One year ago, Bowling Green spoiled the BCS dreams of an undefeated Northern Illinois squad in the MAC Championship Game. The Huskies got some revenge Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit in a 51-17 demolition of the Falcons to win their third conference title in four years.
Using an extremely effective blend of run and pass, the Huskies racked up 552 yards of total offense while the defense forced four Bowling Green turnovers. Sophomore quarterback Drew Hare threw for 218 yards, ran for 60 yards and combined for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
In addition to Hare’s strong performance, the Huskies rode the three-headed rushing attack of seniors Cameron Stingily and Akeem Hunt and sophomore Joel Bouagnon to reel off a whopping 334 yards on the ground. Stingily led the way with 116 yards and two scores while Daniels and Bougnon added 76 and 57 yards, respectively, completely wearing down Bowling Green’s defense as the game went on.
The final score could have been even more lopsided, too.
The Huskies twice settled for field goals deep in Bowling Green territory early in the first half and despite completely controlling the game in yardage, NIU’s lead was just 20-10 at halftime.
The second half was a different story.
NIU scored two touchdowns and a field goal on its first three possessions of the second half, ballooning the lead to 37-10. Meanwhile, the Huskies’ defense made life miserable for the Bowling Green offense.
Falcons’ sophomore quarterback James Knapke (12-of-21, 151 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) struggled all night and was eventually replaced by freshman Cody Callaway late in the third. The switch made no difference as the Huskies added two more scores and grinded out the clock en route to a lopsided win.
The win is the seventh straight for coach Rod Carey’s Huskies to improve the team’s record to 11-2 heading into a bowl game. The GoDaddy Bowl seems like a likely destination for the Huskies, but there is a slim chance NIU could represent the Group of Five (AAC, C-USA, MAC, MWC and Sun Belt) in a College Football Playoff bowl game.
If No. 22 Boise State loses in Mountain West title game to Fresno State on Saturday, Northern Illinois could potentially emerge as the top-ranked team from the Group of Five conferences in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings. That would give NIU a berth to New Years bowl game.
In the program’s first season under Dino Babers, the loss drops Bowling Green to 7-6 on the season with a bowl game on the horizon.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Northern Illinois wins MAC title in 51-17 rout of Bowling Green
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