When Joe Novak first started at Northern Illinois University in 1996, the head coach greeted fans at the entrance. Now his team is selling out its stadium as it did last year when the ISU football team traveled to DeKalb.

“This is a dream for me,” Novak said Tuesday in a teleconference with reporters. “There was nobody here. To see that stadium the last 2 1/2 years with packed crowds and enthusiasm, the excitement, that’s one of the greatest joys I have.”

Now, his team will be traveling to Ames this Saturday in a rematch of last year’s 24-16 victory over the Cyclones.

“I remember it almost being 14-0 and us getting buried and Vince Reynolds makes a great interception and runs it back, and we tie the game up 7-7 when it very easily could have been 14-0,” Novak said. “It’s amazing how a play like that can turn a game around. They were in a position to put us away early in the game. We made a couple key plays. It was a very, very even game.”

Novak said there are three things that will have Iowa State ready to go on Saturday.

“Number one, they just got beat by Iowa, so they won’t be happy about that. We beat them here last year, so they won’t like that,” Novak said. “And they’re playing at home.”

The biggest worry for the Huskies, Novak said, is the way Iowa State is playing defense.

“To me, they’re a good, strong, Big 12-type defense,” Novak said. “Certainly it’s going to be a real challenge because we struggle offensively to move the ball.”

The Huskies are relying on the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback Phil Horvath, who will be starting in his third game.

“We’ve got to be good enough where people are going to respect our passing game, and right now, I’m not sure they do,” Novak said.

Senior wideout Dan Sheldon said that it is hard getting used to a new quarterback, but that Horvath has come a long way.

“I have to give Phil a lot of credit for the strides he’s made in the last couple of weeks,” Sheldon said. “We feel real comfortable with him. I think he’s going to come along really well.”

The game starts at 11:35 a.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

Novak said he wouldn’t mind seeing the game between these two schools turn into a bit of a regional rivalry.

“A game like that for us is really good. It’s right down the road,” Novak said. “When [Iowa State] played here last year, they had a lot of Chicago-area alumni. From our aspect, it would be a great one. I don’t know how they look at it.”