NIU at Western Michigan
Northern Illinois (0-1) at Western Michigan (0-1)
When: 6 p.m. today at Waldo Stadium
Pay-per-view Internet: www.mac-sports.com
Radio: WIND 560-AM
Series: WMU leads 22-11.
Coaches: Jerry Kill (0-1 at NIU; 104-58 in 15th year overall); Bill Cubit (20-17, fourth year at WMU, 54-35-1 in ninth year overall).
Players to watch: NIU needs to get its running game going after Minnesota forced the Huskies to the air. Justin Anderson, who rushed for 1,245 yards last year, managed just 34 yards in 13 carries last week. All-American DE candidate Larry English posted 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery against the Gophers.
Western Michigan fell behind so quickly at Nebraska last week, the Broncos didn't rush for a single first down because they gave the game over to junior QB Tim Hiller. He hit 30 of 49 passes for 342 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Senior TE Branden Ledbetter posted 9 catches for 123 yards and a score. Sophomore Nick Mitchell (Fremd) owns the starting center job.
The skinny: Everybody loves NIU redshirt freshman QB Chandler Harnish right now. Not only was he the MAC West's co-Player of the week after throwing for 326 yards and 2 scores in the narrow loss to Minnesota, the young man with the 3.82 GPA received the league's Male Scholar of the Week award.
But Harnish is his own harshest critic. He couldn't sleep on the six-hour bus ride back from Minnesota last week, nor could he sleep once he returned to his campus abode. Harnish settled for a 2.5-hour nap before starting preparations for Western Michigan.
Coach Jerry Kill isn't ready to anoint Harnish as his permanent starter - he points out that incumbent Dan Nicholson isn't as healthy as Harnish - and he cautions there'll be some bad games mixed in with the good. But Kill loves the way QB coach Pat Poore and Nicholson have helped to bring Harnish along. "That's not easy to do," Kill said of Nicholson's selflessness.
- Lindsey Willhite