Nov. 24, 2015

Recap |  Final Stats |  Quotes

***NIU lost its fourth game of the season to fall to 8-4 overall, 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference. It marks the first time NIU has lost more than three games in a season since 2009. It is also the first time NIU has suffered two regular season MAC losses since 2009.

Other Milestones
Last November loss: Nov. 27, 2009 to Central Michigan (45-31)… had won 22 straight
Last MAC East regular season loss: Nov. 21, 2009 at Ohio (38-31) …had won 17 straight
Last home loss: Oct. 11, 2014 to Central Michigan (34-17) …had won 7 straight

***NIU faced its largest halftime deficit of the season in the game, trailing the Bobcats 20-7.

***Junior Aregeros Turner broke the NIU record for most kickoff returns in a season, previously held by Deon Mitchell (1997). After returning four kickoffs for 95 yards Tuesday, Turner has 37 KO returns in 2015.

***Receiver Juwan Brescacin had his best game of the season with six catches for 116 yards, his third 100-yard receiving game of his career and first of the year. His 62-yard reception was his longest since a 66-yard touchdown grab reception at UMass on Nov. 2, 2013.

***The NIU defense forced Ohio into field goal tries four times on its five trips into the red zone. Ohio did not score a touchdown after the 7:52 mark of the second quarter.

***Kenny Golladay caught a pair of touchdown passes with a 27-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and an 11-yard grab in the fourth to up his season total to 10 touchdown catches. With those TDs, he is tied for seventh on the NIU single season charts with John Spilis (1968) and Justin McCareins (1999 and 2000). It is the most touchdown catches in a season by a Huskie receiver since 2012 when Martel Moore caught 13 touchdown passes.

***Golladay now has 1,107 receiving yards on the season which ranks third all-time at NIU behind only Dave Petzke (1,215 in 1978) and Justin McCareins (1,168 in 2000). His 70 catches on the year are seventh-best in a single season.

***True freshman Tommy Fiedler, a walk-on from LaGrange, Ill. and Lyons Township High School, saw his first collegiate action in relief of injured redshirt freshman Ryan Graham, who was starting just his second game after relieving junior Drew Hare, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Toledo game.

***Fiedler finished 9-for-17 passing with 113 yards and one touchdown, an 11-yard grab by Golladay on fourth and six.

***NIU blocked a field goal for the first time since Nov. 26, 2013 (George Rainey vs. Western Michigan) when Ben Compton knocked down a 48-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. Compton’s block was his second kick block of the season as he had a blocked PAT at Buffalo.

***NIU finished the game with 73 rushing yards on 32 carries, its lowest average since rushing for 72 at Boston College on Sept. 26 in 31 attempts.

***The Huskies converted four third downs on 17 attempts, their fewest conversions since 3-for-14 at BC.

***Junior Sean Folliard matched his career-high for tackles with 10, last doing so at Miami on Oct. 17.