The Chicago Tribune: Purdue taking N. Illinois seriously

"They've played well against some of the best teams in the country the last couple of years," Hope [Purdue coach] said. "Last year, they were a better football team than us because they went to a bowl game and we didn't. Certainly we weren't going to overlook them."

The Evansville Courier Press: Crider promises he'll play

"I'm actually 100 percent healthy and looking forward to playing this weekend," said Crider, who holds the career (6,356 yards) and single-season (2,478 yards) rushing records at Reitz High School while scoring 83 touchdowns. "I'm just looking forward to going back to my home state in front of my family and everything and redeem myself from this injury."

The Beacon News: Home calls back to Harnish

That doesn't mean Harnish heads to 62,500-seat Ross-Ade Stadium intent on showing the Boilermakers what they're missing.

"That kind of thinking can be dangerous," said Harnish, who has pleased second-year coach Jerry Kill with his improvement in NIU's first two games. "I could go out and try to do too much and end up hurting my team. It's definitely going to be fun with so many friends and family there, but I'm taking the same approach I would as if it was Wisconsin or Western Michigan."

The Exponent (Purdue): Boilers know Huskies present serious challenge

Last season the Huskies lost to Minnesota by four, Western Michigan by three, Tennessee by four, Central Michigan by three in overtime and Louisiana Tech by seven. They also had a three-point win against Bowling Green.

“They’re able to keep the game close and give themselves a chance to win,” Elliott [Purdue QB] said. “That’s what you want to do as a football team. Last year they played Tennessee down to the wire. They’ve had a lot of close games. I haven’t even watched a full game yet. I just looked at their media guide, but every game was within six points.”

The Daily Chronicle: Huskies must slow Bolden or lose

- keep an eye on #23

Two weeks into the season, it's hard to find a college football fan who doesn't know about the nation's leading rusher who will provide a tremendous challenge to the Northern Illinois defense Saturday at Purdue.

The numbers are staggering: Bolden has 50 carries, 357 rushing yards and four touchdowns, good for a 7.1 yards a carry average.

The Journal Gazette: Bluffton turning out to support QB

“I talked to my mom (Tuesday) morning, and she’s like, ‘I don’t mean to scare you, but we’ll probably have anywhere between 300 and 400 people, family and friends,’ ” Harnish said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

The Daily Chronicle: Homecoming weekend for Harnish

Harnish got a serious look from the Boilermakers under then-coach Joe Tiller, which was great news for Harnish, who grew up a fan of Purdue, although he said Tuesday he probably was more of a fan of Notre Dame in his youth.

"I was heavily recruited by [Purdue], and that's the school I felt like I was going to my whole high school career," Harnish said. "It just fell through and Northern gave me the opportunity and I don't regret it at all.

The Beacon News: Less is more for NIU offense

More isn't necessarily better when it comes to an offensive game plan, especially if you have a young team.

"Against Wisconsin, we probably had too much in there," Northern Illinois football coach Jerry Kill said during Monday's Mid-American Conference coaches teleconference.

Fox39 - Rockford: NIU to face Purdue

"We have a tremendous challenge ahead of us," said NIU coach Jerry Kill as his weekly press conference Tuesday. "We're going against probably, not probably he is, the best runningback in the nation at this point and time. Purdue has been a team in the past that has thrown it a little bit more, so I think it's caught some people off guard. They're very multiple on offense. Very explosive. It's led by a very, very good offensive line."

NIU Football: Weekly Football Press Conference Quotes

Jerry Kill: "We have a tremendous challenge ahead of us. We are going against the best running back in the nation at this point in time. Purdue's been a team in the past, under coach Tiller, that has thrown the ball a little more, so I think it's caught people off guard. They're very multiple on offense, and very explosive. Its led by a very good offensive line, very big and very talented. So we definitely have our work cut out for us on defense."

WREX - Rockford: Former NIU athletic director Phillips visits Rockford

"We played at 11 o'clock the last two Saturday's and Northern Illinois played in the evening, so I sat down and watched them play," Phillips said." [I was] screaming at the TV and cheering on coach Kill and the young men that represent that program."