American college football season
The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represents Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Huskies are led by Thomas Hammock in his sixth year as the head coach. The Huskies play home games at Huskie Stadium , located in DeKalb, Illinois .[ 1]
On September 7, the Huskies notched their first-ever win over a top-10 ranked team, beating No. 5 Notre Dame 16–14 in South Bend, Indiana .[ 2] As a result, the Huskies were ranked No. 25 in the AP poll released on September 9, the first time an NIU team had been ranked since December of 2013. [ 3]
On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish tied for third in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship .[ 4] [ 5]
MAC Coaches poll Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Miami 119 (9) 2 Toledo 109 (3) T3 Bowling Green 92 T3 Northern Illinois 92 5 Ohio 81 6 Eastern Michigan 64 7 Western Michigan 60 8 Central Michigan 59 9 Ball State 42 10 Buffalo 37 11 Akron 24 12 Kent State 13
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) Predicted finish Team Votes 1 Miami 10 2 Toledo 2
[ 6]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP — — 25 23 — — — — — Coaches — — RV RV — — — — — CFP Not released Not released
Western Illinois Leathernecks at Northern Illinois Huskies – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Leathernecks 3 0 5 7 15 Huskies 6 28 13 7 54
at Huskie Stadium , DeKalb, Illinois
Date : August 31Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT Game weather : Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)Game attendance : 10,828Referee : Amanda SauerTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Kelsie Kasper and Ryan CavanaughBox score , Recap
Game information First quarter NIU – Dane Pardridge 23-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (kick failed), 12:21. Huskies 6–0. Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:25. WIU – Antonio Chadha 44-yard field goal, 0:51. Huskies 6–3. Drive: 11 plays, 61, yards, 4:35. Second quarter
NIU – Cam Thompson 11-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 12:36. Huskies 13–3. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:15. NIU – Trayvon Rudolph 60-yard run (Kanon Woodill kick), 8:47. Huskies 20–3. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards, 0:08. NIU – Keyshaun Pipkin 11-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 1:55. Huskies 27–3. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 5:05. NIU – Trayvon Rudolph 43-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 0:40. Huskies 34–3. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 0:44. Third quarter
NIU – Grayson Barnes 60-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 13:28. Huskies 41–3. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:32. NIU – Jaylen Poe 7-yard run (kick blocked), 4:22. Huskies 47–3. Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 7:06. WIU – Fredrik Greenhoward defensive PAT conversion, 4:22. Huskies 47–5. WIU – Antonio Chadha 46-yard field goal, 1:39. Huskies 47–8. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:36. Fourth quarter
NIU – Jalen Macon 5-yard run (Kanon Woodill kick), 8:00. Huskies 54–8. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:31. WIU – Torrance Farmer Jr. 27-yard pass from Nathan Lamb (Antonio Chadha kick), 2:59. Huskies 54–15. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 4:56.
Statistics WIU NIU First downs 17 30 Total yards 298 706 Rushing yards 94 312 Passing yards 204 394 Turnovers 0 1 Time of possession 28:26 31:34
Team Category Player Statistics Western Illinois Passing Nathan Lamb 17/29, 204 yards, TD Rushing Cameren Smith 14 rushes, 51 yards Receiving Tristin Duncan 5 receptions, 68 yards Northern Illinois Passing Ethan Hampton 18/20, 328 yards, 5 TD Rushing Antario Brown 8 rushes, 69 yards Receiving Trayvon Rudolph 4 receptions, 104 yards, TD
At No. 5 Notre Dame [ edit ] Northern Illinois Huskies at No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 10 3 0 3 16 No. 5 Fighting Irish 7 0 7 0 14
at Notre Dame Stadium , South Bend, Indiana
Date : September 7Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT Game weather : Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)Game attendance : 77,622Referee : Tim HedgepethTV announcers (NBC ) : Dan Hicks , Jason Garrett , and Zora StephensonBox score , Recap
Game information First quarter ND – Riley Leonard 1-yard run (Mitch Jeter kick), 8:28. Fighting Irish 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:25. NIU – Antario Brown 83-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 5:35. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 98 yards, 2:51. NIU – Kanon Woodill 42-yard field goal, 2:13. Huskies 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 30 yards, 1:27. Second quarter
NIU – Kanon Woodill 21-yard field goal, 13:39. Huskies 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:08. Third quarter
ND – Jeremiyah Love 34-yard run (Mitch Jeter kick), 8:34. Fighting Irish 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:43. Fourth quarter
NIU – Kanon Woodill 35-yard field goal, 0:31. Huskies 16–14. Drive: 11 plays, 31 yards, 5:24.
