The dream of Detroit is officially dead.
On a windy November night in Toledo, NIU needed everything to go right to stay alive for a chance to compete for its final Mid-American Conference title. Instead, everything went wrong against the Rockets — almost immediately.
Former Huskie Trayvon Rudolph housed the opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown and quarterback Tucker Gleason added three more scores, helping the Rockets (5-4, 3-2 MAC) hand the Huskies (2-7, 1-4 MAC) a crushing 42-3 defeat on Wednesday night — NIU’s second-largest loss under head coach Thomas Hammock and tied for the 14th-largest in the program’s 124-year history.
As he has for each of NIU’s previous losses — a common occurrence this season — Hammock shouldered the blame.
“That is squarely on me,” Hammock said. “I’ve got to have our players more prepared to play that style of game with that level of physicality, and we just did not match it. From the opening kick to offense to defense, we did not play the way we needed to play to give ourselves a chance to win this game.”
The Huskies were outgained by 240 yards, 443-203, and, just 12 days after rushing for a season-high 303 yards against Ball State, were limited to just 62 yards on the ground — their lowest rushing output since recording 26 yards at Nebraska in 2023. Quarterback Josh Holst struggled from the get-go, going 5-for-13 passing for 87 yards before being replaced early in the second half by Brady Davidson, who completed 6 of 16 passes for 54 yards. Both quarterbacks were sacked twice and combined for 141 passing yards.
Defensively, NIU could hardly stop a nosebleed. Gleason completed 80.6% of his passes for a season-high 309 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one of the Rockets’ three touchdowns runs as nine ball carriers combined for 134 yards. Hammock attributed the disparity to Toledo’s superiority in the trenches.
“Their O-line and D-line dominated us on the O-line and D-line, and that’s really what the game came down to — their ability to protect the quarterback and give him time … and then our inability to protect our quarterback and give him time.”
Linebackers Quinn Urwiler and Filip Maciorowski each totaled double-digit tackles, finishing with 13 and 11, respectively. However, NIU allowed Toledo to convert 9-of-14 third-down attempts compared to NIU’s 2-for-16 efficiency.
“It’s rough when we get into a spot on third down where we feel like we have a chance to get off the field, and we don’t,” Maciorowski said. “It’s obviously pretty frustrating.”
Simply dominated
NIU and Toledo were tied for all of 15 seconds to start the game before Rudolph gave his former team a harsh reminder of his dangerous speed. He caught the Huskies’ opening kickoff near the right hash of his own 5-yard line, snuck through an opening in the middle of the field, and weaved his way to the end zone for a 96-yard score.
“He really energized them, gave them momentum,” Hammock said of Rudolph. “But to be honest with you, we had a guy run in the wrong gap, and the return — we know that it was going into the field. We should have had two or three guys there to make the play.”
NIU responded with a 12-play, 42-drive that ended in a career-long 50-yard field goal by kicker Andrew Glass. The Huskies punted their next four drives, while Toledo reached the end zone three more times in the first half. Gleason punched in a 2-yard touchdown run before running back Chip Trayanum scored on a 5-yard run the next drive. The quarterback then connected with star wideout Junior Vandeross III for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds until halftime, putting NIU down 28-3 at the break.
The Huskies opened the second half with an eight-play, 49-yard series highlighted by a 41-yard pass to Rickey Taylor Jr. for his first career reception. Taylor was NIU’s leading receiver with 69 yards on three catches. Four plays later, Glass missed wide right on his second field goal attempt of the night from 43 yards.
Just like in the first half, NIU punted to end their next four drives. Freshman Jake Ference finished the night having punted eight times for 337 yards, averaging 42.1 yards per boot. Meanwhile, Toledo tacked on back-to-back touchdowns from running back Kenji Christian. The Rocket scored on a 10-run yard late in the third quarter then caught a 16-yard touchdown pass nearly six minutes later.
After a missed 46-yard field goal attempt by Toledo, NIU led its longest drive of the game, advancing 64 yards in 12 plays. The Huskies reached the opposing 8-yard line before Davidson’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, cementing their second-largest loss to the Rockets in the series’ 58-year history.
“To be honest with you, there wasn’t a lot that I can take from this game,” Hammock said. “We didn’t play good in any phase of the game.”
Wednesday’s loss guarantees NIU will have its fourth losing season in seven years under Hammock’s leadership and also prevents the Huskies from reaching bowl eligibility, with their best possible record now 5-7. Though NIU could possibly make a bowl game if it wins out and fewer than 82 teams become bowl eligible, the odds are slim.
Still, the season isn’t over. With three games left to play, Maciorowski said the focus has shifted to sending off the team’s veterans on a high note.
“The sun’s going to come up tomorrow, so all that matters is tomorrow,” Maciorowski said. “We’ve just got to get over it. We’ve still got three games left. We’re going to play for the seniors the rest of the season.”
