Football | November 26

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team wraps up the 2025 season by hosting Kent State on Friday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. CBS Sports Network will carry the game.

Purchase tickets anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets. For more information, call the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) weekdays between 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. or email huskiestickets@niu.edu.

Prior to the game, 21 players will be honored for Senior Day on Friday. Nine of the 21 spent their entire careers at NIU and 14 are listed on the two-deep this week.

The Huskies came up short against Western Michigan last week, as the Broncos pulled away in the second half for a 35-19 victory. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Rickey Taylor Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) recorded his first career touchdown reception while sophomore Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga./Hephzibah) scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

Junior safety Jasper Beeler (Farmington, Mich./Saginaw Valley State) had a career-high 13 tackles and added his third interception of the season. Redshirt senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler (Mooseheart, Ill./ North Dakota) finished with 11 stops, moving his season total to 129.

Urwiler's 129 tackles are the second most by an NIU player since 2005 (C.J. Brown, 130, 2018).

The Huskies limited Western Michigan to 32 passing yards, the fewest yards allowed by NIU since Oct. 7, 2017 vs. Kent State (29 passing yards).

Kent State (4-7, 3-3 MAC) recently removed the interim tag from head coach Mark Carney and are 3-3 in its last six games. The Golden Flashes are coming off a 28-16 loss to Central Michigan.

Quarterback Dru DeShields has been safe with the football this season, throwing for 16 touchdowns against two interceptions. Wide Receivers DaShawn Martin and Wayne Harris have proven to be reliable targets for DeShields, combining for 753 yards on 62 receptions this season while wide receiver Cade Wolford has shown explosive capability, averaging 25.8 yards per catch and seven touchdowns.

Linebackers CJ Young (89 tackles) and Mason Woods (88 tackles) set the tone for the Kent State defense and both rank in the top 10 in the conference in total tackles. Defensive Lineman Jamond Mathis has six sacks this season, fifth most in the Mid-American Conference.

This week's matchup will be the first time NIU has hosted Kent State since 2017. The Huskies defeated Kent State in the 2021 MAC Championship game, NIU's sixth conference title. Since 2002, NIU is 12-1 against the Golden Flashes.

Friday's game will be NIU's final game in the MAC before joining the Mountain West in 2026. The Huskies have been members of the MAC for 40 seasons during two different stints in the league. NIU originally competed in the MAC from 1975-1985, then rejoined the conference in 1997. All time in the MAC, NIU is 175-133-2 with six conference titles coming in 1983, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2021.