Statistics NIU ND First downs 16 17 Total yards 388 286 Rushing yards 190 123 Passing yards 198 163 Turnovers 0 2 Time of possession 34:38 25:22
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Illinois Passing Ethan Hampton 10/19, 198 yards, TD Rushing Antario Brown 20 rushes, 99 yards Receiving Antario Brown 2 receptions, 126 yards, TD Notre Dame Passing Riley Leonard 20/32, 163 yards, 2 INT Rushing Jeremiyah Love 11 rushes, 79 yards, TD Receiving Beaux Collins 5 receptions, 45 yards
This was the Huskies' first win over an AP top-10 team in program history.[ 7]
Buffalo Bulls at No. 23 Northern Illinois Huskies – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Total Bulls 0 3 7 10 3 23 No. 23 Huskies 7 7 0 6 0 20
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Date : September 21Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDTGame weather : Sunny • Temperature : 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind : N 9 mphGame attendance : 18,688Referee : David SiegleTV announcers (ESPN+) : Jason Ross Jr. and Tyoka Jackson Box score , Recap
Game information First quarter (5:14) NIU – Antario Brown 5-yard run, Kanon Woodill kick (Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 6:36; Northern Illinois 7-0 ) Second quarter (7:18) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 42-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:26; Northern Illinois 7-3 ) (1:55) NIU – Antario Brown 14-yard run, Kanon Woodill kick (Drive: 2 plays, 36 yards, 0:16; Northern Illinois 14-3 ) Third quarter (10:59) BUF – Victor Snow 46-yard pass from C. J. Ogbonna, Upton Bellenfant kick (Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:32; Northern Illinois 14-10 ) Fourth quarter (14:51) NIU – Kanon Woodill 30-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:44; Northern Illinois 17-10 ) (12:02) BUF – Al-Jay Henderson 36-yard run, Upton Bellenfant kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:49; Tied 17-17 ) (3:28) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 42-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -4 yards, 2:11; Buffalo 20-17 ) (0:24) NIU – Kanon Woodill 27-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 3:04; Tied 20-20 ) Overtime (0:00) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 37-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:00; Buffalo 23-20 )
Statistics BUF NIU First downs 9 24 Total yards 184 359 Rushing yards 77 165 Passing yards 107 194 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 23:47 36:13
Team Category Player Statistics Buffalo Passing C. J. Ogbonna 10/17, 107 yards, TD Rushing Al-Jay Henderson 11 carries, 56 yards, TD Receiving Victor Snow 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD Northern Illinois Passing Ethan Hampton 23/43, 194 yards, INT Rushing Antario Brown 24 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD Receiving Cam Thompson 3 receptions, 49 yards
Statistics NIU NCSU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Illinois Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
Statistics MASS NIU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics UMass Passing Rushing Receiving Northern Illinois Passing Rushing Receiving
Northern Illinois Huskies at Bowling Green Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 3 3 0 11 17 Falcons 7 0 0 0 7
at Doyt Perry Stadium , Bowling Green, Ohio
Date : October 12Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDTGame weather : Cloudy • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: NE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)Game attendance : 9,559Referee : Billy WilliamsTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
Game information First quarter (8:58) NIU – Kanon Woodill 46-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 6:02; NIU 3–0 ) (6:55) BGSU – Harold Fannin Jr. 11-yard pass from Connor Bazelak , Jackson Kleather kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:03; BGSU 7–3 ) Second quarter (1:40) NIU – Kanon Woodill 21-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 4:18; BGSU 7–6 ) Third quarter No scoring plays
