Mississippi State finishes its nonconference slate at home against Mid-American Conference program Northern Illinois this Saturday.
To preview the matchup and gather an understanding of MSU’s opponent, The Dispatch exchanged questions with Edward Carifio, the sports editor and NIU reporter for the Daily Chronicle.
The Dispatch: The Huskies had a surprise upset last year and won another bowl game, how is 2025 shaping up after fall camp and two games?
Edward Carifio: After fall camp, great. After two games, not as much. The offense was supposed to be shiny and new and it really doesn’t look much different. The end result is definitely the same as the team cannot score. The run game is solid, but the passing game is not good at all. Bowl game MVP Josh Holst hasn’t looked comfortable.
The Dispatch: MSU got a big dose of MACtion last season when Toledo came to town, how do you rate NIU’s chances of doing the same?
Carifio: Probably less, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility. Although the comments indicate otherwise, going up against three former teammates from last year who left certainly has to spark some kind of fire, even if those three players aren’t exactly getting a lot of usage in the MSU lineup.
The Dispatch: The NIU defense has done well stopping the run so far, who have been the key players in making that happen?
Carifio: Quinn Urwiler has been a force. In his fourth year in the program after coming on board from North Dakota, he has 20 tackles, half a sack and a tackle for a loss. He had a solid year last year as a rotational linebacker but was a special teams player the two years prior. He’s the old-fashioned, work-your-way-up through-the-program, pay-your-dues kind of dude that you don’t see much more.
The Dispatch: How has the rest of the defense looked? Do you see NIU being able to disrupt MSU’s passing attack?
Carifio: The defense on the whole has been great, but if there’s a weakness it’s the pass defense. They certainly haven’t been tested by Holy Cross or Maryland in the air attack like they will Saturday. Disrupt? Longshot. Forcing turnovers is always a problem for this team. Mitigate? Maybe. But that’s going to take the offense playing flawless football, matching points and keeping the Bulldogs off the field.
The Dispatch: What has to happen for NIU to win this game?
Carifio: They’re going to have to do things on offense they usually only do against Kent State or UMass. Mississippi State might be a hair better than those teams, however. This seems like one of those games where the NIU offense never gets going, the defense plays lights out early and keeps it close, but then a turnover will lead to points, the defense will get sloppy, and all of a sudden the Bulldogs are beating the spread. But if the offense can take some of the pressure off the defense (maybe 21-14 at the half instead of 10-0?) then things could get interesting.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
