NIU at Kent State: 3 things to watch for as NIU attempts to secure bowl berth

DeKALB – After a 1-4 start to the season, the Northern Illinois football team is poised to qualify for a bowl game for the second time in three years.

The Huskies (5-6, 4-3 Mid-American Conference) need a road win over Kent State (1-10, 0-7) to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. They enter the game off one of their best games of the year, a 24-0 win over Western Michigan that was their first shutout in four years.

Kent State is fresh off a 34-3 loss to Ball State and has not beaten an FBS team this year. Its lone win was a 38-10 victory over Central Connecticut.

Kickoff for the game is 11 a.m. Saturday at Dix Stadium and will be televised on ESPN+. Here are three things to know.

Scrambling to stop a scrambler

With Kent State starting quarterback Mike Alaimo potentially hurt, the Huskies are preparing for backup Tommy Ulatowski, a St. Rita grad. Both have seen a lot of playing time this year, but it could be a big dose of the elusive and run-prone Ulatowski under center.

The Huskies have struggled a little bit against scrambling QBs this year, coach Thomas Hammock said. But he added he liked how the team is improving, keeping Ball State’s Kiael Kelly to 66 yards on 14 carries two weeks ago in a 20-17 loss.

“We are taking strides to get better,” Hammock said. “That’s one area that we need to get better as a defense. I know we have a top 20 defense, but if you don’t look at things you need to improve upon, you can’t improve.”

The Huskies enter the game 18th in the country in total defense, allowing 312.5 yards per game and have allowed the fourth few passing yards per game of any FBS school (156.5). But their rush defense is 75th at 155.9 yards per game. Kent State’s rushing offense is 113th out of 130 teams at 105.3 yards per game.

With the extra practice time – NIU last played Nov. 14 – Hammock said the Huskies have worked on every look they can possibly see in preparation for the Flashes.

“I feel like our contain could be a little better,” defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard said. “We need to be better with our technique and stuff like that, but as long as we keep him contained and give him nowhere to step out, just to step up into the other D-linemen that we have, I think we’ll do a good job.”

Offense seeking balance

After three turnovers in the loss to Ball State, Hammock said he liked the way his offense took control against Western Michigan with almost 40 minutes of possession.

But he said he’d like to see more balance. The Huskies are 47th in the country with 173 rushing yards per game and 104th in passing offense (186.5). Antario Brown is second in the MAC and 18th nationally with 1,075 rushing yards this year.

“We certainly would like .... to have the ability to push the ball downfield,” Hammock said. “Hopefully we can make Kent State defend the whole field.”

A Thursday off for the Huskies

With the extended time between games, Hammock said the coaching staff tweaked the schedule a little bit, giving the team Thursday off.

In the summertime, Hammock said he did research into making Thursday the team’s regular off day during the week instead of Sunday, with teams making the switch raving about it. He said ultimately they decided against it.

But with Thanksgiving this Thursday coupled with the long practice period, Hammock and the Huskies are getting a potential preview of what a Thursday off can do for a Saturday performance.

Hammock said emotional well-being can be overlooked easily, but being in the trenches with the players shines a light on how big it is.

“Our players will be able to spend some time on Thanksgiving, and I think that’s especially important for our freshman guys that don’t play much,” Hammock said. “Guys that have been here working their tail off since the summertime, for them to have a chance to go home and spend time with their families and loved ones I thought was important from a mental health standpoint.”

Prediction: NIU 24, Kent State 7