Fourth quarter (14:53) NIU – Josh Holst 22-yard run, Isaac Hatfield Two-point pass (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:46; NIU 14–7 ) (6:00) NIU – Kanon Woodill 27-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 5:43; NIU 17–7 )
Statistics NIU BGSU First downs 19 15 Total yards 278 205 Rushing yards 170 107 Passing yards 108 98 Turnovers 0 2 Time of possession 34:44 25:16
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Illinois Passing Josh Holst 10/14, 89 yards Rushing Gavin Williams 29 carries, 102 yards Receiving Andrew McElroy 5 receptions, 47 yards Bowling Green Passing Connor Bazelak 8/14, 88 yards, TD Rushing Terion Stewart 13 carries, 64 yards Receiving Jamal Johnson 3 receptions, 43 yards
Toledo Rockets at Northern Illinois Huskies – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Rockets 0 7 3 3 13 Huskies 3 3 0 0 6
at Huskie Stadium , DeKalb, Illinois
Date : October 19Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDTGame weather : Sunny • Temperature : 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind : N 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)Game attendance : 18,350Referee : Rich EdwardsTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
Game information First quarter (11:43) NIU FG: Kanon Woodill 36-yard field goal NIU 3–0 ; 9 plays, 56 yards, 3:17 Second quarter (08:08) TOL TD: Jerjuan Newton 52-yard pass from John Richter (Dylan Cunanan kick) TOL 7–3 ; 2 plays, 61 yards, 00:40 (00:00) NIU FG: Kanon Woodill 37-yard field goal TOL 7–6 ; 9 plays, 60 yards, 1:16 Third quarter (02:22) TOL FG: Dylan Cunanan 22-yard field goal TOL 10–6 ; 12 plays, 88 yards, 4:39 Fourth quarter (11:12) TOL FG: Dylan Cunanan 27-yard field goal TOL 13–6 ; 10 plays, 56 yards, 3:58
Statistics TOL NIU First downs 15 25 Total yards 285 391 Rushing yards 133 181 Passing yards 152 210 Turnovers 0 0 Time of possession 23:46 36:14
Team Category Player Statistics Toledo Passing John Richter 15/28, 152 yards, TD Rushing Connor Walendzak 19 carries, 78 yards Receiving Jerjuan Newton 3 receptions, 64 yards, TD Northern Illinois Passing Josh Holst 22/46, 210 yards Rushing Gavin Williams 16 carries, 78 yards Receiving Cam Thompson 5 receptions, 80 yards
Northern Illinois Huskies at Ball State Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 0 0 0 0 0 Cardinals 0 0 0 0 0
at Scheumann Stadium , Muncie, Indiana
Date : October 26Game time : 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDTTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Kelsie Kaspar (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)
Statistics NIU BALL First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Illinois Passing Rushing Receiving Ball State Passing Rushing Receiving
at Western Michigan [ edit ] Northern Illinois Huskies at Western Michigan Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 0 0 0 0 0 Broncos 0 0 0 0 0
at Waldo Stadium , Kalamazoo, Michigan
Date : Game time : 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDTTV announcers (TBD) : TBD
Statistics NIU WMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Illinois Passing Rushing Receiving Western Michigan Passing Rushing Receiving
^ "2024 Football Coaching Staff" . NIU Athletics . Retrieved February 1, 2024 . ^ Williams, James H. "Notre Dame upset by NIU: Instant reactions to historic Northern Illinois win" . USA TODAY . Retrieved September 11, 2024 . ^ Wiles, Ethan (September 9, 2024). "No. 25 Ranked NIU Named Cheez-It Team of the Week" . 13 WREX . Retrieved September 11, 2024 . ^ "Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll" . getsomemaction.com . Mid-American Conference. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024 . ^ "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd" . wtol.com . WTOL 11. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024 . ^ "2024 Northern Illinois Football Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . Retrieved February 1, 2024 . ^ Bromberg, Nick (September 8, 2024). "Northern Illinois stuns No. 5 Notre Dame for first-ever win over a top-10 team" . Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved September 8, 2024 .
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