Huskies earn unlikely win
Offensive stars Hare, Lewis go down with injuries in first half
TOLEDO, Ohio — Junior quarterback Drew Hare stood on the sideline in the second half wearing street clothes and using crutches.
Insert redshirt freshman Ryan Graham.
NIU lost two of its most important players in backto-back drives in the second quarter, including Hare, who is out for the season with an apparent knee injury, but it battled back behind a strong final drive by Graham in a dramatic 32-27 win against No. 24 Toledo on Tuesday night at the Glass Bowl.
Senior wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, who was having a career night with five catches for 125 yards in the first quarter, went down with what appeared to be a left knee injury early in the second. On the next drive, Hare went down on a noncontact play.
Before being injured, Hare was 7-for-13 for 145 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added 29 rushing yards. Graham finished 9-for-12 for 132 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown pass hauled in with one arm by junior Kenny Golladay that trimmed Toledo’s lead to 27-25.
“I told him that I had it one-on-one, and I had to make a play to give my quarterback some confidence,” Golladay said. “I told him we got you, this whole team got you. You’re good. The only thing he had to do is trust himself, and he did. He played a hell of a game.”
On the Huskies’ gamewinning drive, Graham found Golladay for a pair of big passes — including one for 44 yards — and junior running back Joel Bouagnon (87 yards) eventually scored on a two-yard run.
“You have to have fun with it,” Graham said. “You try too hard, you’re not going to go out and play well.”
On Toledo’s final drive, NIU linebacker Boomer Mays, who had a team-high 10 tackles, came up with an interception.
The Huskies have not lost a game in November since 2009 and beat the Rockets for the sixth consecutive season. The win also keeps the Huskies (6-3, 4-1) in the hunt for their sixth straight MAC West title.