The UMass football team spoiled its best chance at an FBS win last weekend, losing to Miami (Ohio) after leading by three in the final minute. Not only did the RedHawks march down the field to tie the game and send it to overtime with a Dom Dzioban 47-yard field goal, they also used a 43-yarder from Dzioban to win it in the extra frame, 23-20.

The Minutemen have lost to Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Buffalo and Miami (Ohio), all games they were certainly capable of winning if they showed a bit more discipline and structure.

And now they’ll hit the road to play Northern Illinois, perhaps the best team they’ve faced to this point. The Huskies are 2-2, their two losses being close ones to Buffalo and an above-average ACC team in NC State, and one of their wins coming on the road against Notre Dame. It looks as if every FBS opponent left on UMass’ schedule is superior to the Minutemen.

But although possibly its best chance to win an FBS game is behind it, UMass is still emptying the tank every day. It’s ready to right the ship against NIU on Saturday in what is officially the midway point of the Minutemen’s slate.

“To be honest, [a win is] all we’re searching for,” UMass head coach Don Brown said on Monday. “It’s a week-to-week battle, and we’re trying to stay very focused on one week at a time, and just focus on getting prepared and putting our best effort forward. I’m not discouraged at all.”

During each press conference Brown takes part in, he’s come prepared with a list of positives that he iterates to his team. He says despite the admittedly disappointing record of 1-4, he refuses to solely point out the negatives.

This week he talked about UMass’ defense in particular, and how that unit ranks 34th in total defense (surrendering 308.6 yards per game) and 34th in third down defense (opponents are converting 32 percent of their tries) through five games. And offensively, the Minutemen are tied for 15th in the country in players per game – averaging nearly 76 a week. They also possess the ball – on average – 11 minutes longer than their opponents this season, good for fifth in the entire country in time of possession.

Wins have yet to translate, but senior linebacker Jalen Stewart is hoping that changes on Saturday.

“People might say, ‘Oh, it was a tough loss,’ but even talking to the guys today, we’re just ready to move on and work toward NIU,” Stewart said on Monday. “Just continuing to get better, continuing to show what we’re capable of and try to help our offense win and put them in good position so that we’re able to get the job done on Saturday.”

Northern Illinois is led by its dynamic running back, Antario Brown. The senior has totaled 355 yards through the Huskies’ four games, and had 114 yards in their most recent tilt, a 24-17 loss to NC State last Saturday. Brown also leads the team in receiving yards, racking up 204 including an 83-yard touchdown in the shocking upset over the Fighting Irish.

At quarterback, junior Ethan Hampton has done enough for the Huskies to compete in every game, but isn’t exactly a game-wrecker like Brown. Hampton tossed 328 yards and five touchdowns on 90 percent completion percentage against FCS Western Illinois in NIU’s season opener, but has since been average at best.

He hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards in any other game, and Hampton’s two touchdowns, three interceptions and 51 percent completion percentage in that span show he doesn’t exactly take care of the ball.

Tight end Grayson Barnes (team-high 11 receptions for 141 yards) is Hampton’s favorite target. Aside from Brown, there isn’t anything extremely eye-popping about NIU’s offense.

“He’s a very good player, and I expect a great challenge,” Stewart said of Brown. “This is why we all wanted to play Division 1 college football, we all want to play against some of the best players in the country. We’re all looking forward to the challenge and showing what we can do against him.”

UMass’ running backs are something to keep an eye on come Saturday. Aside from the drama surrounding Anthony Simpson at the wide receiver position, the Minutemen have seen the most turnover in terms of output in the backfield. Jalen John has had games where he looks like the go-to guy as has Jackson Paradis and CJ Hester – Hester of whom emerged as the workhorse against Miami (Ohio) last Saturday.

Throw in Brandon Campbell’s 25 carries through five games and quarterback Taisun Phommachanh’s team-high 73 rushes and 226 yards, and it’s clear Brown doesn’t have a true No. 1 guy in the backfield.

It varies depending on the game.

“You’re gonna ride the hot hand when you’re in a battle like that, and obviously he got hot,” Brown said of Hester, who rushed for a season-high 63 yards and a score last weekend. “The nice thing for him is he’s still kind of getting comfortable with his teammates, with his coaches and with this environment. It was nice to see him break out and have that moment, for sure.”

It’ll be interesting to see who Brown decides to roll with against Northern Illinois on Saturday. The Huskies run defense ranks 12th in the country allowing only 87.3 yards per game on the ground.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon, with the game airing on CBS Sports Network. Northern Illinois is favored by 16 points, according to ESPN Bet.