FACTS & STATS: Site: Huskie Stadium (24,000) -- DeKalb, Illinois. Television: MAC TV/ESPN Game Plan. Home Record: Akron 1-2, NIU 2-1. Away Record: Akron 0-4, NIU 2-2. Neutral Record: Akron 0-0, NIU 0-0. Conference Record: Akron 0-3, NIU 2-1. Series Record: Series is tied, 5-5.

GAME NOTES: Mid-American Conference action will take place this Saturday afternoon when the Northern Illinois Huskies host the Akron Zips at Huskie Stadium.

The Zips have been dreadful this season, dropping six of their seven matchups. The last time Akron was on the field, the team suffered its fifth consecutive setback, falling to Syracuse, 28-14. The loss to the Orange left the Zips with an 0-4 mark on the road this season.

As for the Huskies, they are coming off a hard-fought, 27-22 decision over Miami-Ohio. It was the fourth win on the season for Northern Illinois, and it also pushed the team's league mark to 2-1 on the year. The Huskies, who are 2-1 at home this year, will remain in DeKalb for their next two matchups, as Eastern Michigan and Ball State are slated for meetings with Northern Illinois.

The Zips have won the last two matchups with Northern Illinois, tying the series at five games apiece. Both matchups took place in 2005, as the Zips defeated NIU in overtime during the regular-season, 48-42, and then once again in the MAC title game, 31-30.

Production from Akron's offensive unit has been tough to come by, as the team heads into this contest averaging a meager 280.0 total ypg, and that has translated into just 18.3 ppg. The ground game has been nothing special at just 106.6 ypg on a mere 3.2 yards per attempt. The top rusher for Akron has been Joe Tuzze, but he comes into this game with just 167 yards. The passing attack has not been much better, but that is because of the revolving door at quarterback. Chris Jacquemain played two games this season, before being suspended from the team, then Matt Rodgers took over for a couple of games, but he was lost for the season with a knee injury. Now Patrick Nicely is taking snaps for Akron, but he has completed just 51.2 percent of his throws and has just one touchdown against two interceptions. Akron struggled again in the loss to Syracuse, as the Zips totaled just 191 yards. Since the ground game was held to zero yards, the passing attack did all the work, as Nicely threw for 191 yards and one score on 16-of-25 passing. However, the quarterback was sacked five times.

On top of the weak play offensively, the defense has been unable to put forth a consistent effort, as the Zips are surrendering 26.4 ppg on 351.9 total ypg. What has hurt this unit the most has been its inability to stop the run, as opponents are gashing Akron for 169.1 ypg on 4.3 yards per attempt. Akron has also found it hard to force big plays, as the team has recorded just 13 takeaways and five sacks. The Zips' struggles against the run continued in the team's recent loss to Syracuse, as the defense was gashed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry. The Zips did force two turnovers in the contest, and also held Syracuse to just 2-of-9 on third downs, but also allowed the Orange to score on 4-of-5 red zone chances.

Running the football early and often has been the approach for Northern Illinois, as the Huskies are churning out 196.1 ypg on the ground, and out of the 23 touchdowns scored by this unit, 17 have come via the run. Overall Northern Illinois is averaging a modest 344.0 total ypg, but that has translated into an impressive 29.1 ppg. Right now Me'co Brown and Chad Spann have been a tremendous tandem in the backfield, as Brown is leading the way with 554 yards, while Spann has contributed 468 yards and 11 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per attempt. In the Huskies' last matchup, the team once again relied on the run, as Northern Illinois pounded Miami-Ohio for 202 yards on 39 carries. Surprisingly, however, Brown was bottled up in the win, but Spann broke free plenty of times and finished the game with 156 yards and two scores on 21 totes. With the success on the ground, the team did not look to throw the ball much, which was probably a good thing since Chandler Harnish did not play. DeMarcus Grady was under center in the win, and the backup completed just 6- of-10 throws for 60 yards.

The Huskies need a strong defense if they intend to defeat opponents with their ground game, because it is very difficult to run the football on a consistent basis when a team is playing from behind. Fortunately the Huskies have played extremely well defensively, as the unit is limiting opponents to just 349.0 total yards per game and 19.3 ppg. Northern Illinois has done a nice job against the run, holding the opposition to just 115.3 ypg on 3.7 yards per attempt. However, this unit has struggled against the pass this year, yielding 233.7 ypg. This unit has played fast and tough and it shows, as the Huskies have forced plenty of mistakes this season (15 takeaways), and have also put pressure on opposing quarterbacks (17 sacks). In the recent victory over Miami-Ohio, the Huskies did an amazing job against the run, holding Miami to negative 11 yards on 27 carries. However, the defense did struggle against the pass, allowing 348 yards and three scores through the air.

Northern Illinois should have no trouble grabbing a victory in this matchup. Akron has played poorly on the road, and stopping the run has been a concern for the Zips as well. As long as the Huskies continue to dominate on the ground, they should end up with a solid victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Northern Illinois 31, Akron 17

Saturday, October 31st, 12:00 p.m. (et)