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Northern Illinois 2004 football schedule features BGSU, Toledo home ESPN telecasts

DeKALB, IL--- If you thought last year’s Northern Illinois University football schedule was truly memorable, then check out the 11-game 2004 version that features competition from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Gateway Co




March 25, 2004

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 2004 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE FEATURES BGSU, TOLEDO ESPN HOME TELECASTS

DeKALB, IL--- If you thought last year’s Northern Illinois University football schedule was truly memorable, then check out the 11-game 2004 version that features competition from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Gateway Conference, plus eight Mid-American Conference contests.

Start with road rematches against Bowl Championship Series teams University of Maryland (September 4) and Iowa State University (September 18). Add the Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium home opener and the 42nd renewal of The Civil War versus Southern Illinois University (September 11). And the best is yet to come, folks.

Northern Illinois can avenge its only two setbacks last year with home dates against MAC West Division rivals Bowling Green State University (September 24) and the University of Toledo (November 10)---Friday and Wednesday night games, respectively, that will be the first ESPN or ESPN2 national telecasts originating from 40-year-old Huskie Stadium. Kickoff times and the specific ESPN outlet for the BGSU and UT match-ups will be released at a later date.

The schedule was announced by Northern Illinois director of athletics Cary Groth Thursday (March 25).

Ninth-year Huskie head coach Joe Novak---who was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2003---returns 41 lettermen and 14 of 24 starters this season from a 10-2 squad that gained national attention and Top 40 rankings for 16 consecutive weeks. Northern Illinois upset BCS powers Maryland, Alabama, and Iowa State and ranked as high as No. 10 in the first BCS standings and No. 12 in the Associated Press major-college poll en route to a 7-0 start last fall.

“This is another challenging football schedule for us,” Novak said. “We’re going to have our hands full when we open at Maryland and then at Iowa State two weeks later. I’m sure coaches Ralph Friedgen and Dan McCarney will be talking to their players about last year’s games all summer. Southern Illinois will be one of those can’t-miss, heated, in-state rivalry games. Coach Jerry Kill has done a great job and, obviously, SIU also finished 10-2 last year and made the 1-AA playoffs.

“Then we start our league schedule with three straight MAC contenders----Bowling Green, Akron, and Central Florida. The two ESPN games will be great national exposure for our program and our institution. Everywhere we went or recruited last year, people said they saw the Maryland game on TV nationally on Fox Sports Net. After the last two years, I think our program deserves this opportunity on ESPN,” Novak said.

“To be honest, we’re not exactly overjoyed about a Friday night game in regards to high school football. I coached at the high school level and I understand the other side of this. At the same time, the MAC commissioner Rick Chryst and ESPN have given our program an opportunity that you cannot turn down,” added Novak. “And when you consider 65 percent of our football roster is from in-state, that game will be a showcase for Illinois prep talent on a national scale.”

Actually, the NIU-Bowling Green State game represents the program’s first Friday home game on Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium and the program’s initial Friday contest during the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-A era since September 5, 1980, and November 17, 1972, dates both against Long Beach State in Anaheim Stadium. Since the end of World War II in 1945, Northern Illinois has played on Fridays 19 times---including a string of 13 dates for six consecutive years (1946-51). Due to the fact that NIU’s previous facility, Glidden Field, had no lights, the Friday night dates were played at the old DeKalb High School field---now the site of Clinton Rosette Middle School on North First Street. Thanks to the current all-purpose FieldTurf playing surface, Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium doubles as the football home of DeKalb High School.

The mid-week (Wednesday) Northern Illinois-Toledo game is more of a rarity. According to school records, only one has been played (September 16, 1953, at Lewis) in the last 60 seasons. In recent years, Thursday night games on the start of the Labor Day weekend have been quite commonplace with 10 season “openers” in the last 11 campaigns.

Novak’s Huskies play five home games---starting with SIU, BGSU, and the University of Akron. Northern Illinois hosts Central Michigan University (October 16) in its 98th Homecoming Game and concludes its home slate vs. Toledo (November 10). On the road, NIU plays at Maryland, Iowa State, University of Central Florida (October 9), Western Michigan University (October 23), Ball State University (October 30), and Eastern Michigan University (November 20).

Maryland, of course, bounced back from two early defeats, finished 10-3, wound up No. 20 in the final ESPN / USA Today poll, and defeated West Virginia, 41-7, in the Gator Bowl. Similar to the Huskies, Southern Illinois posted its first 10-2 season since 1983, winning its first ten outings and losing to eventual NCAA Division 1-AA kingpin University of Delaware in the first round of the playoffs. BGSU topped Northwestern University, 28-24, in the Motor City Bowl, produced an 11-3 record, and ended up No. 23 in both polls. At 7-5 overall, Akron placed third in the Mid-Am East Division behind Miami (OH) University and Marshall University. Toledo tied for the No. 2 spot in the MAC West and went 8-4 overall.

Northern Illinois played 12 games in each of the last two seasons due to an NCAA ruling that allowed that many dates during a season in which there were 14 playing weekends between the last Saturday in August and the final Saturday in November. With the exception of a 10-date schedule in 1980, the Huskies have played 11 game regular-season slates since 1971. NIU gained “major” or University Division---now called 1-A---status on the gridiron in 1969.

Previously, Northern Illinois football had appeared on four national ESPN telecasts---(1) vs. Cal State-Fullerton in the California Bowl in Fresno (December 17, 1983), (2) at Nevada-Las Vegas (November 28, 1987), (3) at Northwestern (September 29, 1990), and (4) at Bowling Green State (October 28, 2003). Two previous “national” TV games have originated from Huskie Stadium---(1) vs. Southern Mississippi (SportsChannel America on October 10, 1992) and (2) vs. Maryland (Fox Sports Net on August 28, 2003).

Renewals for season ticket holders will start in April at the NIU Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center. The three basic ticket packages for the five-game Huskie home schedule include (1) general public tickets ($75) and (2) faculty-staff, Varsity Club, or senior citizen tickets ($70) in the West Grandstand and (3) young alumni tickets ($60) in the East Grandstand. Single-game adult general admission tickets cost $17 apiece.

For further Northern Illinois football ticket information, please contact the NIU Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center via telephone at (AC 815) 753-4700 or toll free in Illinois in 1-800-332-HOWL (4695) and TicketMaster at (AC 312) 559-1212.

TO SEE THE 2004 HUSKIE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, CLICK HERE!!!

-30- (For more information, please contact Mike Korcek)