FACTS & STATS: Site: Camp Randall Stadium (80,321) -- Madison, Wisconsin. Television: Big Ten Network. Home Record: N. Illinois 0-3, Wisconsin 4-0. Away Record: N. Illinois 1-2, Wisconsin 1-2. Neutral Record: N. Illinois 0-1, Wisconsin 0-0. Conference Record: N. Illinois 0-4, Wisconsin 2-2. Series Record: Wisconsin leads, 9-1.

GAME NOTES: Having recently dropped out of the Top-25, the Wisconsin Badgers will try to get back on track as they step out of conference to battle the Huskies of Northern Illinois. Playing their football out of the Mid-American Conference, the Huskies have limped through the first half of the season, logging a dismal 1-6 record to this point. NIU is in the midst of a three-game slide and comes in on the heels of a 17-13 setback at home to Western Michigan. The last two losses for the Huskies have come by a combined five points. As for Wisconsin, back-to-back losses have cost the team dearly as it went from riding the nation's longest win streak to tumbling out of the national rankings. The current two-game slide is the first of Bret Bielema's head coaching career. Wisconsin heads back to the treacherous waters of Big Ten play next week when it hosts Indiana. The Badgers own a commanding 9-1 edge in the all-time series with Northern Illinois, and all 10 games were played in Madison.

Despite impressive efforts from Justin Anderson and Matt Simon, the Huskies fell for the third straight time and the sixth time this season with last week's 17-13 setback to Western Michigan. Anderson carried the ball 29 times for 132 yards, while Simon finished with six catches for 160 yards and a TD, but two turnovers and a dreadful 1-of-13 showing on third down proved too much to overcome. The Huskies were without starting QB Dan Nicholson and got a less- than-stellar outing from Ryan Morris, who hit just 13-of-25 pass attempts for 144 yards. So far this season, the Huskies are averaging just 19 ppg behind 354 ypg, with 154 coming on the ground and 200 by way of the pass. Anderson is 132 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season and he has scored five TDs. Nicholson has hit the mark on 61.1 percent of his throws, but his 6-to-10 TD- to-INT ratio leaves quite a bit to be desired. Simon and Anderson rank one-two on the team's receptions list with 31 and 30, respectively, with Simon credited with 580 yards and three TDs.

Opponents have been able to move the ball through the air against the Northern Illinois defense, doing so for 230.7 ypg. The Huskies' effort against the run has been at times decent and other times porous, yielding 171.6 ypg and 10 TDs. Alex Kube has clearly been NIU's leader on defense and his 68 tackles are 20 more than his closest teammate. Of the 11 TFLs posted by Larry English, 8.5 have been sacks. Western Michigan scored just two TDs last weekend, as the Huskies actually did a nice job in keeping the Broncos in check. WMU gained 396 total yards, but converted just 5-of-16 third-down tries. Kube finished second on the team in terms of tackles, making a dozen on the day -- just one behind Zach Larsen's 13. English was credited with 1.5 sacks, the team recording three in the game.

Three turnovers, eight penalties and a defense that had few answers for the Penn State offense led to Wisconsin's second straight defeat. The Badgers gained 331 yards on the day, getting 220 passing yards from QB Tyler Donovan. The PSU defense logged five sacks and did a solid job of keeping UW star RB P.J. Hill at bay, as he finished with just 75 yards and a TD behind 3.9 ypc. Kyle Jefferson led all players in the game with 124 receiving yards. Through seven games, the Badgers are averaging 27.7 ppg on the strength of 416 total ypg. Hill has rushed for 825 yards and 11 TDs, while Donovan has hit the mark on 59.5 percent of his throws for 231.4 ypg with 11 TDs and seven INTs. Travis Beckum is arguably the top tight end in the country, as his 46 catches for 555 yards and three scores can certainly attest.

The Wisconsin defense, which had been a staple of the program's success over the last decade or so, has been up and down at best this season. Foes are scoring nearly 26 ppg and churning out just shy of 380 total ypg. The run defense is allowing 162.6 ypg, while the effort against the pass has yielded 216 ypg to this point. The team has done a much better job in the second half of games this season, giving up a total of 67 points after allowing 114 in the opening half of games. Jonathan Casillas heads the club with 53 tackles, while Elijah Hodge is close behind with 45. Penn State rolled up 437 yards against the Badgers last weekend, seemingly doing what it wanted all afternoon. The Nittany Lions picked up 27 first downs, averaged nearly six yards per offensive play and scored on all five trips to the red zone. Casillas finished with 10 stops to lead the UW stand -- what there was of one.

Wisconsin needs a win in the worst way, if for no other reason than to regain some lost confidence. The Big Ten slate is always challenging, and there are certainly more pitfalls to come for the Badgers as they look to secure a major bowl invite.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wisconsin 44, Northern Illinois 14