Turnovers and low scoring gave football (2-3, 0-1 MAC) its third straight loss as it fell 29-19 to Central Michigan (2-3, 1-0 MAC) to end its three-game road trip.

First half

NIU got off to a quick start in the first quarter as sophomore cornerback Shawun Lurry picked off his fifth pass on the season and fourth in the last three games. Following the interception, the Huskies scored on a six-play, 23-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard run from junior running back Joel Bouagnon.

NIU forced a Chippewas punt on the very next drive and scored again less than a minute into its possession on a 32-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Christian Hagan. The Huskies led 10-0 midway through the first, their largest lead since week two of the season. Central Michigan returned with a field goal of its own on its next possession, trimming the lead to seven to close the first period.

The second quarter was quiet for both teams as neither was able to score a point before the half. The Huskies had the longest drive of the period, marching down the field on an 11-play, 46-yard drive, but failed to score and turned the ball over on downs on the 1-yard line. The Chippewas had an opportunity to close the half with a score but failed on a missed field goal by junior kicker Brian Eavey.

Second half

The Huskies opened the second half with a fumble by junior quarterback Drew Hare on their second play. Central Michigan took control following the fumble, capping off a three-play, 16-yard drive with a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Cooper Rush to senior wide receiver Jesse Kroll. The teams traded field goals on the next two possessions before another NIU fumble led to another CMU touchdown. The Chippewas scored on another touchdown pass from Rush to Kroll.

Midway through the third quarter, Hare was benched for freshman quarterback Ryan Graham, who threw an interception on his second pass of the game, leading to Hare’s return. Central Michigan scored just three plays later on a 4-yard run by junior running back Jahray Hayes.

CMU led 29-13 heading into the final quarter after outscoring NIU 23-3 in the third period. The Huskies put together a 13-play, 65-yard drive, capped off with a 3-yard touchdown run from Joel Bouagnon, his second touchdown of the day. NIU went for two on the play but failed, bringing the score to 29-19. The Huskies were given more opportunities toward the end of the game for a comeback, but couldn’t muster up a successful drive and turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Turnover battle

Drew Hare thew for 105 yards on the day on 12-28 passing, throwing no touchdowns and no interceptions. It is his third consecutive game without a touchdown throw and his first 100-yard passing game since week two of the season against Murray State. Hare also ran for 65 yards in the game on 27 attempts.

Joel Bouagnon led the Huskies in rushing against the Chippewas, picking up 104 yards on 26 rushes with two touchdowns. He now has eight touchdowns on the year through five games and has rushed for at least two touchdowns in three games.

Junior wide receiver Kenny Golladay led the game in receiving, snagging six passes for 54 yards on the day. Senior linebacker Boomer Mays led all Huskies in tackles, picking up nine in the contest.

NIU turned the ball over four times in the game, three on Hare fumbles and one on a Ryan Graham pass.

“Anytime you lose the turnover battle the way we did, you’re going to have a tough time winning,” said head coach Rod Carey, according to an NIU Athletics news release. “Overall, I thought we played good on defense. We ran the ball fine today; not great, but fairly well. The ball was wet, and Drew [Hare] struggled with ball-handling. If you give them a 23-point third quarter and put our defense in some of the situations we did with the short fields, it’s not going to be good.”

With the loss, the Huskies have now dropped three consecutive games for the first time since the 2009-10 season when they lost to Ohio, Central Michigan and South Florida. It is also the first time the team has had a below .500 record since 2012 when it opened the season with a one-point loss to Iowa.

The loss effectively ends NIU’s string of three games on the road as the team return to Huskie Stadium at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday for a matchup against Ball State (2-3) on ESPN3.