KALAMAZOO | P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan University Broncos head coach and 2004 NIU Alumnus, notched his first win against his alma mater Saturday as the Broncos defeated NIU 45-30 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The Huskies (1-5, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) fell behind early in the first quarter, a theme this year as they have been shutout in the first quarter in four of its five games, losing all four games.

After Zach Terrell, Western Michigan’s redshirt senior quarterback, connected with junior runningback Jarvion Franklin for a 32-yard touchdown on the Broncos opening drive giving them a seven point lead two minutes and 18 seconds into the game.

The Broncos (6-0, 2-0 MAC) scored another touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter after a 20-yard passing touchdown from Terrell to senior wide receiver Corey Davis to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Huskies answered back in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run from junior wide receiver Christian Blake to trim the Broncos lead to 14-7.

The Broncos scored on its following possession with a nine play, 65-yard drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run from Franklin. This gave Western Michigan a 21-7 lead before the Huskies tried to mount a comeback, scoring the final 10 points of the first half to trim the lead to 21-17 at halftime.

To start the second half the Huskies had a 12-play, 75-yard drive that stalled inside the five-yard line, resulting in a 19-yard field goal from junior kicker Christian Hagan to cut the lead to one. The teams traded field goals in its following possesions making the score 24-23 in favor of Western Michigan. The Broncos scored on an eight-yard passing touchdown from Terrell to Davis, giving them a 31-23 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.

Western Michigan added another touchdown to give them a 38-23 lead with a little more than 12 minutes remaining in the game. Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Maddie chipped into the Western Michigan lead with an eight-yard touchdown run to trim the defecit to 38-30.

The Broncos finished off the Huskies with a six-play, 86-yard drive capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Terrell, putting them ahead 45-30 with five minutes remaining.

Terrell finished 18-for-27 passing with 327 yards and two touchdowns.

Maddie finished the game with 14-for-30 passing, one touchdown and two interceptions. Maddie also led the Huskies with 111 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Kenny Golladay had five receptions for 99 yards on the day. This marks the first loss for the Huskies against Western Michigan since 2008 when the Huskies lost 29-26.