HUSKIES PLAY GIVEAWAY
QB Hare benched after two costly turnovers; NIU drops third in row
MT. PLEASANT, MICH. — Things went from bad to worse for Northern Illinois’ football team.
The Huskies lost their third consecutive game, falling 29-19 at Central Michigan in the conference opener on a rainy afternoon.
The Huskies had four turnovers in the second half, allowing Central Michigan to score 19 unanswered points and take the lead for good.
It marks the first three-game losing streak for the Huskies since 2009 — when it closed out the regular season with losses to Ohio and Central Michigan before falling to South Florida in the International Bowl.
Junior quarterback Drew Hare struggled to keep a grasp on the football, fumbling on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter — leading to his temporary benching and 10 points for the Chippewas. On his only drive of the game, backup quarterback Ryan Graham threw an interception and Central Michigan scored a touchdown three plays later.
“It was a wet ball and he struggled with his ball-handling and decision making,” NIU coach Rod Carey said of Hare. “Pulled him to get him a breath. He had two straight turnovers. Drew had a bad series coming out, so we wanted him to calm down a little bit.”
The Chippewas (2-3 overall, 1-0 Mid-American Conference West) outscored the Huskies (2-3 overall, 0-1) 23-3 in the third quarter.
Hare went 12-for-28 for 105 passing yards and no touchdowns and had 65 rushing yards on 27 carries. Junior Kenny Golladay had six catches for 54 yards. Joel Bouagnon rushed for 104 yards on 26 carries and scored twice.
The Huskies fumbled six times on the day — losing three — and committed four turnovers overall. Evident of the strong field position the Chippewas enjoyed, the Huskies had more yards of total offense (316) than Central Michigan (275).
“We were in it minus the turnovers, so I don’t think that would lead to a bunch of panic,” Carey said. “I would think [the losing streak] leads to getting into the film room and getting better.”
Central Michigan also struggled at times in the rain, with several receivers dropping easily catchable balls. Chippewas junior quarterback Cooper Rush went 16-for-31 with 182 yards and two touchdowns and running back Jahray Hayes rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown.
NIU sophomore defensive back Shawun Lurry continued his strong season, getting his nation-leading fifth interception to help lead to a touchdown for his team. Lurry returned the interception 18 yards to the Central Michigan 23 and the Huskies scored six plays later on a one-yard run by Bouagnon.
The Huskies, leading 10-3 at the time, also had the ball on a fourthand-goal from inside the 1 in the second quarter, but Bouagnon was stopped for a four-yard loss.
Both teams missed a field goal in the first half. NIU sophomore Christian Hagan missed from 48 yards on the last play of the first quarter and Central Michigan’s Brian Eavey was off from 43 on the final play of the second quarter.
The offense for NIU shot itself in the foot to open the third quarter, with Hare fumbling on an exchange to put the Chippewas on the Huskies’ 16. Central Michigan scored three plays later on a nineyard pass from Rush to Jesse Kroll.
The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter, with Hagan connecting from 26 to give the Huskies a temporary lead before Eavey hit from 28 to tie it at 13. Rush completed two passes on third-andlongs to keep the drive alive.