2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football
2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	1–2 (0–0 MAC)
Head coach	Thomas Hammock (7th season);
Offensive coordinator	Quinn Sanders (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Rob Harley (1st season)
Home stadium	Huskie Stadium
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

Last updated September 24, 2025

2025 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Buffalo	1	–	0	2	–	2
Western Michigan	1	–	0	1	–	3
Bowling Green	0	–	0	2	–	2
Central Michigan	0	–	0	2	–	2
Ohio	0	–	0	2	–	2
Northern Illinois	0	–	0	1	–	2
Akron*	0	–	0	1	–	3
Ball State	0	–	0	1	–	3
Eastern Michigan	0	–	0	1	–	3
Miami (OH)	0	–	0	0	–	3
UMass	0	–	0	0	–	3
Toledo	0	–	1	2	–	2
Kent State	0	–	1	1	–	3
Championship: December 6, 2025
* Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score As of September 24, 2025

The 2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represent Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies are led by Thomas Hammock in his seventh year as the head coach. The Huskies play home games at Huskie Stadium, located in DeKalb, Illinois.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Akim Lanieux	WR	Arizona State
Andre Cobb	DB	Fresno State
Ethan Tierney	S	Fresno State
Ethan Hampton	QB	Illinois
Amariyun Knighten	DB	Indiana
Raishein Thomas	DE	Mississippi State
Nevaeh Sanders	DE	Mississippi State
Cam Thompson	WR	Mississippi State
Santana Banner	S	Missouri
Jalen Johnson	WR	New Hampshire
Kenny Lueth	QB	Northern Colorado
Dane Pardridge	WR	Rutgers
Luke Marble	QB	South Dakota State
Dashaun Gibson	DB	Southern Illinois
Kyle Thomas	WR	Southern Illinois
Skyler Gill-Howard	DL	Texas Tech
Trayvon Rudolph	WR	Toledo
Christian Medlock	OL	Toledo
Keyshaun Pipkin	WR	UT Martin
Isaac Hatfield	LB	UTSA
Grayson Barnes	TE	West Virginia
Cam'Ron Dabney	DB	Western Carolina
Christian Fuhrman	LB	Unknown
Chase Schutty	TE	Unknown
Jalonnie Williams	DE	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Andrew Glass	K	Kent State
Thomas McCoy	WR	Marshall
Keshawn Lyons	CB	McKendree
Miles Thompson	CB	Texas Tech
Alvin Gulley Jr.	DL	Yale
Chavon Wright	RB	Charleston

^[2]^[3]

Preseason

The MAC Football Kickoff was held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT.^[4]

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 24 the MAC announced the preseason coaches' poll.^[5]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
MAC Coaches poll
1	Toledo	135 (7)
2	Miami	131 (3)
3	Ohio	123 (3)
4	Buffalo	115
5	Northern Illinois	94
6	Bowling Green	81
7	Western Michigan	71
8	Eastern Michigan	68
9	Central Michigan	65
10	Ball State	41
T11	Akron	39
T11	Massachusetts	39
13	Kent State	12

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Toledo	6
2	Miami	4
3	Ohio	3

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	2:30 p.m.	Holy Cross *	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	W 19–17	10,569
September 5	6:30 p.m.	at Maryland *	SECU Stadium College Park, MD	BTN	L 9–20	35,331
September 20	3:15 p.m.	at Mississippi State *	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	L 10–38	45,803
September 27	2:30 p.m.	San Diego State *	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+
October 4	2:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+
October 11		at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI
October 18		at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH
October 25		Ball State	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)
November 5	6:00 p.m./7:00 p.m.	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN2/ESPNU
November 12	6:00 p.m.	at UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 18	6:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 28	11:00 a.m.	Kent State	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNU/CBSSN
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

^[6]

Game summaries

Holy Cross (FCS)

Holy Cross Crusaders (FCS) (0–0) at Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Crusaders (FCS)	0	3	0	14	17
Huskies	3	3	0	13	19

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: August 30
Game time: 2:30 PM CDT
Game attendance: 10,569
Referee: Marcel Kerr
TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper, Ryan Cavanaugh

Game information

First quarter

NIU – Andrew Glass 20-yard field goal, 4:00. Huskies 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:24.

Second quarter

HC – Luis Palenzuela 33-yard field goal, 3:22. Tied 3–3. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:49.
NIU – Andrew Glass 39-yard field goal, 0:10. Huskies 6–3. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 3:07.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

HC – Blake Youngblood 16-yard pass from Cal Swanson (Luis Palenzuela kick), 10:34. Crusaders 10–6. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:27.
NIU – Dev'ion Reynolds 96-yard kickoff return (Andrew Glass kick failed), 10:21. Huskies 12–10.
NIU – Chavon Wright 2-yard run (Andrew Glass kick), 4:15. Huskies 19–10. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:05.
HC – Alijah Cason 97-yard kickoff return (Luis Palenzuela kick), 4:03. Huskies 19–17.

