SETTING THE SCENE
Date: September 12, 2026
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: DeKalb, Ill.
Facility: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Capacity: 38,211
Series: NIU leads 26-22-9
Last: NIU won 24-10 (Aug. 31, 2019)
Watch/Stream: Mountain West+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM / 102.1 FM / 98.9 FM WJEZ/ The Varsity Network
THE GAME
The in-state road trip continues for Illinois State, as the No. 4 ranked Redbirds (2-0) head north to DeKalb to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-1) of the Mountain West. The game is the third in as many weeks for the Redbirds against opponents from the state of Illinois and the second in as many games against a state directional school.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Northern Illinois will meet for the 58th time on the gridiron on Saturday. The series dates back to 1906 and NIU holds a 26-22-9 lead over ISU. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2019, when the Huskies held on for a 24-10 win over the Redbirds in DeKalb. Illinois State has lost the last five meetings against Northern Illinois, with its last win in the series coming in 1980, when the Redbirds picked up a 28-18 win over the Huskies in DeKalb.
THE COACHES
Illinois State: Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) is in his 18th season as the head coach at Illinois State (125-79). Spack guided the Redbirds to back-to-back shares of the MVFC title in 2014-15 and a pair of FCS Championship game appearances (2014, 2025). He has led the ISU to seven playoff appearances overall and became the program's all-time wins leader in 2021. Spack has FBS wins over Eastern Michigan (2012), Northwestern (2016) and Colorado State (2018) in his career at ISU.
Northern Illinois: Rob Harley (Ohio State, 2005) is in his first season as the interim head coach at Northern Illinois (0-1), after being appointed to the role in February of 2026. Harley was previously the defensive coordinator for the Huskies during the 2025 season, after four seasons spent as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Arkansas State.
THE REDBIRD FOOTBALL PROGRAM
- 10 FCS playoff appearances (1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024, 2025)
- 7-time FCS quarterfinalists (1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2025)
- 3-time FCS semifinalists (1999, 2014, 2025)
- 2-time FCS Championship game qualifier (2014, 2025)
- ISU is 16-1 against FCS opponents on the road the past three seasons; have won 10 straight FCS games on the road (longest current streak in the country)
- The team is 71-27 at home under Spack's guidance
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
- Northern Illinois University is located in DeKalb, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 16,234. The Huskies are members of the Mountain West Conference and play their home games at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium (28,211).
- The Huskies are competing in the new-look Mountain West Conference, which also includes former FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. NIU is led by interim head coach Rob Harley, who served as the Huskies defensive coordinator in 2025. The Huskies added 29 transfers this season, including 17 on the defensive side of the ball and 10 on offense.
- The NIU offense is led by offensive coordinator Tony Petersen, who served in that same role previously at Illinois State.
- NIU dropped its season opener last Saturday to Iowa, as the Hawkeyes stymied the Huskies' offense in a 40-0 shutout win. NIU amassed just seven first downs in the game and were held to just 120 yards of total offense against Iowa.
- Running Back Telly Johnson Jr. was named to the Preseason Doak Walker Watch List following a strong sophomore campaign. Wide receiver DeAree Rogers is also back for the Huskies, after leading the team in receiving in 2025 with 46 catches for 506 yards and three TDs.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE HUSKIES (Aug. 31, 2019)
A 14-point fourth quarter by Northern Illinois gave the Huskies to a 24-10 victory over the No. 13-ranked Illinois State Redbirds at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. Quarterback Brady Davis threw for 187 yards and touchdown in the contest, with Taylor Grimes leading the way with 109 yards receiving and a TD. Safety Luther Kirk led the way for the Redbird defense with nine tackles, while linebacker Dylan Draka had seven stops with an interception in the contest.
ILLINOIS BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE LINE
As Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary this year in towns all across the state of Illinois, the Redbirds will be looking to cement themselves as one of the top programs in the state in 2026. For the first time since 2019, the Redbirds will take on Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois in the same season. That year, the Redbirds went 3-1 against the teams with the lone loss coming to the Huskies of NIU by a score of 24-10 in the season opener. This year, ISU take on WIU, EIU and NIU in three-consecutive weekends to start the month of September, before they wrap up the Land of Lincoln contests on the road against Southern Illinois on national television in October.
