DEKALB, Ill. – Huskie football and cross country open their respective seasons this week as the NIU football team travels to Iowa while the cross country team competes on campus Friday evening. Huskie volleyball will host the NIU Invitational inside the Convocation Center on Friday and Saturday while the men's soccer team will be on the road Saturday at Eastern Illinois. 

Football
Saturday, Sept. 5: at Iowa, 3:15 p.m. – Big Ten Network | Live Audio | Live Stats

NIU Football kicks off its season on the road at #22 Iowa this Saturday, the first matchup against the Hawkeyes since the 2018 season. Saturday's game with be the first under Rob Harley. As defensive coordinator for the Huskies in 2025, Harley led NIU to a top 15 finish in the FBS in passing yards allowed with 173.9 yards per game. 

Returners on the offensive side of the ball for NIU are running back Telly Johnson Jr. and wide receiver DeAree Rogers. Johnson rushed for 712 yards and four touchdowns on 5.74 yards per carry as a sophomore. Rogers is the team's leading returner after posting 506 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 46 receptions. Defensive returners include defensive end Jay'Shon Thomas and cornerback Dev'ion Reynolds, both who played in all 12 games last season and recorded multiple starts for the Huskies. 

Volleyball
Friday, Sept. 4: vs. Murray State, 11 a.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Friday, Sept. 4: vs. Portland State, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Saturday, Sept. 5: vs. Lindenwood, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Buy Tickets

The Huskie volleyball team will make its home debut this weekend as it welcomes Murray State, Portland State and Lindenwood to DeKalb for the NIU Invitational. The Huskies will take on Murray State and Portland State on Friday (Sept. 4) before wrapping up the tournament against Lindenwood on Saturday (Sept. 5). 

Friday's opener against Murray State will be a rematch from last weekend when the Huskies topped the Racers in three sets at the Southern Indiana Invitational. Rylea Alvin was named to the USI All-Tournament Team after recording 31 kills with a .435 hitting percentage at the season-opening tournament. 

Cross Country
Friday, Sept. 4: Huskie Classic, 5:30 p.m. – Live Results

NIU cross country will begin its 2026 season on Friday evening when it hosts the Huskie Classic on the North 40 Course. The five-kilometer women's race is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Last season, NIU took fourth in its home race as Amelie Ojeda led the way with a fourth-place individual finish in a time of 18:39.52. Three other Huskies that competed in last season's meet, Claire Helmila, Ariel Hernandez and Varri Higgins, return to NIU this season. 

The North 40 Course is located off Kishwaukee Drive, just east of the NIU Engineering Building and Barsema Hall. 

Men's Soccer
Saturday, Sept. 5: at Eastern Illinois, 3 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats

The Huskie men's soccer team travels to Charleston, Ill., on Saturday to face Eastern Illinois in its final game before opening league play. NIU is coming off a 2-1 victory over UIC on Sunday night (Aug. 30) as Joe Hernandez netted the opening goal and Katai Mukuka scored the game winner for the Huskies. NIU goalkeeper Cayden Crawford made 11 saves against the Flames, no Huskie goalkeeper has made more than 11 stops since Sept. 22, 2015, when Andrew Glaeser recorded 12 against top-ranked Creighton. 

Eastern Illinois comes into the weekend with a 0-2-1 mark following a 1-1 draw against St. Thomas (Minn.) last time out.