Statistics	HC	NIU
First downs	11	17
Total yards	218	289
Rushing yards	63	180
Passing yards	155	109
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–29–1	14–24–1
Time of possession	26:34	33:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Holy Cross	Passing	Cal Swanson	17/29, 155 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cal Swanson	12 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Max Mosey	6 receptions, 71 yards
Northern Illinois	Passing	Josh Holst	12/18, 101 yards, INT
	Rushing	Chavon Wright	11 carries, 77 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dearee Rogers	7 receptions, 73 yards

at Maryland

Northern Illinois Huskies (1–0) at Maryland Terrapins (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	3	6	0	9
Terrapins	3	7	3	7	20

at SECU Stadium • College Park, Maryland

Date: September 5
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Game weather:
Game attendance: 35,331
Referee: Matthew Richards
TV announcers (BTN): Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Matt Millen (color analyst) and Kylen Mills (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

MD – Sean O'Haire 36-yard field goal, 4:30. Terrapins 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:57.

Second quarter

MD – Dorian Fleming 12-yard pass from Malik Washington (Sean O'Haire kick), 8:46. Terrapins 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:51.

NIU – Andrew Glass 20-yard field goal, 0:03. Terrapins 10–3. Drive: 19 plays, 75 yards, 8:37.

Third quarter

MD – Sean O'Haire 29-yard field goal, 7:52. Terrapins 13–3. Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 5:09.
NIU – Telly Johnson Jr. 74-yard run (pass failed), 6:22. Terrapins 13–9. Drive: 3 plays, 73 yards, 1:25.

Fourth quarter

MD – Shaleak Knotts 42-yard pass from Malik Washington (Sean O'Haire kick), 9:20. Terrapins 20–9. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:00.

Statistics	NIU	MD
First downs	13	20
Plays–yards	70–271	64–340
Rushes–yards	48–180	28–86
Passing yards	91	254
Passing: comp–att–int	14–22–0	19–36–0
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	33:35	26:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Josh Holst	14/22, 91 yards
	Rushing	Chavon Wright	27 carries, 90 yards
	Receiving	Gary Givens	2 receptions, 26 yards
Maryland	Passing	Malik Washington	19/35, 254 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Nolan Ray	11 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Dorian Fleming	4 receptions, 70 yards, TD

at Mississippi State

Northern Illinois Huskies (1–1) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi

Date: September 20
Game time: 3:15 PM CDT
TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst) and Morgan Uber (sideline)

Statistics	NIU	MSST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

San Diego State

San Diego State Aztecs (2–1) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aztecs	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: September 27
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)

Statistics	SDSU	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
San Diego State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Miami (OH)

Miami RedHawks (0–0) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: October 4

Statistics	M-OH	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami (OH)	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Eastern Michigan

Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0
Eagles	-	-	-	-	0

at Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, Michigan

Date: October 11

Statistics	NIU	EMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Ohio

Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) vs. Ohio Bobcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0
Bobcats	-	-	-	-	0

at Peden Stadium • Athens, Ohio

Date: October 18

Statistics	NIU	OHIO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Ohio	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ball State (Bronze Stalk Trophy)

Ball State Cardinals (0–0) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: October 25

Statistics	BALL	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Toledo

Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) vs. Toledo Rockets (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0
Rockets	-	-	-	-	0

at Glass Bowl • Toledo, Ohio

Date: November 5

Statistics	NIU	TOL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Toledo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at UMass

Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) vs. UMass Minutemen (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0
Minutemen	-	-	-	-	0

at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, Massachusetts

Date: November 12
Game time: 7:00 PM EST

Statistics	NIU	MASS
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UMass	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Western Michigan

Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: November 18
Game time: 6:00 PM CST

Statistics	WMU	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Kent State

Kent State Golden Flashes (0–0) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Flashes	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

Date: November 28
Game time: 11:00 AM CST

Statistics	KENT	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

↑ Bonagura, Kyle (January 7, 2025). "Northern Illinois to join Mountain West as football-only in '26". ESPN . Retrieved June 29, 2025.
↑ "Northern Illinois Football Transfer Portal". ON3.
↑ "Northern Illinois Huskies 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
↑ "2025 Division I FBS Media Days". www.sportswriters.net. FWAA. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
↑ "Toledo Selected as Favorite in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
↑ "2025 Northern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] Bonagura, Kyle (January 7, 2025). "Northern Illinois to join Mountain West as football-only in '26". ESPN . Retrieved June 29, 2025.

[2] "Northern Illinois Football Transfer Portal". ON3.

[3] "Northern Illinois Huskies 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.

[4] "2025 Division I FBS Media Days". www.sportswriters.net. FWAA. Retrieved June 28, 2025.

[5] "Toledo Selected as Favorite in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.

[6] "2025 Northern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.

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v t e Northern Illinois Huskies football
Venues	Glidden Field (1903–1948, 1951–1965) Dekalb Township High School football field (1949–1950) Huskie Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Ball State: Bronze Stalk Trophy
Culture & lore	"Huskie Fight Song" Huskie Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

Contents

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Incoming

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

Schedule

Game summaries

Holy Cross (FCS)

at Maryland

at Mississippi State

San Diego State

Miami (OH)

at Eastern Michigan

at Ohio

Ball State (Bronze Stalk Trophy)

at Toledo

at UMass

Western Michigan

Kent State

References