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For the first time in three years, Iowa football will open the season against an FCS foe. 

And it's a familiar one. 

The Northern Illinois Huskies will invade what is likely to be a scorching-hot Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5. 

Iowa is no stranger to scheduling unique teams for its season-openers (Albany and Illinois State were the last two), but the Huskies have been a frequent opposing team in the Kirk Ferentz era. 

2026 will be the seventh time (Iowa leads the all-time series 8-2) the Hawkeyes have faced NIU in the Ferentz era. Iowa holds a 4-2 record over the six games played, with the most recent meeting coming in 2018, when Ferentz surpassed his mentor and predecessor Hayden Fry as the Hawkeyes' all-time winningest head coach. 

The contest – which is set for a 3:15 local kick on Big Ten Network – is just 25 days away, so to prepare you for the matchup, here's everything you need to know about the Huskies. 

The Coach 

Northern Illinois is in the midst of a massive transitional phase in their program's history. The Huskies were longtime members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), but left the league following the 2025-26 athletics season to become a football-only member of the Mountain West and a member of the Horizon League for all other sports. 

Playing conference games in the Mountain Time Zone will certainly be an adjustment for NIU, but that's the least of its worries. Seventh-year head coach Thomas Hammock left to become the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks late in the offseason, leaving the job to interim man Rob Harley. 

The Elmhurst, Illinois native arrived in DeKalb last season as the defensive coordinator, but served four seasons as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for Arkansas State. 

Harley's defensive background could bode well for NIU, which ranked No. 12 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (173.9) and forced a turnover in six of the final seven games of the season. 

Key Returners

Northern Illinois' offense, or lack thereof, was probably the primary reason it went 3-9 last season. The Huskies ranked 129th in the FBS in total offense, posting a dismal 17.1 points per game. 

Fixing those offensive struggles in one offseason won't be easy for Harley and Co., but he does have a few key returning pieces that could help improve things. 

Leading wide receiver DeAree Rogers (506 yards, three touchdowns in 2025) is back, and he's the playmaker this offense desperately needs. Not only will he be a reliable target for whoever wins the quarterback job, Rogers can also make plays in the ground game and on special teams as a punt returner. 

Speaking of rushing, running back Telly Johnson returned after a stellar sophomore season that saw him tally 712 rushing yards last season. He and Rogers will need to step up if NIU wants to have any chance at a bounce-back campaign. 

Key Newcomers 

While Rogers and Johnson could do their part in this offense, the Huskies' 2026 season is going to come down to the quarterback position. Things weren't looking good early in the summer, but NIU received a late commitment from Western Carolina transfer Taron Dickens in July. 

Dickens threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 38 touchdowns during the 2025 season, which earned him SoCon Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was originally committed to Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels, but reversed course because of what On3 called "academic reasons." 

Dickens could instantly bring life to this struggling offense, and the additions of South Carolina State transfer offensive tackle Chevy Trask Jr. and wide receiver Cam Thomspon (who's entering his second stint at NIU) could help, too. 

On defense, the Huskies also landed Bryant transfer defensive back Liam Lindo, who tallied 35 tackles and two interceptions last season. 

Season Outlook 

Dickens' arrival may keep Northern Illinois competitive, but there's too much unknown in DeKalb at this point for analysts to be anywhere close to optimistic about this team. 

The Mountain West no longer releases a preseason media poll, but most sites list the Huskies at or near the bottom of their league projections. Mountain West Connection ranked NIU ninth in its preseason poll, ahead of only traditional bottom-feeder UTEP. 

You Can Win FREE Tickets To Iowa's Season Opener! 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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