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The Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-6, 0-3 MAC) will head to DeKalb play a surging Northern Illinois Huskies (4-3, 2-1 MAC) team this Saturday.
EMU has lost their last five games, four of which have been by 20 or more points. The Huskies, after a stretch of three straight poor offensive performances, have seemed to right the ship (or at least figured out how to get in the endzone again); scoring 104 points in the last two games.This will mark the 109th Homecoming game for the Huskies, who own a 68-30-10 record in Homecoming games.
Quick Game Info
Game Date, Time: October 24th, kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (2:30 CST).
Location: Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. The Huskies have won 33 of their last 34 games at home.
TV/Stream: You can stream the game through ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.
Radio: FM 98.9 in DeKalb and AM 560 or AM 1360 for Chicagoland. If you're an Eagle fan, catch the game on FM 89.1.
Odds: NIU is currently a 27.5 point favorite with the O/U set at 68.
Players to Watch
Joel Bouagnon (RB, NIU) - Bouagnon has rushed for over 100 yards and scored at least twice in each of the past three games. He is now third in the nation in rushing touchdowns, with 13, trailing only Leonard Fournette and Houston's quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., who both have 14. EMU is allowing 343 rushing yards per game, so expect another big day from him.
Darius Jackson (RB, EMU) - Jackson has had a solid season so far, averaging just under six yards per carry. He has ten rushing touchdowns and 698 yards on the ground and another 181 yards and a score through the air. Jackson has 44% of the Eagles' 25 touchdowns, so he'll be a big factor on offense for EMU.
Clay Dawson (DL, EMU) - Dawson might only have 31 tackles, but five of those are TFL and another three are sacks...meaning he does a lot of damage in the backfield. He also has five QB Hurries, forced two fumbles, and recovered another. Look for him to get some pressure in the NIU backfield.
Shawun Lurry (CB, NIU) - Lurry has intercepted a pass in five consecutive games leads the NCAA with seven picks on the year. He already set an NIU single-season record with 209 return yards on those interceptions. He'll look to get a pick in his sixth straight game this week against Brogan Roback, who has already thrown eight picks this year.
Drew Hare (QB, NIU) - Hare has been bipolar this year to say the least. But in the last two games he's completed over 79% of his passes for 566 yards and three TDs. He'll look to keep that momentum going against an EMU pass defense that only has one interception all year and allows over 12 yards per catch.