ROAD WARRIORS
Over the past three seasons, Illinois State has been very comfortable going on the road picking up key victories away from home. In the past three years, ISU is 16-3 on the road with two of those losses coming to FBS foes in Iowa (2024) and Oklahoma (2025). In 2024, the Redbirds won six-straight FCS road games before suffering a second-round playoff loss to UC Davis and in 2025, the Redbirds went 9-0 on the road against FCS foes. ISU's road winning streak moved to 10 in a row after the team's 41-10 win at Western Illinois this season, extending the longest road winning streak in the FCS.
GAVRIC MAKING AN IMPACT
After redshirting as a true freshman last season, Stevan Gavric had the opportunity to learn from one of the best wide receivers in FCS football in Dan Sobkowicz and hone his skills alongside one of the best to ever do it at Illinois State. That experience seems to be paying off for Gavric early on in 2026, as he has recorded a touchdown in each of the first two wins for ISU. He caught the first of his career in the opener against St. Francis, and then followed that up with a 36-yard touchdown catch from Gage Roy in the road victory at Eastern Illinois. He's averaging 15.0 yards per catch on the year early on and has added another weapon to the passing game that already includes standouts Dylan Lord and Luke Mailander.
SUCCESS IN HOME OPENERS
The Redbirds have been very good at home under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack, especially in the first home game of each season. Thanks to their 76-0 win over St. Francis (lll.) to open the 2026 slate, ISU is 17-1 in the first home game of the season at Hancock Stadium under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack.
THAT'S A LOT OF REDBIRDS
With the new NCAA eligiblity rules changing to the 5-for-5 model, one could figure that a lot more players who would have been redshirts in previous years were going to take the field for Illinois State in the home opener against St. Francis (Ill.). ISU head coach Brock Spack took full advantage of the opportunity, as he played a total of 86 players in the game including several true freshman who got their first playing time as Redbirds.
FINDING THE END ZONE FOR THE FIRST TIME
As can happen early in the season, newcomers to a football team can record a lot of "firsts" in a Redbird uniform. In the team's home opening win St. Francis (Ill.), several Redbirds scored their first touchdowns in the victory over the Saints. Running back Tyler Lofton found the end zone three times, twice on the ground and one through the air, and fellow running back Albert Gooden III also scored his first career touchdown on the ground. Wide receivers Stevan Gavric and Travis Stamm also hauled in their first career TD receptions in the contest, while quarterbacks Gage Roy and Chase Kwiatkowski each threw their first touchdown passes.
IMPRESSIVE START TO THE YEAR
The No. 4 team in the country certainly played like that in the season opener against St. Francis (Ill.), as the Redbirds scored 76 points on way to a shutout win over the Fighting Saints. The 76 points scored are the second-most in program history (80 vs. Eureka in 1937 is the record) and the most ever scored inside Hancock Stadium. ISU racked up 589 yards of total offense in the win, with 353 of those coming on the ground. The defense also forced an interception and held the Saints to just 14 yards rushing in the contest, as 13 different players caught passes in the victory for the Redbirds. The Redbirds also started the game scoring touchdowns on its first 10 possessions and scored TDs on 11 of the 13 total drives on the game.
NO SEPARATION AT QUARTERBACK
The Redbirds headed into the season with the competition at starting quarterback still up for grabs, and the results from the season opener against St. Francis (Ill.) certainly did not help bring much clarity to the situation. Both of the Redbirds' primary quarterbacks were stellar in the contest, with starter Beckham Pellant going 6-for-6 for 114 yards and two touchdown passes and Gage Roy finishing 10-for-10 for 85 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. Not only did those two play well but so did third-string QB Chase Kwiatkowski, who was 5-for-7 for 37 yards and a touchdown while addeing 35 yards rushing on the ground.
