Oct. 24, 2009
Final Stats
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL 2009
NIU at Miami - October 24, 2009
Yager Stadium - Oxford, Ohio
Post-Game Notes
***The Huskies set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed as Miami totaled minus 11 yards on 27 carries in the game. The previous record was minus six, set versus Temple on Oct. 20, 2006.
***Northern Illinois' eight sacks were the most by the Huskies since compiling a school record 10 versus Wisconsin on Sept. 14, 2002.
***Playing his first game at nose guard after the loss of Brian Lawson (hand surgery), junior Jake Coffman responded with a career high 2.5 quarterback sacks, the most in a single game by the Huskies this year, and totaled three tackles for loss. Coffman was also credited with five tackles and a pass break up.
***D.J. Pirkle's PAT block in the fourth quarter was NIU's first since the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl versus TCU while Chris Smith's FG block was the Huskies' first of the season. Northern Illinois blocked a field goal in the 2008 Independence Bowl versus Louisiana Tech.
***Sophomore DeMarcus Grady made his first start at quarterback Saturday in relief of an injured Chandler Harnish (knee). Grady also started versus the RedHawks last year in the game at Huskie Stadium, his only previous career start.
***Junior tailback Chad Spann notched his second 100-yard game of the season (and second of his career). After totaling 99 yards in the first half, Spann went over the 100-yard mark early in the third quarter and finished the game with 156 on 21 carries. His previous 100-yard game came versus Western Michigan (22 carries-132 yards)
***Chad Spann scored his first touchdown of the game on a season-long 42-yard run and added a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter to close out the Huskies' scoring. Spann entered the game as the MAC's leading scorer with an average of 10.0 points per game. He now has 12 touchdowns, 11 rushing, on the season. That is the most TDs for a Huskie player since Garrett Wolfe in 2006.
***Tommy Davis had a career long 42-yard punt return and the longest punt return for the Huskies since Dan Sheldon recorded a 73-yard return (for a touchdown) versus Akron in 2005.
***On the next punt return, freshman Perez Ashford returned his first career punt return 44 yards for a touchdown to earn the first punt return TD since that Sheldon score in 2005. Ashford's score was the first of his career for the Ohio (Shaker Heights) native.
***LB Jordan Delegal earned his first career sack, for minus 14 yards, in the first quarter for the Huskies. Ron Newcomb and Alan Baxter also recorded their first career sacks in the game.
***DeMarcus Grady scrambled on a career-long 33 yard run in the fourth quarter and finished the game with a career high 55 yards on 10 carries.
***Northern Illinois improved its record to 4-3 overall, 2-1 in the MAC and evened the all-time series with Miami at seven wins apiece.
***DeMarcus Grady's fumble in the third quarter was Northern Illinois' first fumble since the Purdue game (four games ago) and only the fourth time this season NIU has lost the ball on the ground.
***The Huskies gave up a season high 348 passing yards while throwing for a season low 60 yards passing. NIU tallied its fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season.
