Carifio: As defense shines, NIU predictable but successful on offense in win at EMU

Well, the long local nightmare is over. Northern Illinois has a conference win and finally has beaten an FBS school this year, knocking off Eastern Michigan 39-10 on Saturday in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Make no mistake, this game was won because of the defense. The defensive line was beyond amazing. The linebackers were super tough against the pass and the run. And the secondary – well, it did keep quarterback Taylor Powell in check, going 11-of-23 passing for 197 yards, with 147 of those coming on three plays.

But this is about the offense and the four (4!) quarterbacks NIU used. Well, four players NIU used at quarterback. And even though it was pretty predictable what was going to happen, the Huskies were successful to the tune of 410 yards of offense on the day.

With Ethan Hampton unavailable because of an injury the team said he suffered in the third quarter last week in a four-interception, two pick-six loss to Toledo, Justin Lynch took over as the starter. Because Rocky Lombardi has been out since Week 2 (spoiler alert: He returned Saturday), Lynch has pitched in as a wildcat back, exclusively running the ball.

That didn’t change Saturday. Lynch tried his first and still only pass, a completion to Kacper Rutkiewicz for 8 yards. But he ran eight times for 51 yards, including a long of 24.

When the Huskies needed to throw, Lombardi came on in relief. although it was obvious the team was passing when he was in the game – I’m pretty sure the Huskies didn’t attempt a run when he was on the field, and if they did, it was not more than once or twice – he still went 11 of 15 for 115 yards. No interceptions, no touchdowns.

It wasn’t rocket science. Lombardi was passing. Lynch was running. But wait. There’s more.

The Huskies used Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown at quarterback. Both running backs had a touchdown while they were in the formation. Neither one attempted a pass, and I think there was only one handoff with them – when Brown handed off to Waylee, split wide, on a sweep. So again, very predictable what was coming.

But it didn’t matter. Waylee had 16 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown, a long of 76. Brown had 17 carries for 88 yards and two scores, with a long of 47. The Huskies ran 49 times for 287 yards. They telegraphed when the runs were coming, and the Eagles still couldn’t stop them.

After the game, coach Thomas Hammock said the team needs to throw more. He said this was the best plan to beat Eastern Michigan. And you certainly can’t argue with the results.

Hammock also said next week may be different. The team remains on the road, heading to Ohio. The Huskies are 2-5 now and 1-2 in the MAC. Three other MAC West teams are also 1-2, and those are the three MAC West teams NIU has left to play.

Maybe Lombardi is back at 100%, or at least closer to it. He was not mobile at all Saturday. He was sacked twice by Jose Ramirez, who had four sacks last week. But on both of those sacks, it seemed like a fully healthy Lombardi would have been able to scramble away. Maybe someone else brings him down, maybe he gets a big gain, but on Saturday he was not his old self.

But if he’s still not fully operational, the Huskies are going to have to be less predictable. Lynch is going to have to throw more. Because if Ohio’s defense is tougher than Eastern Michigan’s, if the NIU offense isn’t running on point again, or if the Huskies’ defense takes a step back and starts giving up more points, a predictable offense may not be successful again.

• Eddie Carifio is the Daily Chronicle sports editor. Write to him at ecarifio@shawmedia.com.