Football (5-3, 3-1 MAC) throttled Eastern Michigan (1-7, 0-4 MAC) 49-21 in front of 17,000 fans Saturday, earning its third straight victory heading into the last stretch of the season.

The Huskies started the game with a five-minute touchdown drive after junior quarterback Drew Hare threw a 4-yard pass to senior wide receiver Juwan Brescacin. NIU didn’t look back in the first half as it went on to score 28 more unanswered points and took a 35-0 heading into the half.

“We’re pretty pleased with the win,” said head coach Rod Carey. “You never underestimate a win in any way, shape or form. I feel that we really played well in all three phases in the first half minus the punt. In the second half we were a little sloppy, but we came up with key stops and key scores to stay afloat.”

Hare went 18-22 with 155 passing yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and running backs Joel Bouagnon and Jordan Huff combined for 185 rushing yards, which gave the Huskies a balanced attack throughout the half.

“I had a pretty good day,” Huff said. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it was good enough. I just look to get better for my team each week.”

The Eagles struck first in the second half on a quick 1:15 scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Shaq Vann. The Huskies scored on the next possession with a 39-yard touchdown from Hare to senior wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, giving NIU a 42-7 lead.

The Eagles cut the deficit to 42-21 after scoring 14 consecutive points on rushing touchdowns by junior running back Darius Jackson. Jackson ended the game with 24 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles gave attempts at a comeback but couldn’t muster up enough steam.

“This is my first time here, and NIU football has been the class of the conference way before I showed up just a year-and-a-half ago,” said EMU head coach Chris Creighton. “Hats off to NIU for playing a great game today. This team has a great atmosphere and a great environment.”

The Huskies will be on the road next week to face off against No. 21 ranked and MAC-leading Toledo (7-0, 4-0 MAC). The teams last went head-to-head in 2014 — a game in which NIU took 27-24. The Rockets haven’t defeated the Huskies since the 2009-10 season.