BIRDS PICKED SECOND; 12 REDBIRDS NAMED TO MVFC WATCH LIST
Illinois State was picked second in the annual Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll, at the league's media day in Sioux Falls. South Dakota State was picked as the league favorite, as the Jackrabbits received 28 of a possible 36 first-place votes and 312 total points to outdistance the 2026 national runner-up Redbirds, who received three first-place votes and 256 points. Youngstown State (235 points), North Dakota (211 points) and South Dakota (196) points rounded out the top five in the poll. In addition, the MVFC released a player "Watch List" to highlight the league's top student-athletes heading into fall camp. Running back Victor Dawson, wide receivers Luke Mailander and Dylan Lord, offensive linemen Logan Brasfield and Landon Woodard, defensive lineman Ben Harman, linebackers Tye Niekamp, Dexter Niekamp and Mason Kaplan, safety La'Shavion Brown, punter Hayden Futch and all-purpose WR/KR Mar'quan Gary were the Redbird standouts named to the list.
FIVE REDBIRDS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
A quartet of Illinois State standouts were tabbed as preseason FCS All-Americans by Stats Perform. Senior linebacker Tye Niekamp was named a First-Team selection, senior running back Victor Dawson and senior running earned Second-Team honors, and senior offensive lineman Landon Woodard and senior safety La'Shavion Brown garnered Third-Team plaudits. In addition, wide receiver Luke Mailander was named a fourth-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele.
NIEKAMP MAINTAINS HIS SPOT AMONG BEST FCS DEFENDERS
Already a three-time All-American in his career, Illinois State linebacker Tye Niekamp has earned a spot among the best defenders in the FCS, as he was named to the Stats Perform 30-player preseason watch list for the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. Niekamp is one of five returning finalists from 2025 on this year's watch list, as he finished eighth in the Buck Buchanan Award voting following last season. He was a consensus First-Team All-American selection, earning honors from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central on SI, The Associated Press, the AFCA, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Phil Steele. The Normal, Illinois, native was one of 11 players named to the 13th annual 2025 Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's (FCS ADA) All-America Team, as the top linebacker in the country.
DAWSON ON WATCH FOR THE PAYTON
Illinois State senior running back Victor Dawson has earned a spot among the best offensive players in the country, as he was named to the Stats Perform 30-player preseason watch list for the iconic Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football and is celebrating its 40th Anniversary season. Dawson was a 2025 MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection and ranked third in the MVFC in rushing yards with 1,377. The Akron, Ohio, native ranked No. 9 in the FCS in rushing yards and tied for second on the team with five rushing touchdowns. He averaged 81.0 yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry in 17 games played, while recording six games with over 100 yards rushing, including four-straight 100-yard efforts to end the year in the FCS playoffs.
LORD RETURNS TO THE NEST
After missing the majority of his freshman season due to injury, Dylan Lord had a resurgent year for the Redbirds in 2025 and saved his best performance of the season for the biggest stage of them all. Lord set career-highs in receptions (13), receiving yards (161) and touchdowns (2) in a breakout effort for the Redbirds in the FCS National Championship game against Montana State, scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and a TD in the overtime period as well. Following the game, Lord dipped his toes into the transfer portal, but chose to return to the Redbirds for his third season to help the team get back to Nashville.
ROBINSON TO JOIN ILLINOIS STATE'S BEST ON HOMECOMING
One of Illinois State's football's best will take his place amongst the University's all-time greats in October, as former running back James Robinson will be inducted as part of the 2026 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame class during Homecoming festivities. A two-time FCS All-American, Robinson finished his illustrious career ranked No. 2 in the ISU record books in rushing yards (4,444), rushing touchdowns (44), all-purpose yards (5,218) and total touchdowns scored (46). As a senior in 2019, Robinson was a consensus First-Team All-American and led the MVFC in rushing yards (1,899), yards per game (126.6) and touchdowns (18). He capped off his career with a pair of 200-plus yard efforts in the first and second round of the FCS playoffs, that included a school-record breaking 297-yard effort in the first-round with at Southeast Missouri. Following his career at ISU, he became the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in his rookie season and finished with the record for most scrimmage yards of any rookie free agent in NFL history.
