• NIU and Ball State battle for the Bronze Stalk Trophy for the 10th time when they meet Thursday night on CBS Sports Network. The Trophy is a nod to the agricultural communities and omnipresent crop surrounding both schools. NIU has claimed the Trophy for the last eight seasons. 
• NIU became bowl eligible for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons when the Huskies defeated Eastern Michigan at home on Oct. 26. The Huskies' MAC and school record streak of eight consecutive bowl appearances was snapped last year.   
• Sophomore defensive end Sutton Smith, who last week was named one of 18 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defender, continues to lead the FBS in tackles for loss with 2.2 per game despite being shut out in that category last week.  
• In his five seasons at the helm of the Huskie program, Head Coach Rod Carey has led NIU to a 30-7 regular season record versus MAC foes for an .811 winning percentage, and a 42-22 (.656) overall mark.   
• In his four starts, redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers is averaging 307.8 yards of total offense, has completed at least 20 passes per game and led NIU to a 3-1 record. 
• Sutton Smith needs one (or one half) tackle for loss to break NIU's 33-year-old school record for TFLs in a season. He is currently tied with Scott Kellar (1984) with 20 TFLs. 
• NIU opponents are converting just 26 percent (39-of-149) 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). 
• On special teams, the Huskies have blocked punts in each of the last two weeks - by Mitchell Brinkman vs. Eastern Michigan and Jackson Abresch vs. Toledo - the first blocked punts by NIU since Oct. 8, 2011 vs. Kent State. 

HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 42-22/5th
Career Record/Years: 42-22/5th
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 577-486-51
2016 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 5-7/5-3/3rd West
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 7, 2015
Bowl Appearances (Major College): 11
Last Bowl Game: 2015 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 50/31
Starters Returning: 15 (5 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialist)
Starters Lost: 12 (5 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist)

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)

CARDINALS' FACTS
2016 Record: 4-8
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 1-7/6th West 
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Mike Neu (Ball State/1994)
Record at Ball State/Years: 6-14/2nd
Career Record/Years: 3-1/1st
Location: Muncie, Indiana
Enrollment: 21,196
Conference: Mid-American Conference
Colors: Cardinal & White
Stadium: Scheumann Stadium   
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /22,500
President: Dr. Terry King
Athletic Director: Mark Sandy
Athletics Website: ballstatesports.com
Twitter: @bsuathletics 
Ticket Information: 765-285-1474

Ball State Schedule & Results
 

NIU-BALL STATE SERIES FACTS
Overall: NIU leads 22-20-2
In Muncie: NIU leads 12-9
In DeKalb: BSU leads 11-10-2
In MAC Games: Tied 16-16
Streak: NIU, 8
First Meeting: Oct. 4, 1941; BSU 6, NIU 6 (H)
Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2016 NIU 31, BSU 24 (A)
 

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-BALL STATE ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK

• The NIU-Ball State game will air on CBS Sports Network, marking the Huskies' fourth appearance on the network in 2017.
• Find the CBSSN channel in your area by using the Channel Finder at CBSSportsNetwork.com.
• CBS Sports Network does not stream or offer games via mobile app.
• Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (color analyst) and Lisa Byington (sidelines) call the game.

• The NIU Sports Network broadcast for the Ball State 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 Andy Garcia is in his fifth season on the sidelines.

• Fans are invited to attend the one-hour show every Monday at Noon 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. 

• 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. 

• 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 subsciption.
• Go to NIUHuskies.com for rates and information.

• 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.

NEWS & NOTES

SERIES HISTORY: NIU leads the all-time series with Ball State 22-20-2, and the Huskies have won the last eight meetings, the longest winning streak by NIU in series history. Ball State owns an 11-10-2 in games played in DeKalb. The last time the Huskies lost to the Cardinals was in 2008, 45-14, at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie. The last NIU loss to Ball State in DeKalb was in 2007, a 27-21 victory by the Cardinals.

THE LAST TIME WE MET: Anthony Maddie rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-41 passing as he led NIU to a 31-24 victory over Ball State in his first career start. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay finished with a game-high 184 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions. Joel Bouagnon rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. With the score tied 24-24 early in the fourth quarter, Maddie hit Golladay on a 22-yard touchdown pass to give NIU the 31-24 lead with 11:14 left in the game. The Huskie defense made the lead stick and NIU retained the Bronze Stalk.  

TROPHY GAME: For the 10th consecutive year, NIU and Ball State will play for "The Bronze Stalk," a traveling trophy designed specifically for this rivalry in honor of the farming community locales of both institutions. DeKalb artist Renee Bemis designed the trophy, which depicts a cornstalk. In eight Bronze Stalk games, NIU is 8-1 and the Huskies have won The Bronze Stalk in each of the last eight seasons.

