Northern Illinois
Huskies

"The sixth win is important, and now it's really important to get ready for Ball State," he said. "Each game is getting more and more important. It's important to focus on what you want, and you can't get distracted with [other] things going on. If we can get the youngsters focused week to week day to day, we've got a chance to be a good football team. That's what we have to do, and we are learning to do that."

The biggest decision for Kill is picking a starting quarterback. Sophomore Chandler Harnish sat out the last three games after suffering a knee injury at Toledo. Reserve DeMarcus Grady benefitted from a weak schedule during Harnish's absence -- Miami-Ohio, Akron and Eastern Michigan had a combined one win at the time they played the Huskies. Grady took advantage of the extra playing time, rushing for 100-plus yards the last two games.

Harnish practiced this week, but Kill doesn't want to rush his starter back.

"Our goal was to see if we could get him ready for Ball State," Kill said of Harnish. "He took reps with us yesterday and he looked okay. He didn't look rusty, so that's a good thing. Anybody coming off a knee injury, it's not the same as someone coming off a broken finger or the flu. It's a different deal. I'm going to have to feel real comfortable before I put him back out there, for his best interest. He's still a sophomore. I'm always going with the best interest of the young man."

Regardless who starts for the Huskies at quarterback, the running game will be the central focus. The Huskies lead the conference in rushing at 229.6 yards per game, ranking 11th in the country. Chad Spann, third in the nation in scoring, gets another chance to pad his numbers against inferior competition. The junior has rushed for 455 yards in his last three games, averaging 8.6 yards per rush.

--QB DeMarcus Grady is 3-0 as a starter since replacing injured starter Chandler Harnish. Grady has rushed for over 100 yards in the last two games.

--DE Jake Coffman, at 25 years old, leads the Huskies with nine tackles for a loss and five and a half sacks.

SERIES HISTORY: Ball State leads series 14-20-2 (last meeting, 2008, 45-14 BSU)

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The Huskies will attack Ball State with a powerful running game. The Huskies rushed for 418 yards in their last contest against Eastern Michigan. The Huskies rank 11th in the country in rushing at 229.6 yards per game. Ball State's defense enters the game allowing 157.4 rushing yards per game.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Huskies remain stingy in the red zone. The Huskies allow opponents to score just 16.8 points per game. The Huskies rank second in the country in red zone defense, behind only Penn State. The Huskies have stopped opponents eight times on 22 trips inside the red zone.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "This game is critical to us. Number one is that we're playing at home again. If we want to have any chance at the postseason, we cannot lose at home. It's a crucial game. It's the next game on our schedule. We have everything in front of us and we cannot afford to trip up. I think our approach is good. I think we understand what we need to do. We're very concerned about Ball State." -- NIU coach Jerry Kill on the importance of beating Ball State.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

TB Chad Spann has scored 16 touchdowns this season and coming off a monster performance against Eastern Michigan.

LB Cory Hanson is playing his final home game after earning MAC West Defensive Player of the Week following the EMU game.

WR Landon Cox caught touchdown passes of 30 and 31 yards last week. His 84-yard reception game was NIU's top receiving yardage day of the season.

ROSTER REPORT:

--QB Chandler Harnish, who has sat out the last three games, is a game-time decision for the Ball State game. Harnish injured his knee at Toledo, but returned to practice this week.

--LG Jason Onyebuagu has a high ankle sprain, forcing him to wear a walking boot off the field. The injury won't keep him out the lineup against Ball State.

--S David Bryant is doubtful for this week's game.