DeKALB – The NIU football team overcame below freezing temperatures Saturday night at Huskie Stadium to defeat Central Michigan University 24-16 and send its 30 graduating seniors off with one final victory at home.
The Huskies (7-5, 4-4 MAC) rushed for three touchdowns and recorded two takeaways to snap their two-game losing streak to the Chippewas (4-8, 2-6 MAC). The win not only guarantees NIU a winning record, but it also bolsters its chances of making a bowl game.
“There are no bad victories,” head coach Thomas Hammock said. “It’s hard to win, and we did the things necessary to win today. We’re not going to give it back. We guaranteed ourself a winning season and an opportunity to play one more game that we’re looking forward to.”
The Huskies cruised to a 19-0 lead in the first quarter with a trio of rushing touchdowns on their first three drives. Redshirt senior running back Gavin Williams opened the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run, followed up by a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Hampton then broke off the longest scoring dash of his career, punishing it in from 16 yards out. Finally, freshman running back Telly Johnson Jr. deposited a 4-yard touchdown run to make it a three-score game.
Hammock, who had a large hand in the offensive game plan after NIU parted ways with offensive coordinator Wesley Beschorner after last week’s loss to Miami University, said the early success stemmed from individual effort.
“We were able to get the ball to the perimeter; we made some guys miss and then the players made plays,” Hammock said.
Central Michigan broke its goose egg on its fourth possession with a seven-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Jadyn Glasser to senior wide receiver Jesse Prewitt III. Senior defensive tackle Cade Haberman blocked the ensuing extra point attempt, which bounced into the waiting arms of senior cornerback JaVaughn Byrd. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native returned it 95 yards to the house for a rare defensive two-point conversion that put NIU up 21-6.
“It really just fell in my lap,” Byrd said. “I had to get those spidey senses going, grab the ball and just had to take off.”
CMU redshirt senior kicker Tristan Mattson later connected on a 40-yard field goal before Glasser and Prewitt connected once more to cut the Huskies’ lead to 21-16. Senior safety Nate Valcarcel attributed NIU’s second-quarter defensive woes to individual struggles.
“It was really just some guys not doing their 1/11th, and we got that fixed coming out of halftime,” Valcarcel said.
After halftime, the defense only gave up three Chippewa first downs and 51 yards. Valcarcel recorded NIU’s first takeaway with a fumble recovery in the third quarter. But the Huskies couldn’t capitalize, gaining just 7 yards on their ensuing possession before missing a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jacob Finley got his first career interception in the fourth quarter, coming down with a pick off a deflection. The Huskies later forced a turnover on downs on CMU’s final drive when Valcarcel broke up Glasser’s last-gasp Hail Mary shot. Williams sealed the win with a 14-yard run on third-and-long, allowing Hampton to kneel twice to end the game.