MIDWEEK MACTION: With its setback at Toledo last week, NIU fell to 17-3 in league games played from Tuesday to Thursday 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. This is the seventh meeting between NIU and Ball State in a MACtion contest, with NIU holding a 5-1 advantage. 

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 145-98-2 all-time in MAC play and 109-53 (.673) in league action since 1997, when NIU rejoined the league. Since 2010, NIU is 53-8 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.

HOOSIER HUSKIES: The Huskies have five players on their roster that hail from the state of Indiana, inclduing three on the NIU two-deep. Defensive tackles William Lee and safety Mykelti Williams are natives of Indianapolis, while center Luke Shively is from Tipton. Freshmen Connor Schneider and kicker Jacob Ballain are from Granger and Greenwood, respectively.

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. The redshirt sophomore is fourth on the team in tackles with 44 stops.

SUTTON ON THE SACK: Sutton Smith recorded a sack of EMU quarterback Brogan Roback in the second quarter to give the Huskie defensive end 9.5 on the season, which is tied for sixth on NIU's all-time single-season list. Smith ranks fourth in the nation in sacks, averaging 1.06 a game. The school record for sacks in a season is 12, set by Larry English (2006) and Scott Kellar (1984). 

NATIONAL LEADER: Sophomore Sutton Smith maintained his national lead in tackles for loss despite not recording a TFL against Toledo as he is still averaging 2.2 tackles for loss per game (20 total). The Huskie defensive end needs one-half tackle for loss to break the school single season record, which he now shares with Scott Kellar (1984). Smith's 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 blocked punts in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010 when Jackson Abresch blocked a Bailey Flint punt at Toledo. The week before, Mitchell Brinkman blocked Jake Julien's punt late in the fourth quarter of NIU victory over Eastern Michigan to record NIU's first punt block since Oct. 8, 2011. In 2010, Jimmie Ward blocked a punt versus Buffalo (Oct. 16) and against Central Michigan (Oct. 23) in consecutive weeks. That season, the Huskies blocked three punts in their win over Ball State. 

FIRST TIMERS: Tre Harbison scored his first career touchdown when he scored on a one-yard run on fourth and goal in the first quarter at Toledo. Earlier in the drive, quarterback Marcus Childers made the first catch of his career when he was on the receiving end of a 10-yard pass from wide receiver Christian Blake. 

QUARTER-BLAKE: Christian Blake's 10-yard completion to Marcus Childers 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.

QUARTERBACK COMPARISON: Marcus Childers is the first redshirt freshman to start at least four games at quarterback for NIU since Chandler Harnish in 2008. In his four starts, Childers has out-performed the Huskie great. While Harnish did leave his second start early due to injury, Childers has twice the carries, has thrown for more TDs, yards and averages more passing yards a game. However, Harnish averaged almost two more yards per carry than Childers and had a better passer efficiency rating, 162.4-125.7.

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.

PLAYING LIKE A SENIOR: Shane Wimann caught a career high six passes, for 37 yards, at Toledo, giving him a single-season best 27 catches on the year.  The week before, 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 Huskie senior has 262 yards receiving on 27 receptions on the season

TE FOR THE TD: Shane Wimann saw his streak of four consecutive games with a TD catch end at Toledo, but the Huskie senior still leads NIU with six touchdowns in 2017, tying his own single season mark for TDs by a tight end. His 16 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. 

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 More, Nathan Palmer, Perez Ashford and Da'Ron Brown hit the mark. Spencer Tears leads the way with 393 yards, while Chad Beebe is next with 354, followed closely by Christian Blake t with 351. D.J. Brown leads the Huskies in receptions with 35 for 333 yards.

RUSHING TO A RECORD: Tailback Jordan Huff is averaging 6.45 yards a carry for his career, rushing for 1,877 on 291 carries. He is nine carries away from qualifying for NIU's all-time list for yards per carry. 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: While NIU's defense allowed a season-high 527 yards of total offense to Toledo, the Huskies are allowing an average of 331.6 yards per game, which leads the MAC and ranks 25th in the nation. Last year, the Huskies finished the season ranked 98th nationally in total defense, allowing 451.5 yards a game, 120.1 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: The NIU defense held Toledo to 4-of-13 on third down for a 30.7 percent conversion percentage. The Huskies continue to lead the MAC and rank fifth in the country in third down efficiency. 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. 

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: The NIU defense's conference-leading 26.2 third down conversion percentage (39-of-149) 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 two against Toledo. NIU's season-best is eight three and outs against San Diego State and Kent State. NIU is averaging 6.11 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 55 of 135 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.

HOLD THEM UNDER 100: NIU's defense held an opponent to under 100 yards rushing for the fourth time this season when Eastern Michigan finished with 96 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. 

