Jonathan Stead's first-half brace earned a rampant Huddersfield the points and confirmed the youngster as hot property.
If the rumours of Premiership scouts being among the 8,285 strong crowd at the McAlpine were true, they will have been impressed by the 20-year-old Huddersfield striker.
He scored twice and Tony Carss added a penalty as the home side enjoyed a flying first-half performance in this battle between two of Division Three's most fancied sides.
Stead opened the scoring after the Terriers began to take control after an even start.
Lee Fowler's clever ball chipped over the Cobbler's back four still left the in-form Stead with much to do. But he muscled his way onto the ball and calmly fired home.
Just moments later Northampton Town could have equalised when, after good off the ball running from ex-Huddersfield man Martin Smith, Josh Low rattled the home side's upright.
But the Terriers doubled their lead when, after a goalmouth melee, Northampton defender Ian Sampson blatantly handled the ball in the area.
Former Oldham midfielder Carss, who enjoyed his best game yet after a summer move to the McAlpine, stepped up and with nerves of steel calmly slotted the penalty past the keeper.
Huddersfield were running Northampton ragged by this point as the promise they had showed in pre-season came to fruition.
It was no surprise when Stead once again attacked a shaky looking Northampton defence at the edge of their own box.
Sampson backed off too far and Stead unleashed a bullet shot into the bottom corner of the net.
In the second half the visitors tightened up but they never managed to lift their game for long enough periods to trouble Huddersfield.
The Terriers current player of the year Smith, who left for Northampton in pre-season, came the closest.
He weaved past a lunging Efe Sodje challenge but his shot was weak and did not trouble keeper Ian Gray.
In the end it could have easily been a rout as Huddersfield piled on the pressure but the fourth goal would not come and it ended 3-0.
Northampton manager Martin Wilkinson hit out at his team's lack-lustre performance comparing it to the dire campaign of last season when they were relegated.
He said: "From our point of view it was awful and the performance was just as bad as at any time last season. Huddersfield played very well and bullied us out of it and that is not an insult." Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson said his team's impressive display would have surprised those who criticised them after they were beaten in their last game against Bury.