Toledo Rockets vs. NIU Huskies, 10/19/2024, 2:30pm CST

Rockets 13 – Huskies 6, Attendance: 18,350

Weather: Sunny, 72; Ticket: $12, $17 Face, Parking: $50 (both NIU)

“Middle of the pack” by Tree

Northern Illinois is in Dekalb, about two hours dead west of Chicago. It makes it an easy stadium to get to, if you consider flying into O’Hare or Midway easy. We did not spend much time in DeKalb – actually none. We focused more on the greater Chicago suburbs. I have heard good things about DeKalb, but maybe not good enough to want to stay there for a whole weekend. I think staying in Chicago is the better way to go. In any case the stadium is on campus, and we got through town with no issues.

NIU plays at Huskie Stadium. At Somanystadiums, we applaud the strategic decision to maintain tradition and to not sell naming rights to DeKalb corporate interests. The access to the stadium was simple. With multiple parties in our group, some elected to park in the free lots while we picked up a spot in the “P” lot for $50 to ensure prime tailgating. While our spot was nice and allowed us to spread out, the free lots also allow for tailgating. We recommend going to the free lots to tailgate. They are not far from the stadium, and they had a good ambiance. The student organizations tailgate in front of the stadium on the other side, and they were crowded with kids. In any case, I would not classify NIU tailgating as robust. It is essentially a laid-back affair that can easily be enjoyed by anyone. If you are looking for a party, you probably want to supply it yourself by having a large tailgate. There’s plenty of room to make it happen. To be clear, we were at homecoming and the tailgating was light.

It is an easy walk to the stadium from any of the lots. We had gone for General Admission seats for about $12 each with a promotion. Huskie stadium is small, seating 24,000, so any seat is going to be a good one. It does feel dated, and it needs a bit of a refresh. There are almost no luxury boxes. It is a very old school design. The seats are aluminum bleachers and the only issue with the General Admission (GA) seating is that you must enter with the student body. It took a little longer getting into the stadium than it should have. But, since we didn’t tailgate with the students, it was nice to mingle with them a little bit while we waited. I should also note that the GA side of the stadium gets the bulk of the sunlight so plan accordingly.

There is an average video scoreboard and two video ribbons. The concessions were standard and a bit slow in the service department. There was no souvenir cup even though they sold fountain drinks. The biggest issue with the stadium was the sound system. It was both way too loud and not very clear. Thankfully, they did sell beer so you could try and drown out the thumping in your head from the crackling speakers circa the ’70s. The band was on the small side and that was even when it was fortified with alumni.

We found the fans that we met to be very friendly and easy-going. One might say they were perhaps too easy-going. There was not a signature cheer and the coordinated cheering from one side to the other was limited. The attendance for the game was good, but they were not very loud. In fact, our small bunch was able stir up the crowd into a clapping session. It says something when a relatively disinterested Somanystadiums crew are some of the most keyed up fans in the stadium. My favorite quote though was from an NIU fan a few rows over who noted as the Huskies struggled to generate any offense that he “hates this team.” He didn’t scream it, but it was quiet enough in the stands that I heard it clear as a bell. Lastly, there is nothing especially sartorial at NIU – standard Midwest attire of t-shirts, jeans, etcetera ruled the day.

As the score might indicate, this was not exactly a barn burner. NIU opened the game with a nice drive but only managed a field goal. Toledo did answer, eventually, with a 52-yard bomb midway through the second quarter. What followed for the remainder of the half was some ugly football. Neither team could mount much of an offensive. NIU managed to end one drive with a fumble and another with a blocked field goal. The Huskies did kick a field goal as time expired to leave the halftime score at 7-6 in favor of the Rockets.

Unfortunately for us, the second half only brought more of the same. There were nine punts and three stops on fourth down in the final two quarters. True, Toledo did manage to sprinkle in a couple of field goals in the third quarter. All this really meant was that I felt compelled to stay to the very end of this snooze fest because NIU could have tied the game up at any time with a broken play. However, the only thing that was broken was the Huskie passing attack which managed to complete one pass out of the final thirteen that they threw. The Huskie QB was more skittish than a cat in rocking chair factory. Surprisingly, Toledo’s offense was equally inept. The Rockets prolonged our misery by going three and out three times in a row.

The game ended with a whimper as Toledo grinded to a 13-7 win. Oddly enough, the Huskies out-rushed and out-passed the Rockets. While they did lose the turnover battle (one fumble lost), NIU certainly could have won this game. They just could not score any points. They did not get any help from the officiating. It was as bad as the play on the field.

NIU had upset Notre Dame at South Bend earlier this year and our crew wondered out loud several times how this team beat the Irish. They did manage to string a few more wins together after this game and got invited to the Idaho Potato Bowl where they would play Fresno State.

Despite our game experience, NIU does do a lot of things right. The tailgating is easy and cheap. The folks are friendly, and the tickets are plentiful. While the stadium is old, it is serviceable apart from the nearly unbearable PA system. Being so close to Chicago is another plus.

I would summarize that NIU is not a stadium to avoid, but it isn’t one you should necessarily seek out either. If your team is playing the Huskies, it is worth the trip from the windy city. I would not catch an NIU game otherwise, unless the team is hotter than a two-dollar pistol. In that case, I would shoot over to catch a game.