It took a complete team effort Saturday for football (4-0) to ruin Purdue’s (1-4) homecoming with a 55-24 win.

The offense was in sync nearly the entire game. The special teams unit added to the attack and the defense forced the Boilermakers into multiple bad decisions.

For the first time this season, the Huskies got out to a first-quarter lead and did not need a second-half comeback to secure the victory. They scored on their first five possessions of the game and led for the entire game except for a stretch of just more than two minutes midway through the first quarter.

“I was impressed with our offense, and our defense played a great game,” said head coach Rod Carey in a news release. “We are a good defense and played a great game today. Offensively, we executed our game plan. Jordan [Lynch] can throw the football and there shouldn’t be any questions about that. He hit a lot of different receivers. We got everybody playing time so it was a good day.”

Senior quarterback Jordan Lynch finished his day 18-of-25 for 207 yards and completed passes to eight receivers. He threw three touchdowns — two to redshirt junior wide receiver Da’Ron Brown and one to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Juwan Brescacin. Even redshirt sophomore quarterback Matt McIntosh added a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Cameron Stingily, redshirt junior running back, led the team with 15 carries and 72 rushing yards. Lynch added 35 yards and one rushing touchdown on nine carries.

Senior kicker Mathew Sims went a perfect two-of-two on field goals and seven-of-seven on extra points. The special teams unit got in on the scoring as junior wide receiver Tommylee Lewis returned the second half’s opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. It was the Huskies’ first special teams touchdown this season and the fourth of Lewis’ career.

“It definitely set the tone,” Lewis said. “All the credit goes to the 10 guys; they made all the blocks … it was definitely important to get a spark for the half.”

Despite giving up 524 total yards of offense to the Boilermakers, the NIU defense forced five turnovers. George Rainey, redshirt senior defensive end, recovered a fumble by Boilermakers quarterback Rob Henry on a center-quarterback exchange, which NIU converted into a field goal in the first quarter.

Redshirt junior safety Dechane Durante intercepted Henry on two consecutive drives in the second quarter. The offense turned the first interception into a touchdown.

Senior safety Jimmie Ward picked off true freshman quarterback Danny Etling in the third quarter and returned the interception 62 yards for a touchdown that put NIU up 41-10. The pick-six was NIU’s first defensive touchdown of the season.

“I’m happy for Jimmie Ward,” Carey said in a news release. “We said we’ve got to have seniors play like seniors, and he’s playing his best ball. Our defense was opportunistic and made things happen.”

Redshirt senior safety Dominique Ware recorded the Huskies’ fifth turnover of the game late in the fourth quarter. Ware’s interception allowed the Huskies to run out the clock and close out conference play with 55-24 victory and a 4-0 record.