Iowa Hawkeye Football: 5 Things You Should Know About Northern Illinois

The Iowa Hawkeyes kick off their 2012 season September 1 at Soldier Field in Chicago against the Northern Illinois Huskies, an impressive squad who have had one of the best mid-major programs in FBS football for the past five years. 

The Huskies have a lot of question marks, but still bring back plenty of experience—definitely enough to knock off a Hawkeye team without a lot of game-time experience together. 

Iowa returns quarterback James Vandenberg, who—due to the massive running back woes—will have to step up and lead the team to victory through the air. The passing game should gain a boost from the experience and talent of Vandenberg and the addition of new offensive coordinator Greg Davis, who has shown some great offenses at Texas in the past.

Iowa is a 10-point favorite over the Huskies, but it should be a good game in a mostly Hawkeye environment in Chicago.

Here are five things you should know for this Saturday's game against the Huskies. 

1. The Huskies Own the Longest Active Winning Streak in FBS

Yes, you read that right. The longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Although only nine games long, it's still an interesting stat for a team that had a first-year coach in 2011. This program won the MAC in 2011 as well and should not be taken lightly this year.

The scenery of college football changes very heavily from year to year, but the stat still stands to prove the winning culture of the program. Illinois has won double-digit games two seasons in a row and are looking to extend that streak to three. 

The Hawkeyes will have to be on the top of their game to stop the athletic Huskies.

2. The Hawkeye Defense Struggled in 2011 with Athletic Quarterbacks

The anguish that quarterbacks like Steele Jantz, Denard Robinson and Taylor Martinez brought the Hawkeyes in 2011 will most likely return in some form this season. With an almost all-new defensive line, the containment ability of the Iowa defense will be something they struggle with in non-conference games. 

For example, in last year's overtime thriller against Iowa State, Jantz threw for four TD passes and added over 40 yards on the ground. Although his rushing yards are never too high, Jantz was able to run around the pocket at will and create opportunities downfield for his team to score 44 points. 

Nebraska's Taylor Martinez found the same success against the Hawkeyes (though with less brilliant statistics) and had ample time in the pocket to throw and scramble for room. 

Northern Illinois graduated their previous quarterback, but the athletic Jordan Lynch steps into the limelight for the Huskies. He averages 8.0 YPC with 608 yards on 76 career attempts. 

3. Northern Illinois Can Protect Their Quarterback

Last year, the Huskies averaged one sack allowed per game and have four seniors on their offensive line. This experience on the O-line will be a problem for the inexperienced defensive front for the Hawkeyes. 

Iowa will no doubt come out firing in their opener and force Northern Illinois to play from behind, but the Huskies will be in a good position to counter with Jordan Lynch having all the time in the world to throw the football. 

4. The Huskies Return Wide Receiver Tandem of Martel Moore and Perez Ashford

Martel Moore and Perez Ashford are one of the best wideout tandems in the MAC conference, if not the best. The video shows a terrific catch from Ashford when it counted, leading Northern Illinois to a victory over Ohio in the conference championship.

The two combined for 95 receptions and a total of 1,282 receiving yards, a number that will only increase with experience.

The Iowa secondary does return some experience, but left open a number of gaping holes on missed coverages last year. If one of the two receivers finds some space downfield, it could be the difference between a comfortable lead and a one-score game.

5. Their Defense Returns Eight Starters and All of Their Secondary

Experience is one of the keys to a team's success in the upcoming season. When you can return more than two-thirds of your defense, you have guys who know what it takes to win in FBS football. 

Especially guys that won 11 games in 2011. With the Huskies returning eight starters to their defensive squad and all of their starting secondary, the ball-hawking skills of the defense will force James Vandenberg to prove he can be an elite quarterback in the Big Ten. 

Vandenberg was one of a few quarterbacks to pass for over 3,000 yards with eight or fewer interceptions, and to repeat that feat he'll have to start the season off right. With a new offensive coordinator in place and some kinks to work out, Northern Illinois could have a chance to win the turnover battle. 

Another problem for the Hawkeyes could be the uncertainty at the running back position, something the Huskies could exploit throughout the contest. 

So now you know five things about Northern Illinois and how good they can be. The Hawkeyes may be favored by 10 points, but I expect a close game. Iowa edges NIU 24-21 at Soldier Field in the rain.