Mississippi State will try to complete a spotless non-conference schedule by beating Northern Illinois in their first-ever matchup on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
Coming off a 63-0 rout of Alcorn State, coach Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs (3-0) are in great shape to enter Southeastern Conference play unbeaten but they are wary of the Huskies (1-1).
“It’s about the ability to be 4-0 … for us to have an undefeated non-conference (schedule),” Lebby said on Monday. “We have a great, great test on Saturday. (The Huskies) have gone on the road and won huge games. You point to that more than anything.”
NIU does have a reputation under seventh-year head coach Thomas Hammock of crafting upsets against Power 4 schools.
The Huskies’ greatest one came a year ago against No. 5 Notre Dame, leaving the legendary South Bend stadium with a 16-14 shocker in the Fighting Irish’s only regular-season loss.
It was NIU’s first victory over a top-10 foe, and it became the first MAC program to beat a top-five team.
However, this season’s Huskies, a three-touchdown underdog against the Bulldogs, struggled to a 19-17 win over Holy Cross before succumbing to Maryland two weeks ago before a bye week.
“I’m proud of the way the guys played,” Hammock said after the 20-9 defeat at Maryland, which required a fourth-quarter touchdown pass by the Terrapins to ice the win. “I’m proud of the way they competed for four quarters against a Big Ten opponent with a lot more resources, and we showed we have a lot of heart.”
NIU is averaging 179 rushing yards per game (59th in NCAA), while allowing just 74 on the ground (tied for 13th).
“They’ve done a great job of getting off blocks,” Lebby added of NIU’s run defense. “It’s really hard to dent the interior. They are a physical bunch, with the (middle linebacker) and (weakside linebacker) being guys that play downhill. And it’s the same deal: They don’t stay blocked.”
The Bulldogs’ Blake Shapen has tossed a TD pass in 18 straight games, the second-longest active streak behind Iowa State’s Rocco Becht (22).
Mississippi State has not started 4-0 since 2014.