Sept. 20--COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northern Illinois received a $900,000 guarantee to come to the Horseshoe, and the Huskies got their money's worth as they put a scare into top-ranked Ohio State.
But in the end, the Buckeyes' dominant defense proved too much, allowing Ohio State to escape with a 20-13 victory.
It was a 13-10 game late in the third quarter when linebacker Darron Lee read a bubble screen and jetted in front of a Drew Hare pass for a pick-six interception.
Hare threw for 360 and 358 yards in his previous two games but managed just 80 on Saturday against Ohio State's ferocious defense.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, were a disaster on offense.
J.T. Barrett replaced Cardale Jones after Jones threw two interceptions, one on an overthrow and the other the result of a bad read into zone coverage. He completed just 4 of 9 passes for 36 yards, and his five drives resulted in just three points.
Barrett was better, but not by much. He completed 11 of 19 for 97 yards but also had a bad interception, allowing linebacker Sean Folliard to step in front of throw intended for tight end Nick Vannett.
NIU had won its previous three games against the Big Ten, taking down Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern from 2013-14. The Huskies, a five-touchdown underdog Saturday, again proved themselves worthy of top-flight competition.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
