Eric Boggs 
Northern Illinois topped MAC leading Western Michigan on Wednesday night.
Western Michigan’s bid to maintain an unbeaten Mid-American Conference season ended Wednesday as Northern Illinois stormed to a 42-28 victory at Stafford-Smith Field at Waldo Stadium. The Broncos, who were leading 7-0 after Jaden Nixon’s 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, couldn’t hold off a second and third-quarter surge from the Huskies, who scored all 42 of their points during that span.
After tying the game 7-7 with Terry Johnson Jr.’s 6-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, Northern Illinois pulled ahead with an 8-play, 86-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass from quarterback Ethan Hampton to Tristan Tewes. Western Michigan briefly responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive, as Nixon found the end zone again from 14 yards out, knotting the score at 14-14. However, the Huskies regained momentum just before halftime, with Hampton connecting with Gavin Williams for a 5-yard touchdown, taking a 21-14 lead into the break.
Western Michigan opened the second half with a strong 38-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 61-yard kickoff return from Nixon and capped by quarterback Broc Lowry’s 1-yard touchdown run, leveling the score at 21-21. But Northern Illinois answered immediately with a 91-yard kickoff return touchdown by Cam Thompson, regaining the lead at 28-21.
The Huskies capitalized on two interceptions thrown by Broncos quarterback Hayden Wolff to extend their lead to 42-21 by the end of the third quarter. Despite a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Wolff to Mareyhon Hrabowski, cutting the deficit to 42-28, the Broncos couldn’t overcome Northern Illinois’ dominant rushing game, which ate up valuable time in the final quarter.
Johnson Jr. led all rushers with 141 yards on 23 carries, scoring twice for NIU. Hampton went 13-of-16 for 156 yards and two touchdowns, finding success through both the air and ground. Western Michigan’s Nixon finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Wolff completed 14-of-27 passes for 179 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
The loss snapped Western Michigan’s three-game home winning streak and dropped them into a four-way tie atop the MAC standings. The Broncos (5-4, 4-1) will look to rebound next Tuesday as they face Bowling Green, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
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