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DeKALB – The NIU football team mounted a late scoring drive, coming from behind to beat Eastern Michigan, 20-13.
The Huskies (4-4 overall, 3-1 MAC) hadn’t led since the first drive of the game but came away with their third straight win in knocking off the Eagles (4-4, 2-2).
Here are five takeaways from the win.
Late heroics
In a 13-13 tie, the Huskies took over at their own 20. They converted a third and 5 with a Rocky Lombardi pass to Trayvon Rudolph. On third and 14, Lombardi found Jalen Johnson for 13, then from their own 40 went for the fourth and 1, getting two yards from Christian Nash for the first.
A hold on the next play backed them up 10 yards, and on third and 14 Lombardi found Grayson Barnes on a leaping grab in traffic for 26 yards and the first down.
Gavin Williams added a 34-yard run to get the ball to the 2. On third and 1, Lombardi pushed it in for the score and the 20-13 lead with 1:11 left.
Devonte O’Malley sealed the win with an interception at the line of scrimmage with 18 seconds left.
Third-and-18, no problem
Down 13-10 late in the third quarter, the Huskies were facing a third and 18 on the Eastern Michigan 48. Lombardi was flushed out of the pocket but managed to find Davis Patterson for 20 yards. Williams got nine on the next play, reversing field and turning a small gain into nearly a first.
The Huskies couldn’t get that last yard and had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Kanon Woodill to tie things up at 13-13 with 14:56 left in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies defense put the offense in position to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter with an interception by Cyrus McGarrell, and Antario Brown seemed to answer with a 22-yard run. But the Huskies were called for a hold and a pair of false starts, faced a third-and-23, and had to punt the ball back after a three-and-out.
Penalty costs EMU a third-quarter touchdown
There were penalties all day Saturday, including targeting calls on both teams. To start the third quarter, Austin Smith hit Hamze El-Zayat for an apparent 10-yard touchdown pass. But Eastern Michigan was flagged for tripping. It appeared NIU may have roughed the passer on the play, but the officiating crew ruled the defender was pushed into the quarterback.
Eastern Michigan couldn’t convert the third and 21 and settled for a field goal and a 13-10 lead.
Earlier in the drive, NIU’s Nate Valcarcel was flagged for targeting and missed the rest of the game. He’ll also have to sit out the first half of the Central Michigan game on October 31.
Eastern Michigan committed seven penalties for 78 yards. NIU committed 10 penalties for 85 yards.
EMU penalties power NIU’s only first-half touchdown drive
Although their offense sputtered for the rest of the first half, the Huskies started off with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
The drive was aided by three Eastern Michigan penalties, including an illegal substitution that wiped a 1-yard loss by Brown. Another a roughing the passer call negated an incomplete pass on third down.
Brown capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.
Lots of Evans
The Eagles answered the NIU touchdown on the next drive with a healthy dose of Samson Evans. The Prairie Ridge graduate carried the ball on the last six plays of the Eagles’ nine-play, 65-yard drive - including a 2-yard touchdown run.
Evans had 13 carries for 46 yards at halftime and finished with 68 yards on 19 carries after the Eastern Michigan offense struggled in the second half.