The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – INSIDE SLANT
For the third time this year, Northern Illinois tinkered with the possibility of a loss before storming back in the fourth quarter to pull out a dramatic victory. The most recent victim turned out to be Ball State. After pulling out stunning fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins over Army and Kansas, the Huskies erased a 23-21 deficit with two touchdowns in a two-minute span late in the fourth to record a 35-23 win over Ball State.
Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren has seen this picture before, as recently as last week’s 55-24 comeback win over Central Michigan. Although they gained control in the third quarter against Central Michigan, the Huskies have now mounted comeback in the second half in four of their five victories.
“We’re a good fourth-quarter team,” Doeren said. “I think we do a good job of wearing guys down and I’m really proud of the resiliency of our football team. Road wins say a lot about our coaching staff and our players. When they are down, there is no flinch.”
The Huskies, now 5-1 and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference West Division, have won four straight games, with their lone blemish a one-point loss to Iowa in the opener. And once again, NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch spearheaded the comeback.
Lynch, the top rushing quarterback in the country coming into the game, rushed for a career-high 207 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns. The junior is quickly making a national name for himself after accounting for 402 total yards, including 16-of-23 passing for 195 yards and one touchdown.
“He (Lynch) is a great player, I think everyone knows that now,” Doeren said. “He’s running the offense really well and making big plays.”
Lynch raised his season totals to 789 yards rushing and 1,255 yards passing with a big second half against the Cardinals. Lynch piloted three touchdowns drives in 13 plays after halftime to turn a 23-14 third-quarter deficit around.
The Huskies stormed out to a 14-3 lead, but Ball State countered with 20 straight points to gain control of the conference game. The Huskies gave up big yards all game — 563 yards on 100 plays — but did a good job of bending and not breaking against the Cardinals.
“We have to execute better,” Ball State coach Pete Lembo said. “But obviously (Northern Illinois) has something to say about that. It’s a little bit harder to get open against a really good defensive back. There’s a little less margin for error when you’re going up against a really good defense.”
The comeback victory adds another chapter to NIU’s growing program. The Cardinals entered the contest with victories over BCS opponents, Indiana and South Florida. Ball State had momentum and motivation on its side with three straight losses to Northern Illinois. But the Huskies, under Doeren, have proven to be a tough team to beat. The Huskies won despite allowing Ball State senior quarterback Keith Wenning to throw for 434 yards and one touchdown on 42-of-71 passing.
The defending conference champions won for the 17th time in their last 18 league games, and defeated the Cardinals for the fourth straight time and second year in a row with a big second-half comeback.
“Our word for the week was perseverance and I don’t think I could have picked a better word for the team,” Doeren said. “I thought the defense had a ton of huge stops today. We hit (Wenning) a lot and forced some bad throws.”
———————————————–
NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – NOTES, QUOTES
WHAT’S AHEAD: The Huskies entertain Buffalo for Homecoming on Oct. 12. The Huskies have dominated the series of late, but the Bulls gave NIU a battle last year before falling by one point. The Huskies have won five straight games after losing their opener to Iowa.
–The Huskies are off to their best start at 5-1 since the 2003 season.
–Northern Illinois has won nine straight conference games and 17 of its last 18.
–Northern Illinois rallied for a victory for the third time after trailing in the fourth quarter this season.
KEEP AN EYE ON: NIU linebacker Michael Santacaterina picked a good time to be known for his on-the-field exploits instead of his last name. His third-quarter interception, the second of his career, ignited NIU’s second-half comeback victory at Ball State. Akeem Daniels finished with five catches for 78 yards, including the go-ahead 54-yard touchdown with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter.
LOOKING GOOD: Jordan Lynch is playing like a soon-to-be MAC MVP. Lynch is putting up video-game numbers in the first six weeks of the season. At the halfway point of the regular season, Lynch has 789 yards rushing and 1,255 yards passing. He registered his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season with a career-high 207 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State. Lynch added 195 yards passing and one touchdown.
STILL NEEDS WORK: Sophomore Tommylee Lewis can be an electric player with the ball in his heads. But Lewis has to hold onto the ball. He turned the ball over twice on fumbles in the second half, giving the Cardinals a chance to put the game away at one point. The NIU coaches can’t be pleased with allowing 563 yards of total offense to Ball State. The Huskies struggled converting third downs as well, finishing 2-of-12 on third downs and they committed 81 yards in penalties.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “There’s only so much you can do to it before we take advantage of something else. It’s just a matter of time before I find a crease.” — NIU junior quarterback Jordan Lynch on his 207-yard rushing game against Ball State, most coming in the second half comeback.
———————————————–
NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–QB Jordan Lynch accounted for 402 total yards and four touchdowns at Ball State. Lynch ran for a career-best 207 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns and passed for 195 yards and one touchdown. Lynch scored on runs of 29, 12 and 71 yards to raise his season total to nine rushing touchdowns. His 71-yard touchdown was NIU’s third second-half touchdown drive.
–RB Akeem Daniels made a mark in another category at Ball State. With his carries limited this year, Daniels caught five passes for 78 yards, including the go-ahead 54-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
–LB Michael Santacaterina picked off a pass in the third quarter to stop a Ball State drive. The Cardinals were looking to put the game out of reach before Santacaterina intercepted his first pass of the season and second of his career.
ROSTER REPORT
–WR Martel Moore dealt with an injury leading up to the Ball State game, but played against the Cardinals.
–WR Perez Ashford sat out the Ball State game with a sprained ankle.
–WR Tommylee Lewis was a question mark for the Ball State game due to an ankle injury, but played against the Cardinals.
–DB Dechane Durante left the game with an apparent leg injury.
———————————————–
