BUFFALO – Over the years, the Northern Illinois University Huskies have won games in a multitude of ways, from overtime wins to high scoring shoot-outs, by running over opponents and with goal-line stands.
To find a game even remotely close to Saturday’s 14-13 Huskie victory at Buffalo, though, go back to Sept. 10, 1988 – 29 years ago – to find the last time NIU won a game with 14 points or less. On that day, NIU defeated Middle Tennessee State, 14-10.
Saturday’s win saw NIU score a pair of touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter, and Buffalo record a first quarter field goal and 10 second quarter points. The halftime score stood at 14-13.
And that was it.
A Huskie defense that has proven its second half mettle throughout the year, came up big once again, stopping six Buffalo drives in the second half, including one inside the NIU 20 as the Bulls missed a 34-yard field goal. Linebacker Jawuan Johnson stopped another drive with his third interception of the season and the rest was just hard-nosed, tough-against-the-run defense.
Buffalo finished the game with 39 yards rushing and netted just one in the second half. The Bulls, who lost their starting quarterback just before halftime, gained 113 yards passing in the second half after totaling 229 in the first. NIU defenders totaled four sacks and held Buffalo to just two conversions on 14 third-down tries.
“Anytime you go on the road and get a win, you’re happy,” said NIU Head Coach Rod Carey. “It doesn’t matter if you win by one or 100. The defense played outstanding. When you can hold a team to 13 points and one touchdown, that’s a good day,but there’s room for them to get better too.”
The game was NIU’s first to be decided by one point since Sept. 15, 2012 when the Huskies won at Army, 41-40. NIU improved to 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference with the victory while Buffalo fell to 3-4, 1-2 in the MAC.
Over the last three games, the Huskie defense has given up just three second-half points and has now shut out both of its MAC opponents in the second half this year.
“We always feel like we have to win the game no matter what our offense is doing,” said senior linebacker Bobby Jones IV, who had a pair of sacks and six tackles on the day. “We know we have to come to play.”
Redshirt freshman Marcus Childers made his first career start at quarterback for NIU and completed 20-of-31 passes for 224 yards, despite missing on his first five passes of the game. He hit Shane Wimann with a 34-yard touchdown pass and did not throw an interception. Childers also led the Huskies in rushing with 79 yards on 27 carries and a 10-yard score.
“Marcus was really good except for the fumble. He missed some deep balls but that’s to be expected with a young guy,” Carey said. “I thought he handled the offense outstanding.”
In seven offensive possessions in the second half, NIU totaled 14 first downs, matching its first half number, and 247 yards, surpassing the 194 it tallied in the second half. The Huskies missed two field goals, saw one second half possession end on a fumble, and closed out the game in victory formation on Buffalo’s 16-yard line.
NIU scored on its first two possessions of the second quarter for its only points of the game and a 14-3 Huskie lead as Childers settled into the offense. He led the Huskies on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that began at the end of the first quarter. D.J. Brown accounted for 26 yards rushing and receiving and Childers hit Christian Blake for 18 yards to the Buffalo 10-yard line. Childers ran in from there for his second rushing touchdown of the year.
After the Huskie defense forced a three-and-out, NIU got the ball back on its 37-yard line and drove 63 yards in five plays to take a 14-3 lead with 10:09 to play in the half. Childers hit Spencer Tears for two of his five catches on the day, and then found Shane Wimann down the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown. Wimann scored for the third time this season and 14th time of his career. He finished the day with four catches for 50 yards.
Buffalo responded with a touchdown on its next drive with quarterback Drew Anderson completing four of five passes, including the touchdown to a wide open Emmanuel Reed from 21 yards out. The PAT made it 14-10 NIU with 8:14 to play in the half.
A Huskie fumble set up Buffalo’s next field goal - and as it would turn out, the final points scored in the game. NIU drove from its nine to the 40 where Tommy Mister’s fumble was recovered by Cameron Lewis. The Bulls then drove 33 yards where once again the Huskie defense stood strong inside its 10. This time, two incompletions and a rush for no gain forced kicker Adam Mitcheson to make a 22-yard field goal.
Buffalo scored the only points of the first quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Mitcheson. From its own 40, UB used a 21-yard completion and a late hit penalty on NIU to advance to the Huskie 24-yard line. Buffalo’s drive stalled at the NIU six when two runs gained only six yards, forcing the field goal.
NIU is on the road again next Saturday when the Huskies play at Bowling Green before returning home on Thursday, Oct. 26 to face Eastern Michigan.
