Huskies and Rockets tied at halftime
View of the East side of Huskie Stadium Sept. 24, 2019 in DeKalb.
December 5, 2020
DeKALB — The Huskies football team finds themselves tied with the University of Toledo Rockets at halftime Saturday in a 24-24 barnburner.
First-year quarterback Dustin Fletcher fumbled on a late drive and gave the ball up to the Rockets. Toledo sophomore kicker Evan Davis kicked a 25-yard field goal to take the lead with 1:45 left in the half.
Redshirt sophomore John Richardson tied the game again before the half with a 29-yard field goal.
Redshirt senior quarterback Ross Bowers has 193 passing yards and two touchdowns. First-year running back Harrison Waylee has 84 yards rushing and a touchdown.
The Rockets launched out to an early lead with a 21-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley to senior wide receiver Danzel McKinley-Lewis. Bradley started the game in place of senior quarterback Eli Peters.
NIU quickly responded, flipping the field on their next drive with a 36-yard catch by first-year wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph. Waylee went untouched on his way to a 28-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
Toledo looked to be on the move again, but Huskies first-year safety Jordan Hansen intercepted a tipped ball to end the drive.
Bowers put NIU in scoring position on the next drive when he completed a 43-yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Tryice Richie. Bowers finished the drive with a touchdown pass to redshirt senior tight end Daniel Crawford to take a 14-7 lead.
Bradley found senior wide receiver Bryce Mitchell on the next drive for a 32-yard catch thanks to Mitchell making several defenders miss tackles. Junior running back Bryant Koback finished the drive with a touchdown rush.
After Rudolph set them up with a 49-yard kick return, Bowers found Richie for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put them back ahead, but Richie was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The flag helped set Toledo up with decent field position to start their next drive, which ended with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Bradley to Mitchell.
The second half can be seen live on ESPN3.
