DeKALB, Ill. – Trailing Eastern Michigan by two touchdowns with less than a quarter of football to play, the Northern Illinois University Huskies staged a furious comeback to claim a 30-27 overtime victory over the Eagles at Huskie Stadium Thursday night. 
 
Tailback Marcus Jones scored on a nine-yard touchdown run to give the Huskies the win, after the NIU defense held EMU to a 35-yard field goal on its overtime possession.   
 
With its sixth win of the season, NIU attained bowl eligibility for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons and improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference.  Eastern Michigan lost for the sixth time in eight games with all six of its losses coming by a total of 23 points, including three in overtime.
 
"That is a really good football team we just beat," said NIU Head Coach Rod Carey.  "I'm really proud of this team.  This team didn't flinch and that's the best thing I've seen from them to date.  There wasn't any finger pointing, they stuck together down two scores and I'm extremely proud. Tough, that's what this game was.  It took mental toughness, it took physical toughness."
 
Eastern Michigan took a 24-10 lead with 13:31 to play in regulation on a trick play as receiver Isaac Holder took what was eventually deemed a lateral and hit tight end Bryce Kemp for a 45-yard touchdown. The play was initially ruled an illegal forward pass before it was overturned on review. 
 
Two possessions later, the Huskies cut the lead to seven, sparked by a 50-yard completion from Marcus Childers to tight end Shane Wimann to start the drive.  Wimann also ended the drive with a five-yard touchdown catch, his fourth consecutive game with a TD.  After Christian Hagan's PAT, Eastern Michigan led just 24-17.
 
The Huskie defense stepped up, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs when NIU was also unable to put together a drive on its next possession.  With Eastern Michigan back to punt on fourth and four from its 22-yard line with 3:12 to play, NIU's Mitchell Brinkman beat his man and partially blocked the punt, which was then pick from the air by Jauan Wesley at the Eagles' 10-yard line. 
 
"We didn't have that in the game plan tonight because of what they do on special teams," Carey said. "We took a chance and it paid off."
 
The block was NIU's first since 2011 when Dechane Durante blocked a Kent State punt. Two plays later, Childers ran in from 10 yards out to tie the game at 24 with 2:57 to play.
 
In the final three minutes, Eastern Michigan drove to the NIU 25-yard line, but kicker Paulie Fricano's attempt from 42 yards out missed wide left.  Fricano was two-of-five on field goals on the day.
 
The Huskie defense forced Eastern Michigan into three consecutive three-and-outs in the fourth quarter and the Eagles gained just 93 yards on the ground in the game. Huskie defensive end Sutton Smith recorded three of NIU's seven tackles for loss to tie the school single season record for TFLs with 20.
 
"Defense was a group effort," Carey said. "Sutton is doing what he's doing, but his teammates put him in position to be successful. Offensively, they were taking away everything we were doing. It was Shane [Wimann] who got us going on offense."
 
Wimann finished with four catches for a career high 70 yards, while D.J. Brown led NIU with seven catches for 104 yards. In his third career start, Childers completed 23-of-40 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns.     

After a scoreless first quarter, NIU opened the scoring as Childers hit Brown with a 15-yard pass and the speedster out-ran the defense for a 69-yard touchdown with 12:52 to play in the half. 
 
The lead was short-lived though, as Eastern Michigan responded one play later as quarterback Brogan Roback connected with Sergio Bailey who was wide open down the seam for 68 yards to tie the score at seven at the 12:37 mark.
 
After a trade of punts, NIU began its next drive from its own 20, but could advance no more than seven yards.  The Eagles, who had haphazardly rushed just one or two men on each of Matt Ference's previous four punts, brought the house and blocked the punt into the end zone, where Jaron Johnson recovered for a special teams touchdown.  Eastern Michigan took a 14-7 lead into halftime.     
 
NIU returns to action in one week when the Huskies face MAC West rival Toledo at the Glass Bowl in Toledo on Thursday, November 2. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. (CT) and will be televised by CBS Sports Network. 
 
The Huskies return home on Thursday, November 9 when they play host to Ball State in the annual Battle for the Bronze Stalk. The game will be broadcast by CBS Sports Network and kickoff at 6 p.m. The game has been designated as Heroes and Military Appreciation Night at Huskie Stadium. Tickets are available for as low as $10 each online at NIUHuskies.com or by calling 815-753-PACK (7225).   
 
-- NIU --