DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team kicks off its 2026 home slate this weekend, hosting Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m..
Saturday will be the 58th meeting between NIU and Illinois State with the Huskies holding a 26-22-9 advantage in the series. The series dates back to Nov. 24, 1906, a 6-5 NIU win. The teams last played on Aug. 31, 2019 in a 24-10 Huskies win at Huskie Stadium.
Last week for NIU (0-1), redshirt freshman linebacker Jashawn Nelson led all players with 10 tackles (seven solo) while adding a tackle for loss and pass breakup at No. 22 Iowa. Junior cornerback Yassine Falke recorded an interception and a tackle for loss in his NIU debut.
Fifteen Huskies made their first start for NIU last weekend. Sophomore wide receiver Kelan McInerney led the team in receiving with 55 yards in his debut while defensive tackle Jacob McGhee had a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss.
Illinois State (2-0) enters the game ranked No. 4 in the FCS and are coming off a 41-10 win at Western Illinois. Wide receiver Dylan Lord has a team-high 141 receiving yards on eight catches with a pair of touchdowns through two games. At quarterback, Beckham Pellant is 14-of-28 on the season with 246 yards and three touchdowns with one interception while Gage Roy is 18-of-23 for 210 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Linebackers Dexter and Tye Niekamp lead the Illinois State defense, with Dexter totaling eight tackles and two interceptions while Tye has seven stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.
During Saturday’s game, NIU, the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame will jointly honor 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame electee Jordan Lynch with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute.
September 11, 2026
