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DeKALB – The NIU offense heated up in the second half behind freshman quarterback Nevan Cremascoli, but the Huskies lost 35-22 to Central Michigan on Wednesday, eliminating them from bowl eligibility a year after winning the Mid-American Conference championship.
Here are five key takeaways from the loss.
Making things interesting late
Down 21-0 in the first half and 28-7 in the fourth quarter, the Huskies (2-7, 1-4 MAC West) scored two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The second score came with 11:31 left in the game when Demond Taylor forced a Lew Nichols fumble and Izayah Green-May went 57 yards untouched to the end zone for the second defensive touchdown for the Huskies this year, both by linemen. That pulled the Huskies within 28-22.
The NIU defense managed a three-and-out, but the CMU punt pinned the Huskies back on their own 1. On third-and-long, Thomas Incoom sacked Cremascoli, who fumbled, and Kyle Moretti recovered it in the end zone, pushing the Chippewas’ lead to 13 with 7:17 left.
Cremascoli makes college debut
On the second NIU series of the game, Cremascoli came in and had a quick impact for the Huskies. He found Tristen Tewes for 25 yards on his first pass attempt and rolled out under pressure and found Cole Tucker for 12 on his second, bringing the Huskies down to the 33 of CMU (3-5, 2-3) with the Chippewas ahead 7-0 early in the first.
But that success quickly evaporated. The Huskies and Cremascoli threw on every attempt on the next series, and each of the four passes was incomplete. CMU scored on its next possession for a 14-0 lead.
The New Trier graduate was only 5-of-14 passing for 51 yards in the first half, but he did throw his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Offensive turnaround to start second half
NIU’s first half was unproductive. The Huskies managed 94 yards of offense and trailed 21-0 at the break. But after the defense stopped the Chippewas on the first drive of the second half, the Huskies rattled off their first scoring drive of the game, almost doubling their offensive output for the game on the 80-yard drive.
A pass interference penalty helped the Huskies pick up a third-and-14, and on the next series Cremascoli found Liam Sorgahan for an 11-yard touchdown pass as the Huskies pulled within two scores.
The defense seemed to get a stop, forcing a 51-yard field goal attempt, but instead Luke Elzinga found Bryant Kieft for 20 yards for the first down, and two plays later a touchdown and a 28-7 CMU lead.
The offense answered on its second drive of second half when Cremascoli found Tewes for 34 yards, then the freshman quarterback from New Trier caught a two-point conversion from receiver Shemar Thornton early in the fourth quarter.
NIU defense forces turnovers but can’t capitalize
After the Chippewas jumped to a 14-0 lead, they were driving with the ball again but Jordan White intercepted Daniel Richardson, setting the Huskies up at the CMU 47. NIU went three-and-out on the ensuing possession.
The Huskies trailed 21-0 in the second quarter when Nick Rattin forced a fumble by Lew Nichols – who was playing after missing the past two games for the Chippewas – to set the offense up on the CMU 42. Again, the Huskies went three-and-out.
Offense can’t get rolling
Not only did the passing game struggle, the running game couldn’t get going either. The Huskies ran 16 times for 43 yards, and Cremascoli had their only double-digit run in the first half, scrambling for a 10-yard gain.
Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown were each held to less than 3 yards per carry in the first half. Waylee ended up with over 100 yards for the game, and Brown didn’t carry the ball in the second half.