What to watch as NIU opens season at home vs. Buffalo on Wednesday

Better late than never for fans of MACtion, as the Mid-American Conference becomes the second-to-last FBS conference to start its fall season with a full slate of games.

Northern Illinois welcomes Buffalo at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Huskie Stadium in front of families of coaches and players only. It will be televised on ESPN2.

Here are four things to watch in the matchup:

How will the freshman-heavy NIU lineup fare against the experience of what's expected to be one of the best teams in the conference?

The Huskies have 14 true freshmen on their two deeps and five slated to start. Buffalo has zero true freshmen on its two-deep roster.

Trayvon Rudolph is listed as the third receiver for the Huskies, Pierce Oppong and Rashien Thomas as starting defensive ends, and Jordan Hansen as a starting safety. The other safety will be Devin Lafayette or C.J. Brown, both true freshmen as well.

"We've put them in a high-stress situation where they have to prove themselves to their teammates," coach Thomas Hammock said. "The only thing lacking is experience, but (after) Nov. 4 that will no longer be a problem."

How will the defense handle either Buffalo quarterback Matt Myers or Kyle Vantrease - or both?

Myers started the first five games last year, threw 6 touchdowns for 602 yards and 4 interceptions. After he got hurt, Vantrease threw for 1,193 yards, 8 TDs and 2 picks.

"We've seen enough on both quarterbacks," Hammock said.

How can tackles Marques Cox and Nolan Potter - both redshirt sophomores for the Huskies - fare against Taylor Riggins and Malcolm Koonce, who were 1-2 in sacks in the MAC last year?

Cox played 12 games last year and started 10. Potter played every game, mostly on special teams.

Koonce had 9 sacks last year and Riggin had 8½ sacks to lead the conference.

"They create tremendous pressure on the quarterback," Hammock said. "They have a variety of moves. They can beat you up the field with speed. They can get to the level of quarterback and spin back inside. They can bull rush. So our tackles are going to have a tough job."

What can the NIU defense do about a pair of 1,000-yard rushers?

Jaret Patterson needs 188 yards to become the school's fifth 3,000-yard rusher, and another touchdown will tie the school record with 34.

Then there's Kevin Marks, who ran for 1,035 yards a year ago and crossed the 100-yard mark five different times.

"I think we have to acknowledge the fact they have two really good backs," linebacker Kyle Pugh said. "But as far as I'm concerned, our mentality as a defense, it doesn't really matter who we line up against. We're very competitive, hate to lose. ... It's not really about the name on the back of the jersey."