DeKALB, Ill.  – The University of Tulsa scored the last 13 points of the game to earn a 22-14 win over the Northern Illinois University Huskies Saturday at Huskie Stadium.
 
The loss in NIU's final non-conference game of the season dropped the Huskies to 1-3 while Tulsa evened its record at 2-2.  
 
"This game was not good enough for us," head coach Thomas Hammock said. "Our defense played [hard]; we need to figure out something on offense to put points on the board. The non-conference season is over, and we need to flush this game and move forward."
 
While the Huskie offense struggled to score behind quarterbacks Rocky Lombardi (Clive, Iowa/Valley HS) and Ethan Hampton (Elburn, Ill./Aurora Christian HS), the NIU defense put together another steady performance, holding the Golden Hurricane to an 8-of-20 passing day and just 281 yards of total offense.  
 
The Huskies trailed 9-0 in the second quarter before bouncing back to take a 14-9 lead. Tulsa got a 36-yard field goal from Chase Meyer as the third quarter ended to pull within two points and scored the final touchdown of the game with just under nine minutes remaining. From their own 24, the Golden Hurricane drove nine plays in 76 yards and 3:01 with Tahj Gary scoring from 17 yards out and Meyer adding the PAT to give TU a 19-14 lead.
 
An NIU fumble on the ensuing kickoff return resulted in Meyer's second field goal of the game from 22 yards out, extending the Tulsa lead to 22-14 with under five minutes to go.


Both teams punted and the Huskies got the ball with 2:09 left. Hampton completed seven passes on the drive and drove the Huskies from the NIU 13 to the Tulsa 30 before Kendarin Ray intercepted a pass over the middle, ending the Huskies' comeback hopes. It was NIU's third turnover of the game, matching the season-high three forced by the Huskie defense.
 
Defensive End Ray Thomas led the Huskies' defensive effort with 11 tackles, the most by a NIU player in a game this season. NIU totaled seven tackles for loss and three first-half sacks. Tulsa punted six times and converted just 6-of-15 third downs while averaging 3.7 yards per rush and just 5.1 yards per pass attempt.   
 
Hampton finished the game 13-of-23 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown after entering the game in the second quarter. Lombardi returned for one series in the third quarter that ended when he was stopped on fourth and one from the NIU 28-yard line.
 
"We have to move forward and figure out who we are and who we want to be offensively and try to get that done in a short amount of time," Hammock said. "Credit to Tulsa, they did enough to win, and we made a few mistakes and I take full responsibility for that."
 
Running Back Justin Lynch (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel) provided the Huskie offense with a spark in the second half as he gained 85 yards on eight carries to lead NIU. His third quarter touchdown, a 29-yard run with 5:34 on the clock, gave the Huskies a 14-9 lead. The play came after a Muhammad Jammeh interception and 17-yard return gave NIU the ball at the Tulsa 33-yard line.    
 
"[Justin] provided a tremendous spark," Hammock said. "He came in and played hard, played physical and gave us a huge spark in the run game."
 
NIU and Tulsa traded punts to open the game before an interception by Nate Valcarcel (Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) off of Tulsa quarterback Cardell Williams just three minutes into the game set up NIU at their own 43. The Huskies drove to the Tulsa nine-yard line but Jake Seibert (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) was unable to connect on the field goal and the game remained scoreless.
 
The Golden Hurricane drove to the NIU 19 on the ensuing possession. A 13-yard run from Tulsa running back Jordan Ford was spoiled as NIU's Devin Lafayette (Brunswick, Ga. / Brunswick) punched the ball out and James Ester (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) recovered for the Huskies.
 
The Huskies couldn't capitalize off the turnover as Lombardi recovered his own fumble in the end zone, giving TU a safety and a 2-0 lead. The following kickoff went out of bounds which put Tulsa on the 50-yard line. The Hurricane used eight plays with Anthony Watkins finishing the drive with a one-yard run. The PAT put the Golden Hurricane up 9-0.
 
Hampton took over at quarterback and led a 20-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 11:03. The Huskies had four third-down conversions and two fourth-down conversions on the drive. The second of which was a six-yard touchdown pass to Trayvon Rudolph (Crete, Ill. / Crete-Monee) that put the Huskies on the board. Seibert's extra point cut the NIU deficit to 9-7, where the score remained at the half.
 
NIU opens Mid-American Conference play next Saturday, September 30, when the Huskies travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets with kickoff at 2:30 pm (CT) on ESPNU.

NIU FOOTBALL 2023 POSTGAME NOTES (Tulsa)

• The Huskie defense forced a season high three turnovers with Nate Valcarcel and Muhammad Jammeh each recording their first interceptions of the season while Devin Lafayette forced a Tulsa fumble at the five-yard line which James Ester recovered.
• Valcarcel's interception was the first of his NIU career; Jammeh made his second career INT.
• The Huskies had three sacks - all in the first half - with Nevaeh Sanders earning his first career sack in the first quarter.
• Wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph scored his first touchdown of the 2023 season on a six-yard reception from quarterback Ethan Hampton.
• Running back Justin Lynch finished with 84 yards on eight carries with a season long run of 30 yards to go with a 29-yard touchdown run, his first of the season.  Lynch's 84 yards were the most by a Huskie in a game this season and his 29-yard TD run was NIU's longest of the year. Lync
• The Huskies' 167 rushing yards were one more than NIU's previous season high of 166 at Boston College.   
• NIU gave up a safety for the first time this season when quarterback Rocky Lombardi bobbled a snap and went down in the end zone. Miami recorded a safety last season (11-16-22) when a Huskie fumble went out of bounds in the end zone.
• Defensive end Ray Thomas led NIU with 11 tackles, seven solo, with a half sack/tackle for loss. His 11 tackles are the first time a Huskie defensive lineman has had double digit tackles since Sutton Smith made 10 stops in the 2018 MAC Championship game.
• Thomas now leads all NIU defenders in tackles with 26 on the season.   

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