BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 21: Head Coach Tim Lester of the Western Michigan Broncos sends a signal out to his team during second half action against the BYU Cougars at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 21, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 49-18. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
Western Michigan looks to stay perfect as they take on Northern Illinois in a MAC matchup at Waldo Stadium on Saturday.
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The game (Noon ET start time) won’t be on regular TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Northern Illinois vs Western Michigan live on ESPN+ right here:
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You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Northern Illinois vs Western Michigan Preview
Not much has gone right for North Illinois this season, losing three games to start the year and sitting in the basement of the MAC standings. The Huskies are giving up 40 points per game and scoring just 21.7.
NIU’s latest blemish was a 31-25 loss to Ball State. While the loss stung, the Huskies did pile up 412 yards of offense, 300 of that through the air. NIU also won the time of possession battle by nearly 5 minutes.
“We’ve got to keep finding ways to get our playmakers the ball and find any chance to get them in a one-on-one situation,” NIU head coach Thomas Hammock said. “Last week, we started doing that more. I think we have certain plays we want to call to make sure we get the ball in those guys’ hands.”
Hammock knows his team will have their hands full against Western Michigan, a team that is 3-0 and has their sights set on a MAC title.
“Western Michigan is a very good football team,” Hammock said. “They have guys who can make plays and change the game. We need to make sure we’re very sound in everything we do in all three phases.”
The Broncos raced past Central Michigan in their last contest, winning 52-44 in thrilling fashion. Western Michigan amassed 628 yards of offense in the victory, including nearly 250 yards on the ground.
The Broncos are expected to be healthier for this matchup after a week off.
“We need time to heal,” WMU head coach Tim Lester said. “Really, no one has come back yet, but we’ve taken a couple days to try to do a lot of rehab. We had a great practice on Saturday; got after it pretty good, and then kind of just did a walkthrough yesterday; they’re off today, so really, we only did one thing in the last four or five days just to try to get their legs back.
“(NIU has) played three really good teams; they’ve been physical and have been in every game, so it’s going to be a challenge, and we’re excited to get some guys back. We’re hoping to get some of these guys practicing this week at some point. … I don’t really know all the answers because it’s really early in the week yet, but we’re hopeful that we can get we get a lot of them back.”
Western Michigan is a 20-point favorite for the matchup, with the total set at 64.5 points.