Redbirds face biggest challenge of young season at Northern Illinois

Image courtesy of Redbird Athletics

No. 4 Illinois State football will face its biggest challenge of the season Saturday when it travels to DeKalb to take on Northern Illinois at 6 p.m. at Huskie Stadium.

The Redbirds enter the matchup 2-0 after opening the season with dominant wins over St. Francis and Western Illinois. ISU defeated St. Francis 76-0 before earning a 41-10 victory over Western Illinois last Saturday.

Northern Illinois will provide a significant jump in competition for the Redbirds.

The Huskies opened their season against Iowa, falling 40-0 in Iowa City. Saturday will be Northern Illinois’ home opener and gives the Huskies an opportunity to respond in front of their home crowd.

Despite Northern Illinois’ opening loss, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said the Redbirds cannot judge the Huskies solely on their performance against Iowa.

“I don’t know how much you can tell from one game and playing a really good opponent in Iowa,” Spack said.

Instead, Spack said the Redbirds are preparing for a talented roster that presents problems at nearly every position.

“They have good players,” Spack said. “They’re the best team we’ve seen.”

Much of that concern comes from the Huskies’ physicality.

Spack said Northern Illinois has size throughout its offensive line and expects the Huskies to challenge the Redbirds at the line of scrimmage.

“They’re very, very big, long,” Spack said. “They can push around the front because of their size.”

The Huskies also have a physical running game led in part by their No. 45 running back.

“He’s a big back,” Spack said. “He’s a handful.”

Stopping the run will be one of the first challenges for an Illinois State defense that has allowed just 10 points through its first two games.

The Redbirds will also have to account for Northern Illinois’ receivers, who Spack described as long and athletic.

One receiver in particular caught Spack’s attention after getting behind Iowa’s defense for several big plays.

The matchup on the outside could be one of the more important battles of the game, especially against a Northern Illinois offense looking to find a rhythm after being held scoreless in its opener.

Quarterback also remains an area Illinois State is preparing for.

Northern Illinois used two quarterbacks against Iowa, and Spack said the Redbirds will be prepared for either player to take the majority of the snaps.

“We have to be ready for both guys,” Spack said. “It’s none of our business. We have to focus on us and how we defend their offense.”

On the other side of the ball, Northern Illinois’ defense presents another difficult test for an Illinois State offense that has scored 117 points through two games.

The Huskies primarily use a four-man defensive front but can change their looks and coverage schemes throughout a game.

“They have a system of what they play, their base defense, and they play it, and they play very well,” Spack said.

Northern Illinois can also bring pressure when it chooses, although Spack does not expect the Huskies to rely on blitzing throughout the game.

“They will pressure and they’ll blitz you,” Spack said. “But they’re not an all-out blitz team.”

Instead, Spack expects Northern Illinois to rely on its defensive system and athleticism.

The battle up front could be especially important for Illinois State.

“Can your offensive line handle the defensive line? Can your defensive line cause chaos and create plays?” Spack said.

For the Redbirds, Saturday will also be an opportunity to clean up some mistakes from their win over Western Illinois.

Penalties were one of Spack’s biggest concerns coming out of the game, particularly personal fouls that occurred after the whistle.

“You can’t have that,” Spack said.

Spack said those mistakes could become much more damaging against a team like Northern Illinois.

Illinois State had opportunities to put Western Illinois away earlier, but penalties helped extend possessions and keep the Leathernecks within striking distance.

“We were fortunate,” Spack said.  “That could have swung a game.”

The Redbirds will also have to be prepared for Northern Illinois’ special teams.

Spack said the Huskies have been strong in the return game and have created problems for opponents with their punt pressure.

“They’ve blocked a lot of punts,” Spack said. “They’ve got a very good kickoff return team.”

That makes field position another potential factor in a game that could come down to a handful of possessions.

While the competition gets tougher, Illinois State appears to be entering the game in good health.

Spack said the Redbirds came out of the Western Illinois game with no significant injuries and that a few players simply had their practice reps limited during the week.

The Redbirds have also emphasized preparation away from the field.

Spack said players have done a good job managing hydration, nutrition and sleep, particularly through the summer and early part of the season.

“I think it was obvious that our players took care of themselves,” Spack said.

Saturday will put that preparation to the test.

The Redbirds have already shown they can overwhelm their first two opponents. Now, they will have to prove they can execute against an FBS opponent with the size, speed and athleticism to challenge them in every phase.

Spack knows the challenge is different this week.

“Now we turn a page and step up in competition,” Spack said

For all things Redbird football, stay tuned to WZND.com.