MUNCIE, Indiana – Northern Illinois University running back Harrison Waylee ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns, but it was not enough to hold off Ball State's second half rally as the Cardinals defeated NIU in double overtime, 44-38, Saturday at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
 
In the second overtime, Ball State's Carson Steele scored on a one yard run to give the Cardinals a 44-38 lead, their first of the game. The two-point attempt was no good. After NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton was sacked for an 11-yard loss on third down on the Huskies' possession, his fourth down pass fell incomplete, and the Cardinals regained the Bronze Stalk Trophy.
 
"The difference was our inability to make the play in critical situations," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. "We have to get better and find a way to make the plays, and we didn't get that done. Defensively, we have to get off the field on third downs. We have to continue to work on that. We were able to run the football today, but we have to play a complete team game – offense, defense and special teams. It all has to go hand in hand."
 
The Huskies fell to 1-4 on the 2022 season and are 0-1 in Mid-American Conference play. Ball State improved to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the MAC. NIU's overtime loss broke the Huskies' four-game winning streak in overtime games, dating back to a triple overtime loss to Central Michigan on October 15, 2016.
 
Waylee's career high 230 rushing yards on 30 carries were the most by a Huskie running back since quarterback Jordan Lynch's 321-yard performance versus Western Michigan on Nov. 26, 2013, and included touchdown runs of 52 and 68 yards.
 
The 68-yard run with 6:43 to play gave NIU its second 10-point lead of the second half, 38-28. Waylee's run came on third and three from the NIU 32 after the Cardinals had narrowed the Huskies' lead to three points, 31-28, on a 17-yard hook-up between John Paddock and Tanner Koziol with 8:09 on the clock.
 
Following Waylee's touchdown, Ball State scored 10 points in the final four minutes of regulation – on a 35-yard field goal by Ben VonGunten with 3:59 to play and a six-yard pass from quarterback John Paddock to Tanner Koziol with 36 seconds remaining that capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive. In between the Ball State drives, the Cardinals forced a Huskie punt.
 
NIU drove from its 25 to its 48-yard line in the final 36 seconds before a pair of incompletions stalled the drive and the game went to overtime.
 
In the first overtime, NIU's drove to the Ball State six-yard line where kicker John Richardson's 24-yard attempt was no good. The Huskie defense then held BSU to minus one yard on three plays and VonGunten's field goal attempt was wide right.
 
NIU finished with a season-high 526 yards of total offense, including 332 rushing yards on 57 carries. In addition to Waylee, who averaged 7.7 yards per carry, quarterback Justin Lynch ran 15 times for 89 yards. Hampton finished 17-of-29 passing for 194 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception.
NIU led 21-0 and took a 24-7 halftime lead after John Richardson' 28-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the half closed out a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Ball State cut the lead to 10 early in the third quarter after Hampton pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by BSU's Jaquan Amos, who returned it 31 yards to the NIU four-yard line. Steele scored on a two-yard run four plays later.
 
The Huskies responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive with Waylee scoring on a one-yard run to extend NIU's lead back to 17, 31-14 at 8:38 of the third quarter. Hampton hit Cole Tucker, who finished the game with eight receptions for 87 yards, twice on the drive, for 16 and 22 yards.
 
The teams traded punts before Ball State again cut the lead to 10 on a three-yard run by Steele, who finished the game with three touchdowns and 77 yards on 24 carries. His run finished an eight-play, 52-yard drive and set up the fourth quarter comeback.
 
Paddock completed 40-of-58 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinals, while Jayshon Jackson caught 10 passes for 116 yards.
   
On its first possession of the game, NIU drove 81 yards in 15 plays to take a 7-0 lead at the 5:19 mark. On third and five from the BSU 13-yard line, Hampton flipped the ball forward to Trey Urwiler, who then lateraled to Kacper Rutkiewicz and the speedy receiver found the pylon for a 15-yard touchdown, his fourth of the season.
 
The Huskies had two chances to extend the lead off of turnovers. First, C.J. Brown picked off Ball State quarterback John Paddock at the Ball State 45 and returned it 29 yards to the 16. A pair of Waylee rushes and a short pass netted just five yards and Richardson's 29-yard field goal was off the mark.  
 
A Devonte O'Malley sack on third and seven ended Ball State's next possession as they were forced to punt and NIU got the ball back on its 39-yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, Waylee broke through the line and went 52 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 Huskie lead. When Ball State let Richardson's short kickoff bounce, the Huskies recovered but quickly turned the ball back over to BSU when Hampton was sacked and fumbled.
 
After VonGunten missed a 37-yard field goal, NIU took a 21-0 lead when Hampton found Rutkiewicz in the back of the end zone from 31-yard out with 4:49 left in the second quarter.
 
NIU returns home to take on Toledo next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Huskie Stadium as part of the university's 115th Homecoming. Tickets are available online at NIUHuskies.com or by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) Monday through Friday.
 
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