Theo Scott threw three touchdown passes to lead Ohio to a 38-31 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, derailing the Huskies’ hope for a Mid-American Conference West title.
Chandler Harnish passed for 307 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Huskies (7-4, 5-2). It was NIU’s first 300-yard passing day of the season, and the first since last year’s season opener against Minnesota.
“Our game plan was good, we just didn’t execute, especially on special teams,” NIU coach Jerry Kill said. “Ten or 12 plays are the difference in the game. Ohio jumped ahead out of the gate, but I thought our team responded well. Chandler showed great leadership; he played a great game.”
Harnish threw a 23-yard TD pass to Kyle Skarb in the first quarter and a 26-yarder to Marcus Lewis in the fourth quarter.
A pair of big returns by Ohio (8-3, 6-1) put the Huskies in an early 14-0 hole. The Bobcats’ Chris Garrett returned the opening kickoff 64 yards to the NIU 35 and three plays later Scott threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to LaVon Brazill.
When NIU’s next drive stalled, Brazill brought Mike Salerno’s punt back 91 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Ohio maintained second place in the conference’s East Division. The Bobcats host first-place Temple on Saturday with the winner in the MAC title game Dec. 4 in Detroit.
Scott finished 16-for-28 with 138 yards for the Bobcats, who sneaked past the second-place team in the MAC’s West Division to set up next week’s showdown. Brazill had three touchdowns.
Trailing 28-24 early in the fourth, Scott’s 7-yard TD pass and Julian Posey’s 41-yard interception return put Ohio up 38-28.
NIU had its four-game win streak snapped. The Huskies have lost their last four trips to Athens.
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Huskies 2-minute drill
Getting offensive: Landon Cox caught a career-best 11 passes for 132 yards to post the top receiving day for Northern Illinois this season. Cox’s 11 catches ties for the 10th-highest single-game total in school history.
On the defensive: Northern Illinois’ Spencer Williamson recovered a fumble on the Ohio 12, setting up Chad Spann’s second 1-yard TD of the game.
The number: 421. Yards racked up by NIU’s offense to 247 by Ohio, but the Huskies committed two turnovers to one by the Bobcats.
They’re still talking about: LaVon Brazill’s 91-yard punt return, the longest in Ohio history.
Looking ahead: The bowl-eligible Huskies travel to first-place Central Michigan on Saturday for their regular-season finale.
