Each week during the college football season, the Northern Star will recap the most interesting NIU grades published by Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that evaluates every player on every play of every game. Season and single-game grades are based on a 0-100 scale. To learn more about PFF’s grading system, click here.
After nearly three months, three wins and many more losses, NIU’s 2025 season — and near four-decade run in the Mid-American Conference — have come to a close.
The Huskies fell to Kent State on Friday as a late collapse allowed the Golden Flashes to score 15 unanswered and spoil NIU’s MAC finale. Despite the bitter ending, some of NIU’s departing seniors delivered the team’s best performances in their last game at Huskie Stadium.
NIU (86.1 pass blocking): If there’s one thing NIU did right on Friday, it was protecting the quarterback. The Huskies posted their best pass blocking mark of the season as they didn’t give up a sack or a quarterback hit and only allowed one hurry over 13 pass blocking snaps. Three offensive linemen received a pass blocking grade of 80.0 or higher.
Chavon Wright (85.3 offense): The veteran running back shined in his final college game, taking home NIU’s highest offensive grade after a 185-yard, two-touchdown day on the ground. Wright played 56 of 69 possible offensive snaps and eclipsed 1,000 career rushing attempts with his 10th carry of the game. He also received the highest rushing grade (84.9) and the highest pass blocking grade among skill players (78.9).
Evan Malcore (81.7 pass blocking): Malcore stood out as the highest-graded member of NIU’s stout pass-blocking unit against the Golden Flashes. The left tackle was in for all 69 snaps and didn’t give up a sack, hit or hurry in what would be his final game for the Huskies.
Quinn Urwiler (79.6 defense): The sixth-year senior closed out his college career with another high-grading performance for the Huskies. In addition to logging his first career interception and a forced fumble, Urwiler led the team with 12 tackles while playing all 63 snaps — a performance that later earned him MAC Defensive Player of the Week and Huskie of the Week honors. He also earned NIU’s highest coverage grade (80.6) and second-highest run defense grade (74.0)
Taylor Powell (83.3 tackling): Filling in once more for the injured Ty Myles, the young nickelback turned in one of his best outings of the season. Powell finished third on the team with six tackles and came close to scoring on a fumble recovery, falling just a yard short of NIU’s first defensive touchdown of the season. PFF also credited him with a quarterback hurry.
