DeKALB – NIU junior running back Antario Brown notched his first MAC West Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance in the Huskies 55-14 win over the University of Akron Saturday.
Brown had a career day on Saturday, posting career highs in rushing yards and touchdowns. Brown finished the game rushing for 280 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries.
Brown had touchdown runs of 66, 58, 46, and 50 yards while becoming just the sixth Huskie to rush for 280 or more yards in a game. Brown’s 280 rushing yards ranks 11th in NIU history for a single game.
In addition to having the best performance of his career, Brown turned in one of the best rushing performances in the country this season. Brown tied Kentucky senior running back Ray Davis for the most rushing yards in an FBS game in the 2023 season and now ranks 13th in the country in rushing yards.
Brown also made NIU history averaging 21.5 yards-per-carry, the highest average in school history with a minimum of 10 carries.
The rest of the offense followed Brown’s lead, amounting to the NIU’s highest scoring outing of the 2023 season. Redshirt senior quarterback Rocky Lombardi completed 10 of his 15 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt junior running back Gavin Williams rushed 10 times for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown and the Huskies will look to continue their strong play against the Ohio University Bobcats in their 116th homecoming. Kick off will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU and live stats will be available via SideArm Stats.
