Saturday, Nov. 28 -- Noon ET
Waldo Stadium - Kalamazoo, MI
ESPN+
The Huskies have allowed 40 points per game thus far and are facing a WMU team that scores 50.3 ppg. The means by which they reach pay dirt matters little to Western. It seems to excel in both the run and passing games. The Broncos average 310.7 ypg through the air and another 205.7 ypg rushing.
Northern Illinois totals 351.0 ypg overall . . .
LAST MEETING: A year ago, NIU upset the Broncos 17-14 in the regular season finale as the Huskie defense forced a pair of turnovers, including one on WMU’s finaldrive that sealed the victory. Tyrice Richie scored on a dynamic 71-yard catch andrun in the second quarter to give NIU a 10-0 halftime lead. After WMU closed the
gap to 14-7 on a Levante Bellamy TD, the Huskies’ scored the game-winner on a seven-yard pass from receiver Michael Love to tight end Mitchell Brinkman.
SERIES HISTORY: Western Michigan holds a 25-20 advantage in the all-time series with NIU, and have won 14 of the 22 games played in Kalamazoo. NIU’s last victory in Waldo Stadium came in 2014, a 31-21 win. Four of the last five games between the teams have been decided by one possession or less.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (0-3)
-- the Huskies are officially one of the youngest teams in the nation. With 81 freshmen and sophomores (underclassmen) on the 111-man roster, NIU (73.0) ranks behind only Oregon (73.6) in percentage of the 2020 roster who are underclassmen. The Huskies total of 60 freshmen (true and redshirt) is tied for fourth-most in the country behind Nebraska (78), SMU (66) and Bowling Green (64).
-- Leading the way for the youth in the Huskies lineup are seven senior starters. On offense, quarterback Ross Bowers,receiver Tyrice Richie, tight end Daniel Crawford and offensive linemen Benn Olson and Brayden Patton have a combined 67 starts at NIU, led by Patton’s 22. Defensive tackle Weston Kramer is the most experienced
Huskie returnee overall with 27 career starts, while linebacker Kyle Pugh has started 22 games in his NIU career.
-- The Huskies had just three less total offensive yards in a 31-25 loss to Ball State last week. A 21-point Cardinal surge through the second and third quarters set up BSU's victory.
-- Senior quarterback Ross Bowers completed 27-of-40 attempts for 300 yards with one TD and one interception last week against Ball State.
-- Tyrice Richie recorded 11 catches for 108 yards and a TD, while Trayvon Rudolph had 95 yards on five receptions.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (3-0)
-- The Broncos amassed 628 yards of total offense in a 52-44 win over Central Michigan last week. After spotting CMU a 14-0 lead within the first five minutes, Western scored 38 straight points.
-- Quarterback Kaleb Eleby capitalized on 12 completions (in 20 attempts), providing WMU with 382 passing yards and five touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
-- D'Wayne Eskridge and Jaylen Hall had huge receiving nights, combining for 322 yards and five TDs. Eskridge actually averaged 53.0 yards per catch, while Hall was at a mere 27.5 yards per grab.
-- LaDarius Jefferson was busy throughout the Broncos win, carrying 33 times for 150 yards. Sean Taylor had just 15 carries, but contributed 94 yards and a score.
-- Kaleb Eleby’s passing efficiency rating is 240.4. That leads the nation in passing efficiency ahead of Heisman Trophy hopefuls Justin Fields of Ohio State and Zach Wilson of BYU.
-- The Broncos were picked to finish second in the MAC West in the MAC Coaches Poll and fourth in the West in the MAC Media Poll. WMU received two first place votes in the coaches poll and three in the media poll.
Toledo and Miami were picked to win their divisions by the coaches, while Central Michigan and Buffalo were picked by the media.