June 4, 2007

DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois' season-opening football game versus Iowa at Chicago's Soldier Field on Saturday, September 1, 2007 will kick off at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) and be televised by ESPNU, school officials announced Monday.

The "Soldier Field Showdown" will mark the first NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) contest at Soldier Field since the 2003 renovation of the historic facility, and will also mark the first appearance for either Iowa or NIU at the lakefront site.

The Labor Day Weekend game was originally scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

The ESPNU telecast marks the Huskies' third appearance on that network in the last two seasons as the 2006 Iowa and Central Michigan contests were televised on ESPNU. A year ago, all 13 Northern Illinois football games were televised with six of those appearances on one of the ESPN networks.

More than 35,000 tickets have already been sold for the Northern Illinois-Iowa game through the ticket offices of the two schools. To order tickets through NIU, contact the Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center by calling 815-752-6800, or download the form at www.niuhuskies.com and fax or mail it in with payment information.

Ticket prices are set at $55.50 for seats on the 100 and 200 levels, as well as sideline 300-level seats, and $44.40 for remaining 300-level seats and 400 level sideline locations. Northern Illinois University students may purchase tickets for $27.75 each, with a limited number of lower end zone tickets allocated for students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Season tickets to the 2007 home schedule at Huskie Stadium are also on sale now through the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at the low price of just $95 for the entire five-game schedule. NIU will play host to Southern Illinois (Sept. 8), and MAC foes Eastern Michigan (Sept. 15), Western Michigan (Oct. 13), Kent State (Nov. 10) and Ball State (Nov. 24) in 2007.

Other scheduled broadcasts for Northern Illinois' remaining 2007 home and away games will be announced later this summer.

For more information on tickets, call the ticket office at 815-752-6800, or go on-line to www.niuhuskies.com, where you can also access the Huskies' complete 2007 schedule with game times (click here).

-- NIU --