By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

To Miami University football coach Terry Hoeppner, location is just one similarity the Northern Illinois Huskies share with pro teams in the NFL's "Black and Blue" Division.

"They're very physical," Hoeppner said of NIU, which plays the RedHawks at 2 p.m. today at Yager Stadium. "I had one scout tell me he thinks they practice in full pads all the time."

GAME DAY

• Kickoff: 2 p.m. today, Yager Stadium (30,012), Oxford. • Records: NIU 3-3 (2-0 Mid-American Conference), Miami 4-2 (2-0). • Radio: WCKY-AM (1360), WMOH-AM (1450), WFMG-FM (101.3). • Series: Miami leads 7-2. • Line: Miami by 9. NIU Team stats MU 352.8 Offense avg. 353.2 188.2 Avg. by rush 114.3 164.6 Avg. by pass 238.9 381.2 Defense avg. 426.3 162.7 Avg. by rush 140.7 218.5 Avg. by pass 285.6 24.8 Avg. points for 27.3 27.7 Avg. pts. agnst. 26.7

NIU, which is located in DeKalb, Ill., about 50 miles west of Chicago, stands alone atop the Mid-American Conference West Division with a 2-0 record. The Huskies are 3-3 overall and broke a three-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Kent State and Ball State.

NIU is 2-0 in the MAC for the second time in the last three seasons. The only other time the Huskies won their first two conference games was in 1983, when former Miami coach Bill Mallory led them to their only MAC championship.

"It's way too early to start thinking about that," said NIU coach Joe Novak, a 1967 Miami graduate. "It's where you finish at the end of November. One game at a time. There's so much football left to be played."

Huskies junior tailback Michael Turner already has played a lot. When tailback Thomas Hammock, who had gained more than 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons, was sidelined with a heart-related condition, Turner came off the bench to gain 160 yards in a 24-21 loss to then-No.22 Wisconsin. He followed up with a 282-yard effort against Western Illinois, the nation's top single-game effort so far this season.

The 6-foot, 223-pound Turner, also known as "The Burner," currently leads Division I-A in average all-purpose yardage with 196 a game. He is third in rushing with 145.3 a game.

"We're really pleased with what Michael's done this season and stepping up in the absence of Thomas," said Novak, one of four Miami products to coach the Huskies. "We're not about yards, we're about winning. In our scheme, if Michael carries the ball 35-40 times a game and he gets his share of yardage, that's great. He doesn't care about the numbers. That's our system."

"I know Joe," said Hoeppner, who was Miami's defensive coordinator in 1998, when the RedHawks posted the program's fifth consecutive win over NIU. "I think his days with coach Mallory convinced him about running the ball."

Turner isn't the only Husky star.

NIU's defense racked up 10 sacks in the Wisconsin loss and leads the MAC with 22. Sophomore linebacker Travis Moore tops the Huskies with five for 43 yards, and senior linebacker Larry Williams has four for 32 yards. Moore has eight tackles for losses and junior linebacker Nick Duffy has seven.

The attack mode is shared by the NIU defensive backfield. Junior cornerback Randee Drew was named co-MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week after causing a fumble, intercepting a pass, deflecting two more and returning three kickoffs for a combined 115 yards in the Huskies' 41-29 win at Ball State.

Drew's partner, senior cornerback Vince Thompson, overcame a knee strain to deflect five passes and intercept another against Ball State.

"They have a very aggressive defense," Hoeppner said. "It's hard to find a weakness in that team. They're fundamentally sound and well-coached."