The Huskies (3-7, 2-4 MAC) made sure there was no drama on Wednesday. Behind a stellar debut start from redshirt junior quarterback Jalen Macon and an efficient run game, NIU absolutely steamrolled the winless UMass Minutemen (0-10, 0-6 MAC) in a 45-3 victory.
MACON DELIVERS IN FIRST NIU START
While Macon saw the field in previous games this year, he made his first NIU start on Wednesday night against UMass, and he delivered. He flashed his dual-threat presence, recording 1 passing touchdown and 3 rushing touchdowns. Macon was 3-for-4 on passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 12 times for 98 yards.
Macon is the first quarterback to win his first NIU start since Rocky Lombardi, guiding the Huskies to their first blowout of the year.
The offense looked comfortable and poised with Macon at the helm. After inconsistencies from the quarterback position all year, this outing offered much stability to a struggling passing game. I know it was against a struggling UMass team, but it begs the question – should Macon get more starts?
UMASS STAYS WINLESS
On the other side of the ball, the Minutemen showed everyone exactly why they are winless. UMass came into this game with the lowest scoring offense in all of D1 football, averaging just 8.8 points per game, and the Huskie defense made sure it stayed that way.
UMass only managed 65 rushing yards on 25 attempts, averaging 2.6 yards per rush. On the passing side, they managed 197 yards on 42 attempts, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. Their offensive line simply could not handle the NIU defense.
The Minutemen also could not contain the might of the NIU ground game, allowing 318 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. By halftime, the game was already 31-0 and was practically over. It really showed the difference in programs, with NIU struggling to get wins, while UMass is struggling to get points on the board.
OFFENSE CLICKS
Macon wasn’t the only one to have a standout performance. As a whole, the Huskies totaled 433 yards on 63 plays, averaging 6.3 yards per snap. Redshirt senior running back Chavon Wright provided steady production with 86 yards on 12 attempts with one touchdown, while averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. The same could be said with freshman running back Lazaro Rogers, who had 60 yards of production on 12 attempts, averaging 5 yards per attempt.
The offensive line which has struggled at times this year, dominated on Wednesday, and had a total of 318 rushing yards. The passing game, while not having a ton of usage, was still efficient. NIU went 6-8 with 115 passing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.4 yards per attempt.
It was the kind of performance NIU has been searching for for a while now, giving the defense and special teams a well deserved break.
After a frustrating season so far, Wednesday’s game gave NIU fans a glimpse at what could happen when all goes right.
