Wesley's 70-yarder from Daniel Santacaterina versus Ball State the most recent.   

RUSHING TO A RECORD: Tailback Jordan Huff is averaging 6.511 yards a carry for his career, rushing for 1,934 on 297 carries. He is three carries away from qualifying for NIU's all-time list for yards per carry and his current average would rank second all-time at NIU. Jordan Lynch is NIU's leader in career yards per carry with 6.56, while Garrett Wolfe is second with a 6.40 yard per carry average.

THE DEFENSE DOES NOT REST: NIU leads the MAC and ranks 20th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 322.9 yards per game. Ball State gained just 245 yards of total offense to Ball State. Last year, the Huskies finished the season ranked 98th nationally in total defense, allowing 451.5 yards a game, 128.6 more than the current number. NIU's defense allowed a season-low 131 yards of total offense versus Kent State (Oct. 7), the lowest total versus an FBS team since the Golden Flashes gained just 64 on Oct. 8, 2011.

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY: A key to the Huskies' defensive success in 2017 has been its ability to get off the field.  NIU ranks fifth in the country and leads the MAC in third down conversion percentage defense as opponents are converting at just a 26.9 percent rate. The Huskies held San Diego State to a season-low 1-of-14 on third down conversions, the Golden Flashes to 2-of-16 and Buffalo to 2-for-14 on third down in consecutive games earlier this year. 

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: The NIU defense's 26.9 third down conversion percentage (45-of-167) is the lowest in school history (with records dating back to 1986). The previous low is 35 percent when the Huskies held opponents to 55-of-158 on third down. Last season, NIU's opponents converted 38 percent (70-of-185) of their third down attempts.  

GETTING OFF THE FIELD: The Huskie defense ranks third in the country in defensive three-and-outs after recording eight against Ball State, which tied NIU's season-best. The Huskies also forced eight three and outs against San Diego State and Kent State. NIU is averaging 6.3 three and outs a game. The Huskies have either forced teams to punt or forced a turnover in the first three plays of a drive in 63 of 151 drives by their opponents. The Huskies also tallied six three-and-outs versus Eastern Illinois, five at Nebraska and four in the season opener against Boston College.

Team (Games)	Avg.	3 & Outs-Total Drives	Pct.
1. Indiana (10)	6.50	65-149	43.6
2. Michigan (10)	6.40	64-122	52.4
3. NIU (10)	6.30	63-151	41.7
4. Texas A&M (10)	5.80	58-136	42.6
5. Auburn (10)	5.60	56-126	44.4

HOLD THEM UNDER 100: NIU's defense held their fifth opponent to under 100 yards rushing when Ball State finished with 83 yards on the ground. The Huskies' held Buffalo to a season-low 39 yards, including just one net yard in the second half. Eastern Illinois and Nebraska tallied 60 and 85 yards on the ground, respectively, while Eastern Michigan amassed 96 yards on the ground. 

AT A LOSS: The Huskie defense leads the country in tackles for loss, averaging 9.1 tackles for loss per game after tallying a school-record 18 against Ball State. The previous record was 16 set vs Eastern Michigan on. Nov. 16, 2002. The 18 TFLs are the most in an FBS game this year. NIU has 91 TFLs on the season, surpassing their 2016 season total of 73. The school record for tackles for loss in a season is 104, set in 2008.

THREE OF A KIND: The Huskie defense currently has three different defenders with double digit tackles for loss. Sutton Smith leads the way with his school-record 22 TFLs, Jawuan Johnson has 12.5, and Bobby Jones IV 11. The last time multiple NIU players finished the season in double digits in tackles for loss was when Alan Baxter (11.5), Sean Progar (10.5), Joe Windsor (10.5) and Tyrone Clark (10) did it in 2012.

WORKING ON THE LINE: The NIU defensive line has accounted for 24 of NIU's 33 sacks, 47 of the Huskies' 91 tackles for loss and three of NIU's 18 forced turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown by Sutton Smith at Bowling Green and an interception by Josh Corcoran (DE) at Nebraska. Ten different defensive linemen now have recorded at least one sack this season as six of NIU's seven sacks versus Ball State were made by linemen. Sophomores LeRoy, and Smith, and redshirt freshman Jack Heflin are all first-time starters. 

SACK STREAK: True freshman defensive tackle Weston Kramer extended the NIU defense's sack streak to 20 games when he sacked Drew Plitt in the first quarter of the Huskies' win over Ball State. The streak dates back to the Huskies' Sept. 17, 2016 contest against the Aztecs. The Huskies lead the MAC and rank fifth in the country with 3.30 sacks a game.

