Long touchdown scores. Jarring hits. Forced turnovers. Great catches. Broken records. Milestones reached. There was even a helicopter and fireworks.

If you missed the NIU-Southern Illinois match on Saturday, you missed all this and much more.

Oh, by the way, Southern made a decent showing too.

But this game belonged to the Huskies, or more appropriately, LeShon Johnson.

On a day where the Huskie defense had a letdown after last week’s 46-42 win over Nevada, it was the offense that saved the day for the Big West Conference leading squad, putting 45 points on the board almost at will.

Johnson ran for a school record 322 yards on the strength of several long runs to excite the 14,852 students, parents and unlucky SIU fans that made the trip from Carondale just to see their team chase Johnson around the field.

To put this game in proper perspective, on SIU’s first drive of the game, it took the Saluki’s four minutes and 23 seconds to pick up just 23 yards. The ensuing punt put the ball on the NIU eight-yard line.

One play and 15 seconds later, Johnson outraced everyone to the opposing endzone. The 92-yard scamper ties for second on the NIU longest rush from scrimmage, and it served as a warm-up for the All-American candidate.

Later, when asked if anyone even touched him on the play, he thought about it for a second and replied, “Somebody touched me on the foot.”

It would be like this all day for SIU. Johnson went into the endzone twice more, both on 60-yard runs. Each ended an NIU drive in less than a minute.

The first of the 60-yarders put him over the 2,000-yard mark for his career, only the eighth Huskie ever to do so.

And he’s only been here for two years.