Florida State is desperate for a victory after falling 30-7 at Syracuse and dropping to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in ACC play. The opponent on Saturday with be another team with a 1-2 record in Northern Illinois.
The Huskies hung tough with both Iowa and Utah to begin the season and have been no stranger to taking down Power 5 opponents in the past. The contest will be just the second meeting between the teams and the first that wasn’t played in a bowl.
The Match-Up
Who: Northern Illinois Huskies (1-2) at Florida State Seminoles (1-2)
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: 3:30 p.m. EST
Network: ESPNU
Spread: Florida State -10*
Last Week: Northern Illinois defeated Central Michigan, 24-16; FSU fell at Syracuse, 30-7
Key Players
For Northern Illinois
Tre Harbison, RB (R-So.): 228 yards rushing, 7.1 YPC
Sutton Smith, DE (R.-Jr.): 16 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3 sacks
Antonio Jones-Davis, LB (R-Jr.): 28 tackles, 2 PBU
For Florida State
Deondre Francois, QB (R-Jr.): 71-for-117 passing, 731 yards passing, 3 TD, 4 INT, 2 rush TD
Brian Burns, DE (Jr.): 11 tackles, 5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
Kyle Meyers, CB (Jr.): 12 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INT, FF
Series History
All-Time Series: Florida State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Florida State won in Orange Bowl, 31-10 (Jan. 1, 2013)
Last Meeting in Tallahassee: No prior meetings
First Meeting: Florida State won in Orange Bowl, 31-10 (Jan. 1, 2013)
Notable Contests
Florida State beat Northern Illinois, 31-10, in the Orange Bowl to cap the 2012 season. Fullback Lonnie Pryor rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns for FSU in the victory. The win gave FSU a school-record tying 12 wins, its first major bowl win since 1999 and its first AP top-10 finish since 2000.
What’s at Stake
For Northern Illinois: Northern Illinois will have a chance to even its record and get one of its biggest road wins ever. With a loss, the Huskies would start 1-3 and need to win five of its final eight games for bowl-eligibility.
For Florida State: FSU will look to avoid starting 1-3 for a second straight season. A loss would put FSU’s streak of 36 straight bowl appearances in serious jeopardy. FSU also tries to avoid its first home loss to a non-Power 5 team since South Florida in 2009. The Big East at the time however, was considered a major conference. Prior to that, the last home defeat to a non-major school came to Southern Mississippi in 1981.
Fun Fact
Northern Illinois’ head coach Rod Carey made his head coaching debut for the Huskies against Florida State. Carey was named the interim head coach for the 2013 Orange Bowl after Dave Doeren left to become head coach at NC State.
*According to Bovada
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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