SACK ATTACK: Seven different NIU defenders recorded a sack against Ball State, to up NIU's season total to 33. The seven sacks of the Cardinals matched the team's season-high in quarterback sacks versus Kent State. Seven sacks are the most recorded by a Huskie defense since Sept. 14, 2013 when NIU amassed nine at Idaho.

SACK-SATIONAL DEFENSE: NIU's 33 sacks this season rank fifth all-time in school history. The school record for sacks in a season is 47 set in 2002. The Huskie defense is one sack away from third place and two from claiming sole possession of third.

SCORE ONE FOR THE DEFENSE: The Huskies rank seventh in the country and second in the MAC in defensive scores. Sutton Smith's 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown was the third defensive score of the season for NIU. It is the most defensive touchdowns scored by a Huskie defense since 2001 when NIU returned four interceptions for touchdowns. Shawun Lurry and Jawuan Johnson scored touchdowns on 87 and 25-yard interception returns, respectively, at Nebraska.

TURNING OVER POINTS: The Huskies have converted 11 of the 19 turnovers forced on the season into 69 points when the Huskies scored a touchdown as a result of Jawuan Johnson's interception. Last season, NIU tallied 33 points off 15 turnovers. NIU has turned two fumble recoveries into a touchdown and five other interceptions into touchdowns.

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN: Christian Hagan, who has hit 83 straight point-after attempts, including a season-high nine against Ball State, ranks eighth on NIU's all-time scoring list. The Huskie senior's 285 career points put him three points behind NIU Hall of Fame tailback Michael Turner. Hagan surpassed Steve Azar for third place on the career PAT list and needs three more to move past Chris Nendick for second. He is fourth on NIU's list for most points kicking, tied for fourth in field goal attempts (63) and fifth in field goals made (42). 

SPECIAL FORCES: NIU freshmen punter Matt Ference is averaging 41.4 yards a punt and has landed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line. Last season, NIU totaled only eight punts inside the 20 while Jake Ambrose averaged 38.1 yds/punt. The last Huskie punter to average more than 40 yards a punt was Tyler Wedel, who posted a 41.7-yard average in 2014.

PINNING THEM DEEP: Of NIU punter Matt Ference's 24 punts that have dropped inside the 20-yard line, 15 have landed on or inside the 10-yard line, including two against Ball State. Ference and the NIU punt team placed a season-high three punts on or inside the 10-yard line at Nebraska and at San Diego State.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Eight Huskies have earned nine MAC Player of the Week honors in 2017 after safety Jackson Abresch claimed the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week honor following his performance versus Ball State. NIU claimed both the offensive and defensive awards following its win over Eastern Michigan as quarterback Marcus Childers and defensive end Sutton Smith were honored.  The Huskies' honors have been spread among the offense (twice), defense (four times) and special teams (three times). 

Defense: Jawuan Johnson (LB)  - Nebraska (Sept. 16)
Offense: Christian Blake (WR) - San Diego State (Sept. 30)
Special Teams: Matt Ference (P)  -  San Diego State (Sept. 30)
Defense: Sutton Smith (DE) - Kent State (Oct. 7)
Defense: Bobby Jones (LB)  - Buffalo (Oct. 14)
Special Teams: Christian Hagan (K)  - Bowling Green (Oct. 21)
Offense: Marcus Childers (QB) - Eastern Michigan (Oct. 26)
Defense: Sutton Smith (DE) - Eastern Michigan (Oct. 26)
Special Teams: Jackson Abresch (S) - Ball State (Nov. 9) 

SEASON HIGH: NIU's 63 points versus Ball State were the most scored by the Huskies since Nov. 2, 2013 when NIU had 63 points in a 63-19 win at Massachusetts. 

FINISHING THE JOB: With its 63-17 victory over Ball State, NIU has won 52 of 53 games when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter. The Huskies took a 49-17 lead into the final quarter of play against the Falcons. The last NIU loss when leading after three quarters was a 31-24 setback to Toledo at Guaranteed Rate Field on Nov. 9, 2016. The Huskies led the Rockets, 21-17, after three quarters.

WORKING OVERTIME: NIU improved to 7-4 in overtime games with its 30-27 comeback win over Eastern Michigan on October 26 as the Huskies rallied for a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. It is the Huskies' only overtime game of the season to date. Last year, NIU played in a school-record three overtime contests, including two triple OT games.

