KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan's Jamauri Bogan scored on a one-yard run with 1:36 to play to give the Broncos a 28-21 victory over the Northern Illinois University Huskies Tuesday night at Waldo Stadium.
 
With the loss, the Huskies fall to 7-5 on the season, 6-2 in the MAC, while WMU improved to 7-5, 5-3. NIU has already clinched its spot in the Marathon MAC Championship game and will take on the MAC East Division Champ at Detroit's Ford Field on Friday, November 30. 
 
"Just a complete failure on offense," said NIU Head Coach Rod Carey. "Whether it was protection, throws, the interception that was thrown too late. The defense played well until the last drive. They were on the field too long and the offense has to help them out. We'll give them some time for Thanksgiving, but then we've got to get back, get focused and be ready to go in Detroit."   
 
Bogan's run came at the end of a 14-play, 83-yard drive that was extended by a targeting call on the Huskies' Josh Corcoran, who appeared to sack WMU quarterback Kaleb Eleby, and would have had the Broncos facing third-and-24 from its own 31-yard line. Instead, WMU had a first down at the NIU 46 and was able to move all the way to the NIU one, where Bogan went in for the score.
 
WMU's touchdown broke a 21-21 tie that came about thanks to Huskie defensive end Sutton Smith, who had a spectacular performance in the losing effort.  After NIU quarterback Marcus Childers was picked off by Drake Spears at the NIU 30-yard line with WMU leading 21-14 late in the third quarter, the Broncos drove to the Huskie 15-yard line, where Smith picked up the LeVante Bellamy fumble and sprinted untouched 85 yards to the end zone for the touchdown to tie the game. The fumble return tied for the second-longest in school history and was the longest by a Huskie since Jason Hawkins had an 85-yard return versus Maryland on Sept. 4, 2004.  
 
Smith, who accounted for four of the Huskies' six quarterback sacks for losses totaling 26 yards on the night, had five tackles for loss among his seven solo stops. He now has 13 sacks and 21 tackles for loss on the season. 
 
Despite Smith's efforts and a defensive effort that saw the Huskies hold their seventh opponent to less than 100 yards rushing as a team, WMU hurt NIU with an effective passing game as Eleby completed 19-of-35 passes for 285 yards on the night, allowing the Broncos to possess the ball for 35:03, including more than 10 minutes in the second quarter and 11 minutes in the fourth period. 
 
"They came out and did a couple of new things defensively that we adjusted to," Carey said. "We had to get the quarterback run going because they were taking away the tailback, but the passing game had to get going too and it didn't happen."
 
NIU came out of halftime with its best drive of the game to take a 14-13 lead as the Huskies went 82 yards on 16 plays in 5:16 to take a 14-13 lead. Childers converted on third down three times with rushes, and scored the touchdown on a one-yard run for his sixth rushing touchdown of the year. A 20-yard completion from Childers to Jauan Wesley set up the score.
 
The Huskie defense forced a three and out, and NIU drove from its eight-yard line to the WMU 48 before the drive stalled. From their 13-yard line, the Broncos used the passing of Eleby, who completed six-of-seven passes for 84 yards on the drive, including completions of 15 and 39 yards to D'Wayne Eskridge, to drive to the NIU two-yard line, where the WMU quarterback scored from two yards out.  Eleby hit Jalen Reed in the end zone for the two-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead. 
 
"They made some great catches," Carey said. "There were three or four deep balls that were covered pretty well. They got us on a couple of slants over the middle too that extended drives."
 
WMU took a 13-7 halftime lead on a pair of Gavin Peddie field goals, of 45 and 42 yards, in the second quarter.  The Broncos held the ball for 10:10 in the quarter with much of that time spent in Huskie territory.  On the first drive of the quarter, after a holding penalty on NIU extended the drive, the Huskie defense stood strong again to force a 45-yard three by Peddie, who was helped by a strong wind at his back.
 
After a Huskie three-and-out, WMU started from its own 48 and drove to the NIU 24, where the Broncos' drive once again stalled and Peddie was good from 42 yards.
 
Western Michigan took an early 7-0 lead with an eight-play, 75-yard drive off the opening kickoff.  The big play on the drive was a 39-yard completion to Jayden Reed to the NIU five-yard line. Two plays later, Bogan scored from two yards out with 12:01 to play.
 
The Huskies avoided a further deficit thanks to a Smith sack and a little luck. Childers fumbled under pressure on NIU's next possession and WMU recovered at the Huskie 19-yard line. Smith's sack forced a Broncos field goal try and the 36-yarder by Peddie was no good. 
 
NIU tied it up on its ensuing possession when, on third and 11 from the NIU 42-yard line, Childers found Spencer Tears wide open behind the defense for a 58-yard touchdown.  Andrew Gantz' PAT tied the score with 5:05 to play in the first quarter.
 
Childers finished the game 14-of-21 passing for 156 yards and a touchdown, with six completions for 84 yards to Tears.  The Huskie sophomore QB threw two interceptions, including one on the last drive after WMU took the late lead, and was sacked four times.
 
-- NIU --