Northern Illinois at Ball State (11/05/2008)

First-year NIU coach Jerry Kill admitted slowing down the Cardinals will be a tough task.

“They have a great quarterback,” Kill said. “Not a good quarterback, a great one. He’s a guy that will be playing in the National Football League. So any time that your leader is that good, it’s a plus. Offensively, I think they have been very productive. Defensively, I think they have been overlooked all year, and I think their defense is very good. They are a very good football team and they deserve the ranking that they have earned. It’s a shame that their wide receiver got hurt because he is a great player. You don’t like to see that on anybody. I think their team has responded through that and played very well.”

The Huskies must move the chains and force turnovers for a fighting chance to record an upset. Quarterback Chandler Harnish is settling into the starting role after a mid-foot sprain sidelined him for a month. The Huskies average 184.2 yards per game on the ground. Freshman Me’co Brown leads a balanced attack with 59.8 yards per game.

The Huskies, 5-3 and 4-1 in the West, must defeat the Cardinals to stay in the division race. Since losing the first two games, the Huskies enter the contest with five victories in their last six games.

“It’s going to be a challenge for us, but we are looking forward to it,” Kill said. “You always want to go to play someone that you respect. Their kids are going to play hard, it’s a great challenge for our program and we are looking forward to it. I think our kids responded very well when we went to play at Minnesota and Tennessee. I look for us to respond well when we go play Ball State. We will get their best, and hopefully we raise our level and match theirs and have a good football game.”

Notes, Quotes

• The Huskies have never finished a season leading the MAC in scoring or total defense. They currently top the league in both categories.

• The last six opponents have combined to score 49 points against the Huskies. The Huskies allowed 60 points in their first two games.

Scouting The Offense:   Balance is the key to NIU’s no-name offense. A different player steps up each game. Five different players have led the Huskies in rushing. Five different players led the Huskies in receiving this year as well. And three different players have started at quarterback.

Scouting The Defense:   In the last six games, five of which the Huskies have won, the defense has allowed just 86.7 rushing yards and 221.5 total yards a game. The Huskies held the last six opponents to 49 points to rank ninth in the country in total defense at 13.6 points a game.

Quote To Note:   “I don’t think that you make a big deal about it, and you just keep going. I am a routine guy though. The exposure on Wednesday night, being on ESPN2, playing Ball State, No. 18th in the country, it doesn’t get any better than that. The tough thing is playing four week night games in one month, and I worry about the academic part of it. That’s the tough thing. We will get back at five in the morning and the kids have to get to class at eight in the morning. That’s a concern when you play four of these.”—NIU coach Jerry Kill on playing a game in the middle of the week.

Strategy And Personnel

Players To Watch:  

DE Larry English has a good chance to show the country his immense talent. Leads the Huskies with 4.5 sacks. He is quickly rising up the charts for the NFL Draft.

WR Marcus Perez tops the Huskies with 18 receptions, turning into a big-play option late in the season.

RB Me’co Brown—A solid running game keeps BSU’s offense off the field. Brown is the best of a bunch of a solid group of tailbacks.

PK Mike Salerno—Drilled the game-winning field goals against Bowling Green. Leads the MAC in field goals and second in scoring.

QB Chandler Harnish—The spotlight will be on the redshirt freshman. Can’t lose his focus and must limit mistakes and turnovers.

Roster Report:  

• CB Bradley Pruitt is questionable with a high ankle sprain.

• LB Cory Hanson is a game-time decision.

• LB John Tranchitela is expected to play against Ball State.

• FB Kyle Skarb is suffering from an elbow injury, but should play at Ball State.

Inside Slant

After an idle Saturday, Ball State is set to embark on its biggest month of November games in 12 years.

The Cardinals are undefeated at 8-0, including 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference West Division. They have four games remaining, and three of them are against the cream of the West, starting with a Nov. 5 home game against Northern Illinois.

Northern Illinois, and other November opponents Central Michigan and Western Michigan, are a combined 13-2 in MAC games. That makes the 11th month a challenging one for the Cardinals.