Nov. 20--Northern Illinois (8-3, 6-1) extended its November winning streak to 22 games and stands a win from a sixth straight trip to the Mid-American Conference title game after Wednesday's 27-19 victory over Western Michigan. A victory Tuesday over Ohio would send the defending MAC champion Huskies to Detroit to face Bowling Green on Dec. 4.
Offense
A. The Huskies mostly stayed on the ground with one big exception: Ryan Graham's 53-yard TD pass to Kenny Golladay with 8:15 to play. Jordan Huff had an 87-yard TD run in the second quarter as NIU piled up 289 rushing yards. Huff's 159 yards -- on only eight carries -- were the most by a Huskies back this year. Joel Bouagnon ran for his 18th TD, second in the country.
Defense
B+. The Huskies gave up 353 passing yards and two TDs but also had a clutch fourth-quarter goal-line stand and shut down a final Western Michigan drive just inside NIU territory. LB Boomer Mays collected a career-high 15 tackles (12 solo) plus two pass breakups, while DT Ben Compton had a career-best six tackles, including two sacks.
Special teams
B. Graham was called on to punt three times, averaging 31.7 yards. He was the first player other than Jake Ambrose to punt this year. Christian Hagan's 45-yard field-goal try in the fourth quarter was blocked, but he averaged 57.6 yards on five kickoffs.
Coaching
B+. Rod Carey stayed conservative on a night when stiff, tricky winds could have caused havoc. But the Huskies also pulled off big plays when needed, and the defense was well-prepared for the late goal-line stand.
