NIU gets a home and home with Kansas

Director of Athletics Jeff Compher announced that after months of work he has secured a home and home series with the Kansas Jayhawks. In 2011 the Huskies will travel to Lawerance with the Jayhaks coming to DeKalb in 2012. Its been six years since Northern Illinois has hosted a BCS team and more than 20 since they last played Kansas.

This is just another item in a string of good news for the Huskies as they bounce back to form after a disappointing 2007 season by going to a bowl game in Jerry Kills first season.

Jerry Kill is from Kansas and is looking forward to the series both for the hig profile home game in 2012 and the chance to go play in Kansas in 2011

"Bringing a team like Kansas to DeKalb for a home-and-home series is huge for our program and great for our fans. For me and the guys on our staff, not only do we get to play them here at Huskie Stadium, but when we go to Kansas, we get to go `home' where we were born and raised, where many of us coached before and have a lot of friends and family, so that is a neat aspect of this deal."

Compher has indicated he considers such home and homes with automatic BCS teams in the future a high priority for the Northern Illinois football program.

"It's always a challenge, knowing that we have to schedule our non-conference opponents many years out, but this is a scheduling philosophy (home and home series) that we want to continue over time."