Ohio (3-3, 1-1 MAC) hosts Northern Illinois (1-5, 1-1 MAC) on Homecoming weekend, with both programs working to get back into the win column after each had stinging six-point setbacks in their most recent
contests.
Last week, the Huskies lost a dogfight with Eastern Michigan 16-10, unable to convert a fourth-and-10 at EMU’s 27-yard line with 40 seconds to go to get the winning score.
Two weeks back, Ohio was on the wrong end of an upset, falling to Ball State by a final tally of 20-14. The Cardinals stole that one late, scoring with 57 seconds to go to take their first— and only— lead of the contest.
We take a look at what both teams bring to the table to rebound this week.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Frank Solich Field (“The Frank”) at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio
- TV network options: The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ (a valid subscription is required). Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Barrett Brooks (color analyst) on the call.
- Radio options: Marty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color analyst) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5 and Varsity Network while Andy Garcia starts (play-by–play) while and Mark Lindo (color analyst) call it for 94-9 WDKB in DeKalb.
- Gambling considerations: Ohio are 11.5 point favorites, with an over/under of 41.5, per FanDuel.
- All-Time Series: Northern Illinois leads the series 14-11, with the last meeting ending in a 23-13 Huskies victory back on Oct. 14, 2023.
About the Northern Illinois Huskies
As we saw last week, NIU features one of the MAC’s better defenses, with a run-focused offense in development.
The defense is led by first year defensive coordinator Rob Harley, who has forged a rock-solid crew this year. Despite playing San Diego, Mississippi State, and Maryland, who have a combined 13-5 record, NIU’s rank per game average out of 134 FBS teams is 40th in total yards allowed (313), 42nd in points (20.3 on average), and 21st in passing yards allowed (166).
As suggested above, the pass defense has been leading the way with only one game of more than 200 passing yards allowed in six contests.
The run defense has been gaining ground the last three weeks as well, holding San Diego State, Miami University and Eastern Michigan all under four yards per tote. Over that span, the Huskies defense has allowed just two rushes of 20 yards or more, so the explosive plays are held in check.
The foundation of the base 4-2-5 is an athletic and relentless defensive line featuring a number of playmakers including monster figure defensive end Roy Williams, who was second-team all conference last year, bringing his six-foot-five, 260 lb. frame to the fray.
Manning the center of the defense is tackling machine linebacker Quinn Urwiler, who is tied with Buffalo Bulls backer Red Murdock for the conference lead with 70 tackles so far this year.
The back end of the defense is patrolled by a dynamic duo at safety in Muhammed Jammeh and Jasper Beeler, who have combined for 78 stops, three interceptions, and three tackles-for-loss.
Offensively, NIU continues to develop with the squad averaging 12 points a contest in its first two MAC games (Miami, Eastern Michigan). The outfit has favored the ground game, for instance, slotting in as one of the heaviest rushing attacks in the NCAA by non-service academy teams. Over the last three weeks, NIU has called a run play 67 percent of the time.
The NIU attack is spearheaded by a pair of backs, including Telly Johnson Jr., who leads the club with 417 yards rushing while Chavon Wright has also regularly contributed with 317 yards and a score. Lazaro Rogers has been a third runner recently, picking up 115 yards— including a 75-yard scamper— since his debut three weeks ago.
QB Josh Holst got the first four starts, but the Huskies have gone with the big true freshman Brady Davidson the last two starts. The six-foot-five, 224 lb. Davidson has completed about 45 percent of his passes for 215 yards and a passing score so far.
Whoever is at quarterback, the main passing option has been WR DeAree Rogers, leading the club in receiving yards (289) and receptions (28). Don’t be surprised to see NIU uncork a deep one or two to Rogers or another wideout early in the game to catch lightning in a bottle or at least keep the defense honest against the run.
About the Ohio Bobcats
The ‘Cats head into the contest a bit fresher after a bye week and with a chance to defend their MAC title very much in play.
The second half of the season starts off at home, where Ohio has a nearly perfect 18-1 record since the field was christened ”The Frank” back in 2022— notably with a 24-17 win over NIU.
The Ball State loss was a shocker, but this year’s club has shown a lot of promise while continuing to work towards a little more consistency on offense and on field goals.
The offense’s style and the main cast of characters are well established at this point and feature a ground game lead by 2024 second-team all-conference QB Parker Navarro and running backs Sieh Bangura and Duncan Brune. In six games, the trio has rushed for 1,120 yards— led by Bangura’s 481 yards.
In the passing game, Navarro enters the contest with 1,266 yards passing, completing 64 percent of his throws with a TD to interception ratio of 9:4. When the Bobcats do go to the air, Navarro has many options, including wideout Chase Hendricks, who is currently sixth in the nation with 585 receiving yards. Hendricks is a smart, high football IQ player, like last week when he came back to a ball to knock it away from the defender in the endzone to prevent an interception.
Joining Hendricks is veteran wideout Rodney Harris II, who can help make the offense work by being a willing run blocker or making a touch catch-and-run like last game versus Ball State, where he powered his way to paydirt on a 23-yard pass.
Ohio’s offense features a couple of tight ends in Mason Williams and Jake Bruno, who have wreaked havoc at times, including in the run-pass option game.
The Bobcats continue to grow defensively and the 20 points per game allowed in MAC play so far against Bowling Green and Ball State may be a winning formula in conference play with the offense’s potential prowess.
The Bobcats pride themselves on stopping the run and will need to against NIU to win. Ohio was sound against a run-first Ball State squad last time out, especially in the first half, which is a feather in their cap heading into this one.
Reviewing the defensive roster, the ‘Cats feature very sound players at all levels of the defense. A breakout player in 2025 so far for Ohio is defensive end Jay Crable, who leads the club with four sacks.
The linebacking corps is new in 2025 and seems to improve weekly. Exhibiting some versatility against the run and pass are players like Michael Molnar, who eads the squad with 52 tackles while contributing three PBUs and 1.5 sacks. Cameron Hollobaugh has come on strong in recent weeks filling in for an injured Jack Fries, recording 35 stops with an interception and forced fumble in the last four games.
Safety Adonis Williams Jr is second on the team in tackles (46), and should be an important cog in defending against NIU’s rushing attack this week.
Final Thoughts
It’s early in MAC play, but we’ve already had reminders that anything can happen .
Ohio were two touchdown favorites heading in to their game against Ball State, and ended up losing in the final minute. An improbable comeback win by Bowling Green over rival Toledo saw the Falcons overcome a 21-point deficit on some zany scoring plays and shake up the top of the MAC table.
Fittingly, then, could this be the week where a low-scoring NIU offense breaks out for 40 points? Can’t rule it out on the principle of #MACtion. More likely though, the game should be a defensive battle.
The thing that makes NIU such a dangerous opponent despite its scoring struggles and record is the defense is so good that it is possible to lose to NIU if its offense can break even a few explosive plays. The big play potential is there too, as we saw last week when RB Tully Johnson Jr.hit an 80-yard run to take the lead at Eastern Michigan.
For Ohio, it will probably come down to limiting those big plays by NIU’s offense, while avoiding self-inflicted wounds on offense and capitalizing on precious scoring opportunities near the red area.
