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FACTS & STATS: Site: Huskie Stadium (24,000) -- DeKalb, Illinois. Television: None. Home Record: WMU 2-0, NIU 1-1. Away Record: WMU 0-2, NIU 1-1. Neutral Record: WMU 0-0, NIU 0-0. Conference Record: WMU 1-0, NIU 0-0. Series Record: Western Michigan leads, 23-11.

GAME NOTES: The Northern Illinois Huskies will open Mid-American Conference action when they host the Western Michigan Broncos this Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium.

The Broncos roll into this contest with a full head of steam, winning their last two matchups, including a 24-10 decision over Hofstra this past Saturday. The other win came against Miami-Ohio (48-26), giving the Broncos a 16-8 mark in conference action since the start of the 2006 campaign.

As for the Huskies, they had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 34-31 setback to Idaho on Saturday. It was the second loss on the year for Northern Illinois, which opened the season with a 28-20 setback to Wisconsin. Last year the Huskies posted a 5-3 mark in league play and that was a tremendous rebound for NIU which stumbled to a 1-6 mark in league action in 2007.

The Broncos have won 23 of the 34 meetings against Northern Illinois, and have won the last three matchups.

The Broncos have relied heavily on the pass this season, as the team is averaging 271.2 yards per contest. As a whole Western Michigan is producing 365.2 total ypg, but that has led to a pedestrian 24.5 ppg. Tim Hiller has been one of the best quarterbacks in the MAC and comes into this weekend with 1,048 passing yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions. Juan Nunez has been the main target for Hiller and is currently leading the team with 23 receptions, 341 yards and three touchdowns. The team's success through the air continued in the win over Hofstra, as Hiller threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns on 34-of-43 passing. Nunez hauled in seven passes for 68 yards in the win, but it was Jordan White that led the receiving corps with nine receptions, 101 yards and one score. Surprisingly the ground game also had some success against Hofstra, as Brandon West rumbled for 159 yards and one touchdown on 6.6 yards per carry. After four games however, West only has 327 rushing yards and as a team WMU is churning out a meager 94.0 ypg on the ground.

What has hurt the Broncos this year has been their lack of consistency on the defensive side of the football, as the team is allowing 390.2 total ypg, but that has led to only 22.5 ppg. The team has struggled against the run and the pass, as opponents are pounding WMU for 157.0 rushing ypg, while also torching this defense for another 233.2 ypg through the air. Fortunately this unit has developed a bend but do not break mentality, as the Broncos are holding teams to just 39 percent on third downs and just 73 percent on red zone chances. In the recent win over Hofstra, the Broncos held their opponent to just 329 total yards, including just 189 yards through the air. Western Michigan grabbed two turnovers in the win and also held Hofstra to just 7- of-16 on third down attempts. Austin Pritchard led the way in the win, as the linebacker posted 10 tackles, two TFLs and one sack.

Unlike their counterpart, the Huskies have used more of a rushing approach, and thus far it has been successful as the team is churning out 188.0 ypg on 4.6 yards per carry. Me'co Brown and Chad Spann have been a very dangerous tandem in the backfield, as Brown is pacing the team with 377 yards on 6.0 ypg, while Spann has become a goal line specialist racking up six scores to go along with 152 rushing yards. Not to be overlooked is the play of Chandler Harnish under center, as the quarterback has completed 65.5 percent of his throws and has five touchdowns against just one interception. Surprisingly however the Huskies were bottled up by Idaho this past Saturday, as the team finished with just 312 total yards in the three-point setback. Brown was held to just 46 yards and one touchdown on 3.8 yards per carry, while Harnish paced the team with 62 rushing yards. Harnish also had a solid game with his arm, throwing for 184 yards and two scores on 17-of-23 efficiency.

The Huskies come into this weekend allowing 367.0 total yards per matchup, which is nothing special, but the team has kept opponents off the scoreboard for the most part, holding them to just 22.5 ppg. The one area of concern for NIU has come against the run, as teams are currently gashing the Huskies for 147.0 yards per game and out of the 11 scores surrendered by this unit seven have come via the run. Fortunately the team has been able to force eight turnovers on the season, but pressuring the quarterback has been an issue, as the team comes into this contest with just seven sacks. The team's struggles against the run continued in its recent setback to Idaho, as the Huskies were punished by the Vandals for 207 rushing yards on 4.7 ypc. However, on top of the terrible run defense, the Huskies were also abused through the air, as Idaho added 270 yards and three touchdowns via the pass. Alex Kube was one of the few bright spots in the loss, as the linebacker recorded 11 tackles and 2.5 TFLs.

The Huskies allowed Idaho to come into their stadium and walk out with a win, and that is something no head coach wants to see. However, that could be the case again this weekend, as the Broncos are one of the more complete teams in the conference.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Western Michigan 32, Northern Illinois 28