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NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL 2014
2014 Mid-American Conference Championship
NIU vs. Bowling Green – December 5, 2014
Ford Field – Detroit, Michigan

NIU 51, Bowling Green 17

NIU Postgame Notes

-- NIU dominated Bowling Green en route to its third MAC Championship in four years and fourth in school history. The 51-17 final score in favor of the Huskies marked the biggest margin of victory (34 points) ever in the history of the MAC Championship Game. NIU’s 51 points was also the most ever scored in a MAC Championship Game, surpassing the 49 points Marshall (2002) and Miami (2003) had previously scored.

-- The Huskies are now 11-2 on the season and have won 11 games or more in each of the last five years.  NIU is the only team in the country to win 11 or more games in five consecutive years.  Neither Alabama or Oregon has a current streak as long as the Huskies or can reach the mark with wins this year.  

-- NIU is now 3-3 in MAC Championship games all-time.

-- NIU extended its current winning streak to seven games with tonight’s win.

-- NIU’s 2014 senior class has tied the 2013 seniors for most wins by a class with 46.  They can become the winningest senior class of all-time at NIU with a bowl victory.   

-- NIU quarterback Drew Hare had a career high for completions (29) and attempts (49), topping his previous career high by midway through the third quarter.  Hare’s previous single game highs were 18 completions (vs. UNLV, Arkansas, CMU) and 33 attempts (vs. CMU).    

-- Drew Hare threw an interception for the first time in 179 attempts, since the third quarter of the Central Michigan game on Oct. 11, 2014.  Hare had gone six complete games without throwing an interception. Hare’s 49 attempts is the most since Chandler Harnish had 50 throws versus Central Michigan in a loss.  His 49 attempts are the sixth most in NIU history.

-- Hare’s 29 completions is the most since Phil Horvath completed 39 passes versus Akron on Sept. 24, 2005.  
The 29 completions ranks as the fifth-highest total in school history. His 200-yard passing game was his first since the Central Michigan game on Oct. 11.  Neither Chandler Harnish nor Jordan Lynch ever completed as many as 29 passes in a game.

-- NIU’s Cameron Stingily had a 43-yard run in the third quarter for his longest pick-up of the year. He finished with his fourth 100-yard game of the season, tallying 116 yards on just 15 carries (7.7 yards per carry) with two touchdowns to take his total to 14 touchdowns for the season.

-- NIU freshman Christian Hagan kicked a career-high three field goals in the game.  Hagan’s previous best was two field goals in a game (vs. Toledo).

-- Da’Ron Brown’s nine catches tonight is a career high. He finished with 70 receiving yards.

-- Dechane Durante intercepted the 10th and 11th passes of his career, made his third and fourth interceptions of the season and now has four interceptions in MAC Championship games, adding the 2014 INTs to the ones he made in 2011 and 2012.  With 11 interceptions, he is tied for ninth all-time at NIU for a career.

-- NIU scored first in a MAC Championship game for the first time in six trips.  

-- Drew Hare scored his eighth rushing touchdown of the year on a five-yard run in the first quarter.

-- Tyler Wedel had a career-long 66-yard punt to flip the field in the first quarter.

-- Paris Logan’s first-quarter interception was his third of the season and fourth of his career.  

-- NIU’s defense has nine interceptions in the last four MAC Championship games.  

-- Tight end Luke Eakes caught the first touchdown pass of his senior season and the fourth of his career to put NIU ahead 20-7 with 25 seconds left in the first half.  

-- The Huskies led 20-10 at halftime, marking just the second time in six MAC Championship appearances that NIU has led at the half.  NIU led Kent State 17-10 at halftime of the 2012 game.  

-- Tyler Wedel booted a career-long 66-yard punt early in the game. He finished with a 46.2 yard-per-punt average on five punts in the game, his third highest average of the season. Wedel also pinned three of his five punts inside the Bowling Green 20-yard line.

-- The NIU rushing attack flourished to the tune of 334 yards on 51 carries with four rushing touchdowns and a 6.5 yard-per-carry average. Four Huskies – Cameron Stingily, Akeem Daniels, Drew Hare and Joel Bouagnon – rushed for more than 50 yards in the game.

-- NIU finished the game with 100 plays ran, its second highest total of the season behind 109 plays against Presbyterian in the season opener.

-- NIU has won 44 of its last 45 games when holding its opponents to 24 points or less, including a 9-0 mark in 2014.