KENT, Ohio – The Northern Illinois University Huskies scored 17 points in a 7:14 stretch in the third and fourth quarters to defeat Kent State, 31-21, in the 2016 regular season finale Friday at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio.
 
The win was NIU's fourth in its last five games as the Huskies finished the regular season with a 5-7 record and a 5-3 mark in Mid-American Conference play.  The Huskies played six games decided by a touchdown or less and NIU's three overtime games in 2016 were the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and just one off the all-time record. Kent State ends the season 3-9, 2-6 in the MAC.
 
"There was a lot of joy and happiness, and some tears, too, in that locker room," said NIU Head Coach Rod Carey.  "For our seniors to stick together and lead this team and for all of them, to win four of the last five is a credit to them and to our coaches."
 
NIU won the game with its fourth different starting quarterback this year as redshirt freshman Daniel Santacaterina (Geneva, Illinois/Geneva HS) got his first career start.  He completed 13-of-23 passes for 258 yards, while also scoring his first career rushing touchdown, on a three-yard run in the first quarter. 
 
"I thought he was jittery in the first half," Carey said.  "In the second half, he calmed down and operated the offense much better.  We told him he didn't have to be perfect, just be himself.  Kent State was daring him to make plays.  Kenny [Golladay] really sparked us in the second half with those two catches before he went down."
 
Golladay caught four passes for 91 yards with the final two coming on NIU's second scoring drive in the third quarter.  With just under 10:50 on the clock, he went high over a defender to catch a 34-yard pass to put NIU at the Kent State 26-yard line.  After a run lost three years, Santacaterina hit Golladay across the middle and he dragged two defenders the last five yards to the goal line and went down just short of the end zone.  He injured his arm on the play and had to leave the game.  When play resumed, Jordan Huff scored from one yard out to give NIU a 14-7 lead.
 
Kent State tied the game with 4:14 to play in the third quarter, scoring its second touchdown when quarterback George Bollas hit Ernest Calhoun on a 57-yard pass to make the score 14-14. 
 
NIU took the lead for good on the subsequent possession.  Santacaterina connected with Christian Blake for 44 yards down the middle to set up a 34-yard field goal by Christian Hagan with 1:03 left in the third quarter, giving NIU a lead it would not relinquish, 17-14. 
 
After the Huskie defense forced another three-and-out, one of nine by Kent State in the game, NIU quickly responded behind senior running back Joel Bouagnon. From the KSU 40, Bouagnon ran for 31 yards to the nine and then scored on the next play to give the Huskies a 24-14 lead. 
 
Kent State went three-and-out again and NIU drove from its 37 to the Flashes' 13-yard line, helped by a 25-yard completion from Santacaterina to Shane Wimann, who had three catches for 64 yards in the game. From the 13, senior Clayton Glasper ran for eight yards to convert on third and five. A pass interference call in the end zone on KSU set up the Huskies on the two and from there, Bouagnon scored again for the 31-14 margin.
 
Bouagnon finished with 133 yards on 29 carries and two scores.  He ranks just behind Huskie great Chad Spann on NIU's all-time rushing chart after two-plus seasons as the Huskies' workhorse in the backfield. 
 
"Happy for Joel as a senior to finish," Carey said. "He got dinged at EMU but he ran hard and he ran well today.  Our defense was outstanding today.  We had a lot of young guys playing and the defense got better as the year went on."
 
The Huskie defense played one of its best games of the season, forcing Kent State to punt 10 times.  Kent State went 0-for-12 on its first 12 third-down tries before finishing 4-of-16 after NIU put in its reserves late in the game and holding a 31-14 lead.    
 
NIU got on the board at the end of the first quarter as Santacaterina led the Huskies on a 16-play, 93-yard drive that consumed 6:06 on the clock.  Shane Wimann caught a 25-yard pass from Santacaterina to the three-yard line and Santacaterina ran it in from there for his first career rushing touchdown.  NIU took a 7-0 lead with 1:34 remaining in the first period.
 
Following that score, the NIU defense forced a pair of three-and-outs and the Huskies had field position at their own 43-yard line after the second Flashes punt.  Primarily behind the running of Bouagnon, NIU advanced to the Kent State 12-yard line, but a mis-timed snap hit the leg of Christian Blake as he ran through and the ball was recovered by Kent State at the 19-yard line. It was the first fumble the Huskies had lost in seven games, since the win over Ball State on October 1^st.
 
Two plays later from his own 15-yard line, Kent State QB George Bollas went up the middle on a draw play, eluded two NIU tacklers at the line of scrimmage and escaped for an 85-yard touchdown runs.  Two Huskie defensive backs got tangled up during the chase and fell.  With 9:03 to play in the half, the score was tied 7-7.
 
It remained that way until halftime.
 
-- NIU --