Huskies win GoDaddy.com Bowl 38-20
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>After a 36-day hiatus, all NIU did for an encore
was come back from 13 points down to beat Arkansas State 38-20 to
win the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>“I’m really proud of our guys and our coaches to
win nine in-a-row and a bowl game is great,” said NIU head coach
Dave Doeren. “It was fun. I’m proud of the Huskies and our
fans.”
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>Arkansas State (10-3) got off to a fast start,
scoring two field goals and a touchdown on its first three
possessions. However, the Red Wolves were stopped twice in the red
zone by NIU’s (11-3) defense, which allowed zero points to Arkansas
State after the first quarter of play.
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>NIU found its rhythm toward the end of the first
quarter, as quarterback Chandler Harnish engineered an 11-play,
77-yard drive and found receiver Perez Ashford for a nine yard
touchdown pass.
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>The Huskies suffered a scare in the second
quarter when Harnish went down with a bum ankle, but back-up
quarterback Jordan Lynch hit receiver Martel Moore on a 41 yard
pass that set up his three yard touchdown run to give the Huskies a
14 to 13 lead.
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>Shortly after the Red Wolves failed again to
start moving the ball on offense, Harnish came back into the game
to a standing ovation and promptly led the Huskies downfield for
another score.
<div class="MsoNormal" style=
“margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;”><span style=
“font-size: 12pt;”>NIU capitalized on two key Red Wolves mistakes;
a muffed punt and a roughing the kicker penalty. These errors kept
the ball in NIU’s hands and eventually set up a Jamal Womble
touchdown run to put it up 21-13 at the half.
Arkansas State interim head coach. “They were momentum swingers,
