Running game carries football’s offense in win
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Hare (12) carries the ball during his 78-yard touchdown run on the Huskies’ first series of the game. The Huskies ran for 332 yards while passing for only 54 yards Saturday at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich., against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
October 26, 2014
Football’s ground game proved to be too much for Eastern Michigan as NIU ran to victory Saturday at “The Factory.”
The Huskies (6-2, 3-1 MAC) and their ground attack went uncontested against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-6, 1-3 MAC) at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich., beating the Eagles, 28-17.
The Huskies rushed for 332 yards and ran in all four of their touchdowns. The top rusher for the second-straight week was redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Hare; however, the combination of Hare and backup quarterback Anthony Maddie only completed 10 of their 17 passes for 54 yards.
“Our team, we have our motto, ‘The Hard Way,’ and that was hard today,” said head coach Rod Carey, according to a news release. “We were doing the little things [wrong], and we had to reel it in. Our guys were making plays [late], we finally got pressure on the quarterback and after getting behind in the fourth quarter, I like the way we bounced back.”
In the first quarter, Hare put up the opening points of the game with a 78-yard touchdown run on the Huskies’ third play from scrimmage. He finished the night with 166 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Sophomore tailback Joel Bouagnon and redshirt senior tailback Cameron Stingily had a solid day running the ball. Bouagnon rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown, and Stingily ran for 64 yards for two touchdowns. The combination of the backs and Hare resulted in a devastating ground attack, but the offense was anemic in the second and third quarters.
In those quarters the Huskies managed 136 yards in total offense with zero points. Senior place kicker Tyler Wedel attempted two field goals in those quarters, but both tries were blocked by the Eastern Michigan special teams unit.
But, the Huskies bounced back. They scored with the run on back-to-back drives after going down 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.
This is the second game in a row where the Huskies have dominated with their run game. In the last two games, they have rushed for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns and have passed for only 279 yards and one touchdown.