Football | September 24

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team returns to Huskie Stadium this weekend to face San Diego State (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. The game can be found on ESPN+ and the radio broadcast with Andy Garcia and Mark Lindo begins at 2 p.m. on 94-9 WDKB.
 
Tickets for all remaining NIU home football games are on sale now. Purchase tickets for the 2025 NIU Football season 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.
 
NIU (1-2) comes back to DeKalb after facing back-to-back power four conference teams on the road. Last weekend at Mississippi State, NIU fell 38-10 as the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half. It was the first time NIU has allowed at least 30 points since Oct. 31, 2023 at Central Michigan, snapping a 19-game streak.
 
Junior wide receiver DeAree Rogers (Lexington, S.C./Lenoir-Rhyne) had a season-high 84 receiving yards on six catches and scored his first touchdown as a Huskie on a throw from redshirt-sophomore quarterback Josh Holst (Marengo, Ill./Marengo Community).
 
Redshirt-Senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler (Mooseheart, Ill./North Dakota) continued his hot start to the season, tallying a career-high 14 tackles – his third consecutive game with at least 10 tackles. Junior safety Jasper Beeler (Farmington, Mich./Saginaw Valley State) also set a season-high in tackles, making 10 stops. The two are the first NIU teammates to record 10-or-more tackles in the same game since 2022. Urwiler is tied for the Mid-American Conference lead in tackles with 11.3 per game which puts him sixth in the nation.
 
Saturday's game is the seventh all-time meeting between NIU and San Diego State with the last game coming in 2017. The Aztecs are coached by former Kent State head coach Sean Lewis as NIU aims to notch its first win in the series. During his time with Kent State, Lewis was 1-1 against the Huskies with both games coming in 2021.
 
San Diego State enters the matchup following a 34-0 win over California and rank in the top 25 of the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense (17th, 17.0 points per game), rushing defense (19th, 84.3 yards per game) and total defense (24th, 260.0 yards per game). SDSU edge Trey White ranked tied for fifth in FBS last season in sacks with 12.5 and tied for seventh in tackles for loss with 19. Running Back Lucky Sutton has paced the offense this season, averaging 83.0 yards per game and has a team-high three touchdowns.
 
Conference play begins next week for NIU as the Huskies host Miami on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. for Homecoming with the Mallory Cup on the line.
 
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