Nevada (3-6, 2-3 MW) at NIU (0-9, 0-5 MW)
Saturday, November 14, 2026 - 12:30 p.m. PT
DeKalb, Ill. - Huskie Stadium

TV/Stream: MW+ (PxP: Matt Rodewald; Analyst: Clay Harbor)
Radio: KOZZ 105.7 / The Varsity Network App (PxP: John Ramey; Analyst: Mike Edwards)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada heads to the land of sweet corn, Cajun potato salad and (seasonal) frozen custard this Saturday as it takes on NIU in DeKalb. The game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT and stream exclusively on MW+ with Matt Rodewald (play-by-play) and Clay Harbor (analyst) on the call.

The radio broadcast of the game will be available on KOZZ 105.7 FM in Northern Nevada, online at www.thevarsitynetwork.com and on the Varsity Network app. John Ramey (play-by-play) and Mike Edwards (analyst) will be on the call, with the 60-minute pregame show to begin at 11:30 a.m. PT.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's meeting in DeKalb will be the third all-time between the Wolf Pack and Huskies and first since 1994. Coincidentally, all three meetings between the teams are conference matchups, as the previous two (1993 and 1994) were as members of the Big West. Nevada won that most recent meeting, 35-31, in DeKalb.

ABOUT NIU
NIU remained winless on the season after Saturday's 30-19 defeat at San José State. Adding two losses to end 2025, the Huskies enter this Saturday's contest on an 11-game slide.

The Huskies average just 16.8 points per game but have exceeded that figure in each of its last four contests. Running back Telly Johnson Jr. leads the Huskies with 629 rushing yards at a clip of 5.7 yards per carry with six touchdowns and Elijah Price has added 312 yards and two scores on the ground. Quarterback Taron Dickens completed 26-of-36 passes for 259 yards and a score Saturday in San Jose and for the season has thrown for 1,876 yards and nine touchdowns against seven interceptions. DeAree Rogers is a top target, leading the Mountain West in receptions (70), receiving yards (719) and touchdown receptions (five).

Defensively, NIU is paced by top tacklers Jack Murray (67 tackles) and Brady Kerperin (60) while Kole Sneed leads the team with 4.5 tackles-for-loss. In the secondary, Yassine Falke is tied for second in the Mountain West with four interceptions to go with two pass breakups and 30 tackles.

SMITH APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK
Nevada linebacker EJ Smith, an Associated Press Midseason second-team All-American and leading candidate for Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, enters Saturday's contest with 94 tackles. With six more tackles, he would become the first Nevada defender since Emany Johnson in 2023 (100 tackles) to reach the century mark in stops.

Smith has quickly established himself as one of the top defenders in the nation in his second season with the Wolf Pack. Through Week 10 he ranks fifth in the country with 10.4 tackles per game and 94 tackles, and tied for second with both 5.89 solo tackles per game and 53 solo tackles. He has 2.5 sacks and 5.5 TFLs on the season and has made double-digit tackles in four games including a career-high 21 (10 solo) against Air Force September 26.

LABARBERA FINDING HIS GROOVE
EDGE Dylan LaBarbera has continued to thrive despite the increased attention from opposing game-planners since his breakout 2025 campaign. A big night with three tackles-for-loss Saturday against New Mexico upped his team-leading total to 9.5 on the season. That followed a performance at No. 7/7 UCLA in which he shared a tackle-for-loss and broke up two passes while making four tackles.

LaBarbera currently ranks seventh in the Mountain West with 7.56 tackles per game  and eighth with 68 total tackles.

OFF TO THE MIDWEST FOR A...CONFERENCE GAME!
Saturday's contest in DeKalb marks Nevada's first conference matchup east of the Mississippi since...going to DeKalb to face NIU in Big West play in 1994.

Nevada won that 1994 meeting 35-31, coming back from 10 down with under nine minutes to play. Mike Maxwell, who threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in the game, hit Mike Senior from seven yards out for the game-winner with 2:09 to go. Senior and Alex Van Dyke each caught a touchdown and finished with 116 and 101 receiving yards, respectively, as Van Dyke also returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score.

EYES ON BOWL ELIGIBILITY
The Wolf Pack remains within reach of one of its team goals: getting to six wins and gaining bowl eligibility. Nevada will need to go 3-0 to close out the regular season and gain bowl eligibility for a chance at its first bowl game since 2021.