DÉJA VU: NIU's victory over Eastern Michigan was the first win for the Huskies this season when trailing heading into the fourth quarter. The last time NIU won when trailing heading into the fourth quarter was Nov. 16, 2016 when the Huskies trailed 21-17 at Eastern Michigan.

QUARTER-BLAKE: Christian Blake's 10-yard completion to Marcus Childers at Toledo was his second of the season and third of his career. He completed a pass to Ryan Graham in the season opener against Boston College and is 2-for-3 with 17 yards passing this season. Blake is the first Huskie wide receiver with two completions in a season since Britt Davis accomplished the feat in 2005, who also went 2-for-3 passing.

FOUR FOR 100: D.J. Brown became the fourth Huskie receiver this season to record a 100-yard receiving game with 104 yards versus Eastern Michigan, joining Chad Beebe who tallied 124 yards at Bowling Green, and Christian Blake and Spencer Tears, who recorded 160 and 105 yards, respectively, at San Diego State. It's the first time in NIU's FBS history that four different Huskie receivers have tallied a 100-yard receiving game in the same season. In 2015, three different Huskies (Kenny Golladay, Tommylee Lewis and Jawaun Brescacin) each had 100-yard receiving games.

WHAT ARE YOU DRIVING AT?: NIU scored its fourth touchdown of the game against Bowling Green on a six-play, 95-yard scoring drive, culminating in a Marcus Childers to Chad Beebe 73-yard touchdown strike. It was the longest scoring drive of the season and the longest since the Huskies marched 96 yards for a touchdown in a 43-39 victory over Eastern Illinois on Sept. 21, 2013.  

BEEBE HITS 100: NIU senior wide receiver Chad Beebe tallied the first 100-yard receiving game of his career when he recorded 124 yards, including a touchdown, on six catches at Bowling Green. His previous career-high in receiving yards was 81 yards set on one play at Massachusetts on Nov. 2, 2013. Beebe is second on the team in yards receiving with 390 on 26 receptions.

SUDDEN SMITH: Sutton Smith became the first Huskie since Craig Rusch in 2008 to return a fumble for a touchdown when he ripped the ball out of Bowling Green running back Andrew Clair's hands and ran it 16 yards for the score. Rusch recovered a fumble and ran it back 60 yards at Kent State on Nov, 18, 2008.

THREE FOR THREE: Marcus Childers became the third quarterback to start a game for NIU this season when he took the first snap at Buffalo. It is the third-straight year the Huskies have started at least three different starting quarterbacks. In 2015, Drew Hare, Ryan Graham and Tommy Fiedler each started a game for the Huskies, while Hare, Graham, Anthony Maddie and Daniel Santacaterina all started at least one game for NIU in 2016. Graham (1), Santacaterina (4) and Childers (2) have the starts this year.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT: Shawun Lurry added to his school record for career interception return yards when he took the pitch from Jawuan Johnson, on Johnson's third quarter interception against Ball State. Lurry collected another 13 return yards, adding to his 45-yard and 87-yard returns versus Kent State and Nebraska, respectively. He ranks second in the nation with 145 interception return yards this season and has 448 in his NIU career to rank as the NCAA active career leader. Lurry set the NIU single season record in 2015 with 273 interception return yards.

CLOSING IN ON A RECORD: Shawun Lurry tallied his second interception of the season and 14th of his career when he picked off a Kent State pass in the second quarter. The school record for career interceptions is 16 set by Dan Meyer (1964-66), while Lurry is one away from the FBS mark of 15 by Vince Thompson (1999-2002). Lurry had three interceptions last season and a personal best nine in his All-American season of 2015.

GETTING THE POINT: The three points scored by the Golden Flashes were the fewest allowed by a Huskie defense in a MAC game since NIU shut out Massachusetts on Nov. 3, 2012, a span of 59 games. It's the fewest in a game overall since a 55-3 victory over Presbyterian on Aug. 28, 2014.

NO PASSING ZONE: Kent State's 29 yards passing were the fewest passing yards allowed by the Huskies since Sept. 26, 2015 when NIU held Boston College to 92 yards passing, and are the 13th lowest passing yardage total by an FBS team this year. 

CONVERTING INTs INTO TDs: With his 87-yard interception return for a touchdown at Nebraska, Shawun Lurry tied the school record for career interception returns for a touchdown with two. His first came in the 2015 MAC Championship game against Bowling Green (Dec. 4) when he ran a Matt Johnson pass back 64 yards for a score.

