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Well, once again the game between the Northern Illinois Huskies and Toledo Rockets has huge conference implications...and, this time, even national implications; as the Rockets are still undefeated, ranked 20th in the nation, and looking for that invitation to one of the New Year's Six bowl games.
Toledo has been second in the MAC West each of the past five seasons...each time behind the Huskies. They'll be looking to finally reach the pinnacle and get the MAC Championship. For NIU, they still have a chance to represent the West but they'll need to win out and hope CMU loses one more time.
Quick Game Info:
Game Date, Time: Tuesday, November 3rd. Kickoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (7 CST).
Location: The Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio.
TV/Stream: You can watch the game on ESPN2 or stream it live on the Watch ESPN app.
Radio:
NIU: FM 98.9 in DeKalb and AM 560 or AM 1360 for Chicagoland
Toledo: 1370 AM
Odds: Toledo enters the game as 7.5 point favorites with the over under set at 60 (that seems a bit low...take the over).
Players to Watch:
Phillip Ely (QB, Toledo) - Ely spreads the ball around well (15 different players have a reception) and controls this offense. In the last two games he's thrown for 682 yards and nine TD passes! Ely is up against a bipolar Huskie pass defense, so he might have big numbers again.
Shawun Lurry (CB, NIU) - If there's one player that can stop Ely, it might be Lurry. In fact, Lurry has as many picks as the entire Toledo defense (7). The NCAA leader in interceptions will need to find a way to stop this Rocket attack and force a turnover or two if the Huskies want to escape the Glass Bowl victorious.
Toledo's Running backs - The Rockets offense is really balanced and that's because of three backs. Terry Swanson leads the team with 81 carries, 590 yards (7.3 yards/carry), and five scores. Behind him are Damion Jones-Moore and Kareem Hunt. Jones-Moore has 387 yards and five TDs of his own while Hunt has added another 349 yards and three scores.
NIU's Running backs - We all know about Joel Bouagnon and what he can do...third in the NCAA with 14 rushing scores, 862 rushing yards, and averaging over five yards per carry. However, Jordan Huff has been making a name for himself too. On the season he's averaging 7.6 yards per carry but in the past three games he's really stepped up - averaging 93 yards per game, scoring four times, and has his season long run (53-yards).