Can Northern Illinois end a nine-game skid at San José State?

Northern Illinois comes to San José State on Saturday at 4:00 PM ET carrying a nine-game losing streak, and the evidence for this one is more about form and quarterback continuity than about team quality. The Huskies have lost 9 straight overall and 9 straight as an away dog, and they have failed to cover the spread in 4 straight. The Spartans bring their own questions: a change at quarterback and a long run of games staying under the total.

The quarterback situation is the clearest difference between the sides. Taron Dickens led Northern Illinois in pass attempts in each of its last 3 games, including 26 attempts against the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors on 2026-10-24. San José State changed passers between its last two games: Robert McDaniel led with 13 attempts against the Nevada Wolf Pack on 2026-10-24, and Luke Weaver led with 23 attempts against the New Mexico Lobos on 2026-10-31. Weaver has led the team in only 1 of its last 3 games, so the evidence on the Spartans' offense under him is a small sample.

Skill-position usage differs too. Northern Illinois has relied on running back Telly Johnson Jr., who has 38 carries over the last 3 games against 17 for Elijah Porter, while DeAree Rogers has 26 receptions over that span, the most among the Huskies' wide receivers. San José State shares its carries far more evenly: Viliami Teu has 35 over the last 3 games and Jabari Bates 33. Carson Clark leads the Spartans' wide receivers with 18 receptions over that span. These are usage counts, not efficiency, and they say little about who has the edge.

The totals streaks are the most distinctive piece of context. San José State has gone under the total in 8 straight games overall and 4 straight at home. Those runs describe what has happened; they are not predictions, and they now sit next to a quarterback change that could alter how the Spartans score. The Spartans have also lost 5 straight in the non-division, in-conference at-home context on the streak board, though that is a narrow slice. Northern Illinois has also lost 4 straight on the road.

Conditions look mild, with a forecast of 55°F, wind 3 mph NNW and partially cloudy skies, and neither team has any injuries reported, so no key absence is shaping the matchup. The teams have not met in the last 400 days, so there is no recent head-to-head to weigh.

Season team statistics, current odds and betting splits are not available for this game, so there is no way here to compare the teams' underlying quality or to see how the market has treated the game. What remains is thin: two streak-heavy profiles, one team with a fresh quarterback change, and no direct evidence on which offense matches up better.