MAKING HISTORY: The NIU defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a game for the first time in school history in its victory at Nebraska. Shawun Lurry ran the first interception of the day back 87 yards in the first quarter, while Jawuan Johnson followed suit with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown for a 14-0 NIU lead.

ADDING TO THE BONEYARD: NIU improved to 15-61-1 all-time versus teams that were in an autonomous conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac-12) at the time the Huskies played them with its 21-17 victory at Nebraska. Of those 15 wins, nine have come in the last 15 years, beginning with NIU's 42-41 victory over Wake Forest Aug. 29, 2002. The Huskies have played a team from one of those five conferences 34 of the last 35 years. The only year the Huskies didn't face one of those teams was 2016.

TWO FOR 100: Wide receivers Christian Blake and Spencer Tears amassed career-bests of 153 and 105 receiving yards, respectively, at San Diego State, becoming the first NIU receiving duo to tally 100 yards receiving in the same game since Nov. 3, 2015 when current NFL receivers Kenny Golladay (128) and Tommylee Lewis (125) accomplished the feat in a 32-27 win at Toledo. The pair also became the first Huskies since Golladay to tally 100 yards receiving in a game since last season's meeting with Toledo (Nov. 9).

FROSH FACES: Ten redshirt and four true freshmen have made their Huskie debuts this season. Linebackers Andrew Gregory and Corey Lersch and offensive lineman Ezekiel Gueths all saw their first action of the season at Bowling Green, while tight end Maximilian Thrower played versus Ball State. They join fellow redshirt freshmen Marcus Childers (QB), Tre Harbison (TB), Jack Heflin (DT), Andrew Parchment (WR), Benn Olson (OL) and Austin Warner (OL) in seeing their first playing time this year. Freshmen Matt Ference (P), Isaac Hawn (OL), Matt Lorbeck (DE) and Weston Kramer (DT) have all seen significant action as well, with Ference (P) earning the starting punter role.

PLAYING TIME: With the victory over Ball State well in hand, NIU was able to play 72 different players in the game, including four who saw the first playing time of their careers, even if it was not at their normal position. One of the biggest cheers on the sideline came when graduate transfer wide receiver Kelly Weese, in at cornerback when NIU went back on defense after its unexpected blocked punt touchdown, made a tackle on Ball State's last drive. 

WELCOME NEWCOMERS: NIU has now had seven newcomers play in their first games as Huskies in 2017. Grad transfer Jonathan Parker and transfers Drequan Brown (DE), Jalen Embry (CB), Devin Webster (DT), Jauan Wesley (WR) and Mykelti Williams (S) have all stepped in to play significant roles, while Kelly Weese saw snaps on defense versus Ball State. Williams, who starts at one of the safety spots had a career-best 10 tackles at Nebraska and ranks fourth on the team in stops.

DEGREES IN HAND: Eight players on the NIU roster are college graduates. Six have earned their degrees from NIU, while two others came to DeKalb as graduate transfers. 

Jackson Abresch (S) - Business Administration
Ty Harmston (TE) - Biology
Jordan Huff (TB) - Studio Art-Design & Media Arts
Bobby Jones IV (LB) - Sociology
William Lee (DT) - History
Max Scharping (LT) - Kinesiology
Jaden Huff (LB) - Business Administration    St. Cloud State
Jonathan Parker (CB) - Biology     Iowa

REVOLVING RETURNERS: Following in the footsteps of Aregeros Turner and Tommylee Lewis, a duo who rewrote the Huskie career kickoff return record book, NIU has used a revolving set of deep men on kickoff return in 2017.  Receivers Christian Blake, Chad Beebe and D.J. Brown, running backs Jordan Huff and Jonathan Parker, and defensive back Jalen Embry have all taken a turn with Beebe and Embry the most recent duo of deep men. Blake has had the most returns (9), Beebe and Blake the longest returns (34 yards) and Embry owns the highest average (26.5) of any player with more than one return. 

UTILITY PLAYER: Chad Beebe showcased another skill in his repertoire  when the senior added kickoff return duties beginning versus Eastern Michigan. Already serving as the team's punt return man and holder on PATs and field goals, Beebe's yards per catch average of 15.0 leads NIU in 2017.

REGULAR SEASON FINALE:  NIU now has its longest break since September of the season as they have nine days before its Black Friday contest at Central Michigan on November 24.  The Huskies have played eight straight weeks dating back to Sept. 30.