Scouting: Northern Illinois (1-2) @ Minnesota (1-2)

Northern Illinois (1-2) at Minnesota (1-2)When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at TCF Bank StadiumTV: BTN; Radio: WIND 560-AMSeries: Minnesota leads 2-0Coaches: Jerry Kill (14-15, third year at NIU; 118-72 in 17th year overall); Tim Brewster (15-26, fourth year at Minnesota)Players to watch: Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish ranks 22nd nationally in rushing with 98.3 yards per game, but that's a deceptive number. He's credited with appearing in 3 games, even though he served only as a holder in the Iowa State opener. Throw that out and he ranks seventh nationally. Senior TB Chad Spann owns 235 yards this year, but just 76 in his last 33 carries as defenses gang up on him. Leading tackler Tracy Wilson (groin) won't play, which is a huge blow, but CB Chris Smith (thumb) returns to the lineup after sitting out at Illinois.Minnesota senior QB Adam Weber owns 8,870 passing yards, 750 rushing yards and 67 total touchdowns during his 41-start career. Top RB Duane Bennett (297 yards, 2 TDs) is recovering from a sprained ankle while No. 2 QB MarQueis Gray has re-invented himself as the Gophers' top receiver (14 catches, 211 yards, 2 TDs). Top deep talent and kick returner Troy Stoudermire, however, was suspended and left the team this week.The skinny: This ought to be a good time for the Huskies to play the Gophers, seeing as how Minnesota just put a ton of effort into last week's 32-21 home loss to USC. On the other hand, it's not like NIU didn't give its all in last week's 28-22 loss at Illinois. Moreover, the Gophers know not to take NIU lightly after the 2008 opener when the Huskies fell 31-27 at the Homerdome. Look for Minnesota to take a page from Illinois and try to power its way to victory on the ground. The Gophers held the ball for more than 40 minutes in their opener, which suggests they're capable of doing it again. NIU, meanwhile, believes it's close to getting its passing game to a level where opponents can no longer load the box and take away Spann.He said it: NIU coach Jerry Kill on his team's primary issue: "Where our football team has to get better, including from the Illinois game, is the discipline of our football team. That doesn't mean running around causing trouble. It's the discipline playing within what you're supposed to do. Illinois' first drive that they had was because of mistakes. Somebody who was responsible for the quarterback wasn't on the quarterback... we had, I think, five (mental errors) up front on the offensive line and we haven't had that."