Northern Illinois @ Boston College preview

After taking the top-ranked team in the country to the wire in a near-major upset, Northern Illinois hits the road once again against a power conference opponent when it faces Boston College on Saturday. The Huskies forced five turnovers and limited No. 1 Ohio State to 298 total yards in a 20-13 loss at Ohio Stadium last Saturday.

Rod Carey's top-notch defense will be licking its chops against a Boston College offense that produced little in a 14-0 loss to then-No. 6 Florida State on Sept. 18 and will be breaking in a new starter at quarterback. The Eagles lost quarterback Darius Wade for the year due to an ankle injury and coach Steve Addazio has yet to name a starter - freshmen Troy Flutie and Jeff Smith are candidates, and converted wideout Elijah Robinson may even get some consideration. "I think Troy has a better overall picture of what we are doing," Addazio said this week. "I think Jeff is extremely explosive, which we don't have many of those plays right now. So, I mean, there's room for both conversations here." The Huskies have no such issues under center with junior Drew Hare, who threw for 300-plus yards in his first two games before ceding to the run game against the powerful Buckeyes.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Boston College -4

ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2-1): Hare has found a friend in transfer Kenny Golladay, who was limited to three catches for 19 yards against the Buckeyes but has 20 grabs for 376 yards on the season. The tandem have shown an ability to grab large chunks of yardage, connecting on five completions of 25 yards or more. Cornerback Shawun Lurry is doing his job in limiting such plays on the other end of the ball and was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after recording two interceptions and breaking up two passes against Ohio State.

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (2-1): Flutie, the nephew of Boston College great Doug Flutie, was 7-of-8 for 88 yards and a score in his first action two weeks ago against Howard, while Smith ranks third on the team with 97 rushing yards. The Eagles will likely utilize both in various packages and lean heavily on a ground attack - led by Tyler Rouse and Myles Willis - that ranks 28th in FBS play in yards per game (230), as well as a dominant defense that limited the Seminoles to 217 total yards. "You have to play to your strengths," Addazio said. "You do something crazy, you're hurting your defense. The last thing I'm going to do right now is hurt that defense."

EXTRA POINTS

1. BC C Frank Taylor (knee) was injured last week and will not play in this one.

2. The Huskies are looking to become the fourth FBS team - along with Oregon, Florida State and Alabama - to produce 60 wins since 2010.

3. The only prior meeting in 1971 resulted in a 20-10 home win for Boston College.

PREDICTION: Boston College 20, Northern Illinois 16