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FACTS & STATS: Site: Huskies Stadium (24,000) -- DeKalb, Illinois. Television: Local. Home Record: Idaho 1-0, NIU 1-0. Away Record: Idaho 1-1, NIU 1-1. Neutral Record: Idaho 0-0, NIU 0-0. Conference Record: Idaho 1-0, NIU 0-0. Series Record: Northern Illinois leads, 3-2.

GAME NOTES: For the first time since 1975 the Idaho Vandals will travel to DeKalb to face the Northern Illinois Huskies on their home field at Huskies Stadium. The last two matchups between the two schools have taken place in Moscow, including a 42-35 victory for NIU back in 2007. Overall the Huskies own a slight 3-2 edge over the Vandals in the all-time series.

The Vandals head into this matchup fresh off a 34-20 victory over San Diego State in their home opener. It was the second victory in three games for Idaho, which is 1-1 on the road this season.

As for the Huskies, they opened the year with a tough, 28-20 setback to Wisconsin on the road, but since then the team has won back-to-back matchups, including a hard-fought, 28-21 decision over Purdue in West Lafayette last Saturday. Since the beginning of last year the Huskies have won five of their last seven home matchups, and the team will remain home after this game to take on Western Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener.

The Vandals opened Saturday's matchup against San Diego State with 14 first quarter points and finished off the Aztecs with 14 points in the final frame, earning their second win on the season. DeMaundray Woolridge only had 11 carries in the victory, but the tailback was effective, rushing for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while Deonte Jackson chipped in with 24 yards and one score on 10 totes. Quarterback Nathan Enderle did not throw a touchdown in the contest, but managed the game well, completing 17-of-30 passes for 232 yards. Idaho also did not commit a turnover, and racked up 21 first downs, mainly due to the team's impressive 9-of-16 showing on third downs. Overall it was another consistent outing for Idaho, which comes into this weekend averaging a healthy 26.0 ppg. Woolridge is leading the squad with 152 rushing yards and four touchdowns after three games, while Enderle has thrown for 690 yards and two scores.

The defense opened the scoring for the Vandals last Saturday, as JoJo Dickson returned an interception 74 yards to pay dirt. In the win over SDSU the Vandals forced two turnovers and limited the Aztecs to just 296 total yards including just 55 rushing yards on just 2.4 yards per carry. It was another impressive display by this underrated defensive unit, which heads into this meeting against NIU allowing just 336.3 total ypg. The strength for the Vandals thus far has been their ferocious play against the run, as the front line is bottling up opponents for just 93.3 yards per contest on a mere 3.1 ypc. The defense has been able to make some big plays on the year as well, collecting six turnovers, while grabbing five sacks. However, the one problem for the Vandals has been their inability to perform at a high level when their backs are against the wall, allowing teams to convert on 10-of-11 red zone chances.

After going scoreless in the first quarter against Purdue, the Huskies tallied 21 second quarter points and hung on for a seven-point win on the road against a tough Big Ten foe. Northern Illinois tortured the Boilermakers for 454 total yards, but the majority of the damage came from the Huskies' ground game, which churned out a whopping 280 yards on 4.9 yards per attempt. Me'co Brown sliced Purdue's defense for 150 yards and one touchdown, while Chad Spann contributed 80 yards and two scores. Chandler Harnish was not overly impressive under center, but the signal caller did enough for NIU to grab the win. Harnish completed just 15-of-26 passes in the victory for 174 yards and one touchdown against one interception. With three games under their belt, the Huskies have proven to be a run-oriented team and come into this meeting with Idaho averaging a hefty 208.0 yards per matchup. Brown has been the workhorse for NIU rushing for 331 yards on 6.5 yards per tote, while Spann has been a touchdown machine, scoring six times on just 35 carries.

The NIU defense was not overly impressive in the win over Purdue, as the team allowed 335 total yards, including 147 rushing yards on 6.4 yards per tote. However, the unit was able to make the big plays when it counted, forcing Purdue into three fumbles, while also limiting the Boilermakers to just 5- of-14 on third down attempts. After three games the Huskies have shown they are able to play with the teams from the major conferences, and a large part of the success is due to a defensive unit which is holding opponents to just 330.3 total ypg and only 18.7 ppg after three contests. Northern Illinois has forced eight turnovers on the season, but pressuring the quarterback has been an issue, as the team has collected just four sacks. Tracy Wilson has been a tackling machine thus far and is currently pacing the squad with 29 stops.

Both Idaho and Northern Illinois play strong defense, so look for this contest to be a low-scoring affair. The Huskies' ground game will be challenged by the Vandals, but look for NIU to push through en route to their third straight win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Northern Illinois 24, Idaho 14