AT A LOSS: The Huskie defense leads the MAC and is ninth in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 8.1 tackles for loss per game after tallying four against Toledo. NIU posted a season-high 14 TFLS against Kent State, which ties for the third-most in an FBS game this year. NIU has 73 TFLs on the season, tying their 2016 season total. The Huskies recorded 55 TFLs through the first nine games in 2016. 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-tying 20 TFLs, Jawuan Johnson has 12, 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 18 of NIU's 26 sacks, 36.5 of the Huskies' 73 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. Defensive tackles William Lee, Ben LeRoy, and Devin Webster and defensive end Drequan Brown have each recorded at least one sack. LeRoy, Sutton Smith and redshirt freshman Jack Heflin are all first-time starters. 

SACK STREAK: Josh Corcoran extended the NIU defense's sack streak to 19 games when he sacked Logan Woodside in the third quarter of the Huskies' game at Toledo. The streak dates back to the Huskies' Sept. 17, 2016 contest against the Aztecs. The Huskies lead the MAC and are 17th in the country with 2.89 sacks a game.

SACK ATTACK: The NIU defense added one sack at Toledo to up its 2017 total to 26. The Huskies' single game-high in sacks is seven, set against Kent State, which are the most recorded by a Huskie defense since Sept. 14, 2013 when NIU amassed nine at Idaho.

SCORE ONE FOR THE DEFENSE: The Huskies rank sixth in the country 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 10 of the 16 turnovers forced on the season into 62 points. Last season, NIU tallied 33 points off 15 turnovers. The Huskies scored a field goal on the first turnover forced this season by NIU, a Kyle Pugh interception against Boston College. NIU has turned two fumble recoveries into a touchdown and five other interceptions into touchdowns.

BALL-HAWKING HUSKIES: Interception-less in the last two games, NIU's 13 INTs on the year still rank seventh in the country and lead the MAC. 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 13 interceptions this season. Linebacker Jawuan Johnson leads the way with three, 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.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Seven Huskies have earned eight MAC Player of the Week honors this season. 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, giving NIU eight awards by seven different players this year. Smith is the only player to repeat. 

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

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN: Christian Hagan, who has hit 74 straight point-after attempts, including a season-high six at Bowling Green, ranks eighth on NIU's all-time scoring list. The Huskie senior's 276 career points put him 12 points behind NIU Hall of Fame tailback Michael Turner. Hagan needs two more PATs to move past Steve Azar for third placeon the career list. 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 41.6 yards a punt and has landed 21 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 21 punts that have dropped inside the 20-yard line, 14 have landed on or inside the 10-yard line, including two at Toledo. 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.

FINISHING THE JOB: With its 48-17 victory at Bowling Green, NIU has won 51 of 52 games when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter. The Huskies took a 38-20 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 win over Eastern Michigan. It was the Huskies' only overtime game of the season to date. Last year, the Huskies played in a school-record three overtime contests, including a pair of triple overtime games.

DÉJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: The Huskies rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Eastern Michigan, 30-27, at Huskie Stadium in its last home outing. It was the second straight overtime victory for NIU over the Eagles. Last year, Eastern Michigan jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead before the Huskies mounted a furious second half comeback to win 31-24. 

DÉJA VU PART II: 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.

ALL MY CHILDERS: Marcus Childers suffered his first loss as NIU's starting QB at Toledo but still accounted for 284 yards of total offense, and a 10-yard catch, while scoring his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. The previous week, Childers threw for a career-high 278 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-40 passing. He has twice completed a career-high 23 passes and threw 43 passes, the most of his young career, at Toledo.

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.  

MISTER MAKES HIS MARK: Huskie tailback Tommy Mister established career highs in three categories at Bowling Green in his first career start at NIU. Mister rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The redshirt sophomore scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard run on the opening drive of the game.

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 third on the team in yards receiving with 354 on 23 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 the same season. 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 ran back a pass 45 yards versus Kent State. He ranks second in the nation with 132 interception return yards this season and has 435 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. 

INTs TO 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: Nine 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. 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 action as well, with Hawn (OT) and Ference (P) earning starting roles.

WELCOME NEWCOMERS: NIU has also had six 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. 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 15.4 leads NIU in 2017. 

SENIOR DAY LOOMS: For 19 Huskies, Thursday night's game marks their penultimate chance to play in front of the home crowd. Prior to next Wednesday's game versus Western Michigan, NIU will honor its 2017 senior class that includes household names like Mycial Allen, Chad Beebe, Christian Blake, Christian Hagan, Jordan Huff, Bobby Jones IV, William Lee, Shawun Lurry, Alex Schwab and Shane Wimann.