NIU coach: Playoffs begin against Ohio
Northern Illinois (7-3, 5-1) at Ohio (7-3, 5-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday at Peden Stadium
Internet TV: niuhuskies.com; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Series: NIU leads 9-8
Coaches: Jerry Kill (13-10, second year at NIU; 117-67 in 16th year overall); Frank Solich (30-29, fifth year at Ohio; 88-48 in 11th year overall)
Players to watch: NIU sophomore QB Chandler Harnish should get his first start since Oct. 17 as his surgically repaired knee was good enough to play the second half of the Ball State win nine days ago. TB Chad Spann and his 17 touchdowns are less predictable after a shoulder injury knocked him out against Ball State. Fellow TB Meco Brown hasn't been great lately (37 carries, 70 yards, 0 TDs the last four games), so this could be a job for forgotten senior Justin Anderson.
Senior QB Theo Scott runs the "Pistol" for Ohio, but he has been a little scattershot the last three weeks with 5 INTs vs. 1 TD. Fortunately for Scott and the Bobcats, the defense does more than its share. Ohio leads the nation with 30 takeaways and ranks among the top 10 with 4 blocked kicks. Redshirt freshman FS Gerald Moore owns 4 INTs while senior SS Patrick Tafua boasts 2 INTs, 4 fumble recoveries and 6 pass breakups.
The skinny: NIU's trip to Ohio isn't exciting because it's the first one in 11 years. Rather, Huskies coach Jerry Kill says this serves as the first round of the playoffs. No, he hasn't forgotten he moved up from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Huskies need to win this game to make next Friday's trip to Central Michigan serve as the MAC West championship. Then, if NIU pulls off that upset, it gets to its first MAC title game since 2005. Since Ohio finds itself in the same situation in the East Division - needing a win to make next week's home game with Temple relevant - this should be a hard-hitting affair. It helps that both teams had a few extra days to rest and prepare for this one. And did we mention these are two of the nation's top 10 teams when it comes to turnover margin? That's a big reason why they're playing for big stakes.