NIU 34, UMass 20: 5 things that led to end of Huskies’ 2-game skid

DeKALB – After a lightning-fast start that put the Huskies up seven after 50 seconds when they didn’t even start with the ball, NIU faded later in the first half against UMass.

But in the second half the team found some consistency and came back for a 34-20 win against the Minutemen, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Here are five takeaways from the win.

Defense comes up with 2 big stops in own territory

In the third quarter of a tied game, UMass (1-5) faced a fourth-and-3 at the NIU 25. They eschewed the field goal and went for it, but quarterback Taisun Phommachanh couldn’t find Sterling Gablan, and the Huskies took over on downs.

A rush-heavy drive resulted in an NIU sore and a 20-13 lead early in the fourth, and again UMass faced a fourth down in scoring range, and again went for it on fourth-and-2 from the NIU 10. Again, Phommachanh looked to Gablan, but Jashon Prophete broke the pass up.

NIU responded with another run-heavy drive that pushed the lead to 27-13 with 5:29 left.

Brown hurt, run game isn’t

Anatario Brown went down with an injury in the second quarter, and early in the third it was announced he would not return. At the same time that announcement was made, the Huskies were mounting a game-tying drive behind Gavin Williams and Jaylen Poe.

The Huskies opened the second half with a seven-play, 75-yard drive in which they did not attempt a pass or face a third down. Poe capped the drive with a 22-yard run. A missed extra point cost the Huskies a chance to go up, but it was still tied at 13.

After the Huskies stopped the Minutemen in the third, Poe ended up back in the end zone on a 3-yard run to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive that killed 7:06 off the clock.

The Huskies got another fourth-down stop, then went back to the ground. Williams punched it in this time, his first rushing touchdown of the year coming in from a yard out to end the nine-play, 90-yard drive that ate another 5:22 off the clock.

NIU had three players over 50 yards - WIlliams, Poe and quarterback Ethan Hampton. Brown finished with 46 yards on seven carries. Poe also had an 89-yard kickoff return after UMass cut the lead to 27-20 in the final minutes. Hampton ended up sneaking the ball in for a touchdown with 2:03 left.

Hampton benched - briefly

After the NIU offense fizzled in the first half, Hampton was benched, and Josh Holst – a freshman from Marengo – took the reins of the offense. Holst had a couple of big runs of 18 and 8 yards, and the Huskies got to the UMass 41.

Facing a fourth-and-2, Holst threw for the first time, finding Grayson Barnes, but the play only picked up a yard, and NIU turned the ball over on downs.

Hampton came back on the next series, was sacked on the first play but took off for a 32-yard gain on the next. The promising drive ended at the UMass 30 when Gavin Williams fumbled for the second NIU turnover.

Fading fast in first half

Although they scored fast, the rest of the first half was a slog for the Huskies. The Minutemen faced a third-and-7 on their own 28, having not been able to do much on offense.

But Phommachanh scrambled for a 14-yard gain, then found T.Y. Harding wide open for a 58-yard touchdown. There didn’t appear to be a Huskies defender within 15 yards of him on the game-tying play.

The Huskies had a chance to answer, but Hampton threw an interception. Gavin Williams fumbled later in the half as the Minutemen built a 13-7 lead at halftime.

NIU allowed 191 yards in the first half, more than it allowed in either of its last two full games.

A fast start

It took NIU 50 seconds to get on the board - and they didn’t even have the ball to start the game. Cade Haberman and Roy Williams sacked Phommachanh on the first play of the game. On the second, Phommachanh fumbled. Jalonnie WIlliams recovered.

NIU took over at the UMass 15, and the first play was a fake run to Antario Brown, opening up a Hampton pass to Brock Lampe for a score and a 7-0 lead with 14:10 left in the first quarter.

But UMass answered right back on the next drive with the Kolodziey score.