Football (7-3, 5-1 MAC) defeated Buffalo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) for its fifth straight win and tied UB for the second most wins in the MAC.

The Huskies hopped to an early first quarter lead after Buffalo scored an early touchdown, scoring 14 first-quarter points on touchdowns by junior wide receiver Kenny Golladay and junior running back Joel Bouagnon.

Bouagnon scored his second touchdown of the night in the second quarter, giving NIU a 21-3 lead. Sophomore Jordan Huff followed up with a rushing touchdown of his own, giving the Huskies a 28-3 lead heading into halftime.

The Bulls shot back in the second half, outscoring the Huskies 13-3 in the third quarter. NIU led 31-16 to start the fourth.

Buffalo continued its tough comeback attempt in the final period, scoring on an interception returned for a touchdown on fourth down that brought them within eight points. The Huskies were able to get back on track not long after, scoring again on a 68-yard bomb to Golladay, his second touchdown of the night, giving NIU a 38-23 lead.

With less than seven minutes of game time remaining, the Bulls got on the board again, scoring another touchdown that brought them within eight points for the second time in a tough fourth quarter for both teams.

NIU scored on a 47-yd field goal from sophomore kicker Christian Hagan with a couple minutes to go, giving the Huskies a 41-30 lead that sealed the win. The Bulls got another chance at completing their comeback, but were stopped after an interception from sophomore safety Brandon Mayes.

The win places the Huskies at third place in the MAC West with two weeks remaining in the regular season. They face off against division-leading Western Michigan on Wednesday at home.