At this point, it’s all about pride.

The NIU football team takes to the road for the third straight weekend and, for the second Saturday in a row, the Huskies are the homecoming opponent.

This week, Temple welcomes NIU to Philadelphia for a noon kickoff. Each team is winless in the MAC and looking for that elusive first conference win.

The Owls have been one of the worst teams in college football for the past few years, having only won four games since 2003. But this year, the Huskies have been struggling in the same areas as the Owls.

“They are just making the same mistakes we are – getting a lot of penalties, turning the ball over and giving up big plays in the kicking game,” NIU head coach Joe Novak said. “The team that wins Saturday will be the one that plays the soundest.”

To avoid becoming the first team the Owls have beaten since last year, the Huskies have to take care of the ball and capitalize on red zone opportunities.

“We are turning the ball over at the wrong times and we are having penalties at the wrong times,” Novak said. “They are legitimate mistakes that we are making. We were in the red-zone five times on Saturday and we managed to get 10 points. There are just some things that we just have to do better.”

NIU also looks to get on track Saturday after giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown last week against Central Michigan. However, that’s a daunting task, as Temple boasts Travis Shelton, one of the best return men in the country and cousin of Bears’ stand-out Devin Hester.

Five games into the season, the Huskies look at the rest of the year through a new perspective.

“It is a long season and we are 0-0 starting now,” said offensive lineman Jason Onyebuagu. “I think starting from the beginning is a good thing for this team. We have a lot of confidence looking into the future.”

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