Two of the better comebacks in Northern Illinois University’s football history have been in Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship games at Ford Field in Detroit.
Northern Illinois beat Buffalo, 30-29, Friday after falling behind 29-10 late in the third quarter. In 2011, the Huskies beat Ohio, 23-20, after trailing 20-0 at halftime.
The Buffalo game last week was the eighth appearance by the Huskies and fourth victory, in MAC championship games.
Northern Illinois, 8-5, will play University of Alabama-Birmingham, 10-3, in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, in Boca Raton, Fla.. The prime sponsor gets one plug. So, if you are big into sour cherry juice, Cheribundi is for you.
Although Northern Illinois has been a force in the MAC in recent years, the team’s bowl picture has been deficient. Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey has a 0-5 record in bowl games. One of those defeats was in 2014 Boca Raton Bowl against Conference-USA champion Marshall, which won, 52-23.
Northern Illinois’ tough non-conference schedule has paid dividends. Among the 12 MAC schools, Northern Illinois was the only team not to play a non-major foe. A non-conference diet of Iowa, Utah, Florida State, and Brigham Young University was asking a great deal of the Huskies. But, Northern Illinois’ MAC championship trophy indicates it was a worthwhile move.
Northern Illinois lost, 17-6, to visiting Utah September 8. Friday night those two teams were in conference championship games. Northern Illinois beat Buffalo and Utah lost to Washington, 10-3, in the Pac-12 championship game.
Utah, 9-4, will get a shot at another Land of Lincoln opponent in the Holiday Bowl at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31 in San Diego. The Utes will play Northwestern, 8-5.
Strange as it may seem, the Holiday Bowl will give Northwestern a shot at its first non-conference victory this season. Northwestern, which lost to Ohio State, 45-24, in the Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis, this season lost to Duke, Akron, and Notre Dame in non-conference games.