By Woodrow Carroll
Northern Illinois University has been a regular participant in football bowl games in recent years. Despite a tough non-conference schedule to include Nebraska, Iowa, and Utah among others along the way, Northern Illinois took comfort knowing that victories over Mid-American Conference foes Ball State and Eastern Michigan were there for the taking. Thus, a bowl invitation always was within reach. That comfort zone came to an end Saturday!
In front of a rain-soaked crowd of 10,365 at Huskie Stadium, the Ball State Cardinals defeated Northern Illinois, 27-20, in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) opener for both teams. The victory ended a 10-game Cardinals’ losing streak at the hands of Northern Illinois, 1-4 and 0-1 in the MAC. The defending conference champion Huskies’ future suddenly looks dim.
Northern Illinois jumped to a 14-0 advantage halfway through the first quarter when Tre Harbison, who racked up 146 yards rushing, ran in for two touchdowns.
At no time did Ball State, 2-3 and 1-0, do anything spectacular. The Huskies simply shut down offensively and Ball State worked its way back into the game.
Northern Illinois was 6-0 last season in the MAC before losing its last two conference games to Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan. By then the Huskies had wrapped up the West Division championship and a meeting with Buffalo in the MAC championship game. The Huskies stormed from behind to beat Buffalo, 30-29.
Northern Illinois will play at Ohio at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. If the Huskies are to remain viable, a victory over the Bobcats is imperative. The Huskies are the underdog.