December 27, 2024
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NIU adds 2024 game against N.C. State, 2028 matchup at Ohio State

Huskies could face former coach against Wolfpack

By Eddie Carifio
Former Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren holds the Mid-American Conference championship trophy after his team defeated Kent State 44-37 in double overtime, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 in Detroit.

Former Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren holds the Mid-American Conference championship trophy after his team defeated Kent State 44-37 in double overtime during the 2012 season. Doeren now coaches at N.C. State, which the Huskies added to their 2024 nononference schedule on Thusday. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

The NIU football team has added two future road games: at North Carolina State next season and at Ohio State in 2028, the program announced Thursday.

Financial terms of the two games were not available nor disclosed by the school.

The game against N.C. State was needed after New Mexico State joined Conference USA and left NIU with an opening. The teams played once before, a 41-14 win for N.C. State in 1997.

The Wolfpack are coached by Dave Doeren, who coached NIU from 2011 to 2012, helping the Huskies reach the Orange Bowl. He left before the bowl game to take over as head coach at N.C. State.

Next year’s nonconference schedule will have road games against N.C. State and Notre Dame and home games against Western Illinois and UMass.

The 2028 meeting against Ohio State will be the third between the teams. NIU lost both, including 20-13 in the 2015 edition, the last time the teams met after playing in 2006.

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