Football | October 15

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football team heads back on the road for another Mid-American Conference game this weekend against Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Doug Sherman and Je'rod Cherry on the call. The radio pregame show begins at 2 p.m. on 94-9 WDKB.
 
NIU (1-5, 0-2 MAC) fell 16-10 to Eastern Michigan last week. The Huskies rushed for a season-high 238 yards behind a career-high 159 rushing yards from sophomore running back Telly Johnson Jr. (Augusta, Ga./Hephzibah). The Eagles scored 10 points in the fourth quarter take the lead and secure the victory.
 
Johnson recorded NIU's longest play from scrimmage this season on an 80-yard sprint to the end zone in the third quarter. He is the first NIU player to rush for at least 150 yards in a single game since Antario Brown's 159-yard outing against Western Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.
 
Defensively, the Huskies were led by junior safety Jasper Beeler (Farmington, Mich./Saginaw Valley State), who led all players with a career-high 11 tackles. Senior defensive end Roy Williams (Crestwood, Ill./Alan B. Shepard) also finished with a career-high in tackles, finishing the game with nine stops.
 
NIU did not commit a penalty in the game against Eastern Michigan, only the third time the team has done so since 2000 and first time since Nov. 13, 2013 vs. Ball State.
 
Ohio (3-3, 1-1 MAC), the defending MAC champions, enters the matchup coming off a bye week. Prior to the bye, the Bobcats fell 20-14 to Ball State. Ohio held a 14-12 lead in the fourth quarter before a 43-yard touchdown pass with 57 seconds left put Ball State on top.
 
Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro has been a threat through the air and on the ground this season, ranking second in the Mid-American Conference in passing yards with 211.0 yards per game and seventh in rushing with 66.3 yards per game. Navarro has accounted for 12 touchdowns this season.
 
Wide Receiver Chase Hendricks is sixth in the FBS in receiving yards with 585 and has four games with at least eight receptions. The Bobcats have been opportunistic when opposing teams pass the ball, recording seven interceptions this season – tied for most in the MAC.
Eight of the last 10 matchups between NIU and Ohio have been decided by one score, including two overtime games. The teams last played in 2023, a 23-13 victory for the Huskies.
 
Following back-to-back weeks on the road, NIU returns home next weekend against Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for all remaining NIU home football games are on sale now. Purchase tickets for the 2025 NIU Football season anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets. For more information, call the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) weekdays between 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. or email huskiestickets@niu.edu.
 
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