INSIDE SLANT

The Huskies controlled their own destiny heading into the final month of the regular season. A four-game winning streak lifted the Huskies into second place in the MAC West Division with two games left. The Huskies needed to win at Ohio and Central Michigan to earn their first bid since 2005 in the MAC title game.

Despite a valiant effort, the Huskies suffered a 38-31 loss to Ohio at Peden Stadium, giving Central Michigan the West Division title. The Huskies, now 7-4 and 5-2 in the MAC West, must defeat Central Michigan Friday to attract the attention of bowl scouts.

The Huskies fell into an early 14-0 hole when Ohio scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. The Huskies answered with two touchdowns on their next three drives to tie the score. After Ohio took a 17-14 lead early in the third quarter, Chad Spann scored a one-yard touchdown to give NIU’s its first lead at 21-7. The Bobcats retook the lead at 24-21, but Northern Illinois regained the advantage following Marcus Lewis’ 26-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 28-24, the Bobcats closed out the game with two touchdowns in the final 5:38 of the game. The big blow for the Huskies came when quarterback Chandler Harnish threw an interception that Ohio’s Julian Posey returned 41 yards for a touchdown.

“The game came down to about three or four inches all day,” NIU coach Jerry Kill said. “They made a few more plays than we did.”

Harnish started his first game since the Toledo contest. The sophomore sat out three games with a knee injury before coming off the bench in NIU’s win over Ball State. Harnish had a stellar game, completing a season-high 24-of-35 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first 300-yard passing day this season for the Huskies.

“Chandler showed great leadership, he played a great game,” Kill said.

Wide receiver Landon Cox is emerging into a consistent threat. Cox caught a career-best 11 passes for 132 yards, the best receiving day for NIU this year. The Huskies outgained the Bobcats, 421 to 247, but turned the ball over two times and converted just two third down attempts after halftime.

NOTES, QUOTES

• TB Chad Spann played despite a sore shoulder. He scored two rushing touchdowns to raise his season total to 18 rushing TDs and 19 total. Spann is tied for third place on NIU’s single-season touchdown scoring list.

• QB Chandler Harnish started his first game since the Toledo contest. Harnish completed his first six passes to give him 15 straight completions in a two-game span.

• WR Landon Cox, a junior, caught 11 passes for 132 yards against Ohio. The 11 receptions set a new career high for Cox, and marked the first 100-yard receiving day for a Huskie receiver this year.

• DE Jake Coffman tallied two sacks to lift his season total to a team-high seven and a half sacks.

Game Ball Goes To:   QB Chandler Harnish. The sophomore started his first game since Oct. 17 against Toledo. He completed his first six games to finish 24-of-35 passing for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

Keep An Eye On:   WR Landon Cox. The junior has the potential to be a big-time receiver. He caught 11 passes for 132 yards at Ohio, producing the first 100-yard receiving day for the Huskies this season. His 11 catches marked a new personal high.

Quote To Note:   “They’re playing hurt. They battled in there. If I didn’t feel like they were giving us everything they could give us, I would have gone to another back. But I think they gave us everything they had.”—NIU coach Jerry Kill on tailbacks Me’co Brown and Chad Spann.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good:   The Huskies recorded 410 yards passing, with quarterback Chandler Harnish lighting up the skies for 307 yards and two touchdowns. The run-oriented Huskies overcame injuries to tailbacks Chad Spann and Me’co Brown to move the ball and get into position to win the game.

DE Jake Coffman continues to put up big numbers, finishing with two sacks for minus-31 yards.

TB Chad Spann scored two rushing touchdowns despite playing with a sore shoulder.

WR Landon Cox set a new career high with 11 catches for 132 yards.

WR Marcus Lewis had a productive day with four receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.

Still Needs Work:   Quarterback Chandler Harnish had a good game, but lost a fumble and threw a crucial fourth-quarter interception. The Huskies outgained the Bobcats by nearly 200 yards, but the two turnovers ruined any chance for a victory. The Huskies converted just two third down attempts in the second half.

Roster Report:  

• QB Chandler Harnish started his first game since Oct. 17 at Toledo.

• TB Chad Spann was limited to 12 rushes for 32 yards due to a sore shoulder.

• TB Me’co Brown played despite an injured ankle.

• RT Adam Kiel left the game in the first quarter with a right foot injury.

• S Garrett Barnas had his first career carry against Ohio. Later in the game, Barnas threw his first career pass, an incompletion.