Football | November 11

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team is back at home this weekend, welcoming Nevada to Huskie Stadium. NIU last played at home on Oct. 24 and have played in three road contests in the last four games. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on MW+ with Matt Rodewald and Clay Harbor on the call.

Andy Garcia, Mark Lindo and Terry Bonadonna team up for the radio broadcast on 94-9 WDKB starting at 2 p.m. CT.

NIU and Nevada have played twice before in 1993 and 1994 as members of the Big West Conference. The series is tied at 1-1 with both games decided by four points. Former NIU quarterback Scott Crabtree threw for five touchdowns in the 1993 matchup, third most in a single game in program history.

NIU (0-9, 0-5 MW) totaled 400 yards of offense last weekend, the second straight game with 400 or more yards of offense. The last time the Huskies recorded three consecutive games of 400 yards within a single season was in 2022.

Quarterback Taron Dickens (Miami, Fla. / Western Carolina) has thrown for over 250 passing yards in back-to-back games and has at least one touchdown pass in four straight games. Dickens added his first rushing touchdown of the season last week at San José State. Running back Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga. / Hephzibah) scored his sixth rushing touchdown on the season and has found the endzone in five of the last six games.

Wide receiver DeAree Rogers (Lexington, S.C. / Lenoir-Rhyne) moved to ninth on the NIU all-time single-season receptions list last weekend. Rogers enters the week as one of three players in the FBS with 70 or more catches with at least 700 receiving yards.

Linebacker Jack Murray (Brookfield, Wis. / Brookfield East) totaled nine tackles for the second straight game, upping his season total to 67. The true freshman ranks eighth in the Mountain West in tackles per game. Defensive end Kole Sneed (Oak Park, Ill. / University of St. Thomas) finished the San José State game with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup.

Last weekend the Huskies defense held San José State to 3-of-15 on third down. Over the last six quarters, NIU has limited opponents to 3-of-19 on third down attempts.  

Nevada (3-6, 2-3 MW) fell to No. 23 New Mexico last time out, 31-3. Running backs Dominic Kelley and Herschel Turner Jr. enter Saturday's game each totaling over 500 rushing yards on the season, combining for 1,104 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The Wolf Pack offense has scored 28 or more points in three of five conference games.

Nevada brings a top ranked passing defense to DeKalb, placing fifth nationally and second in the MW at 157.3 yards allowed per game. Linebacker EJ Smith has totaled 94 tackles this season, most in the MW. Defensive lineman Dylan LaBarbera has been disruptive upfront, recording 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Tickets for Saturday begin at just $35 and reserved seating starts at $42. For more information on tickets, call 815-752-6868 or email HuskiesTickets@niu.edu. To watch the game on MW+, sign up here.  

The Huskies final road game of the season is next Saturday, heading to North Dakota State on Nov. 21 with kickoff on The CW scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.