Huskies win 23rd straight home game
DE KALB — Jordan Lynch threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as No. 23 Northern Illinois extended its home winning streak to 23 games with a 27-20 Mid-American victory over Akron Saturday night.
Lynch was 16 of 35 for 220 yards passing and ran for 83 more. Cameron Stingily rushed 21 times for 80 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Wedel added field goals of 42 and 21 yards for the Huskies (6-0, 2-0 MAC East).
Jawan Chisholm scored on a pair of 1-yard first half runs for Akron (1-6, 0-3) and ran 20 times for 70 yards. Kyle Pohl was 24 of 56 for 262 yards.
The home winning streak is the nation’s current longest. A 34-31 loss to Idaho on Sept 26, 2009 was Northern Illinois’ more recent defeat at Huskie Stadium.
Akron’s road loss was its 30th straight, also the nation’s longest current streak. The Zips’ beat Central Michigan 42-35 on Oct. 18, 2008 for its last road win.
Akron opened a 7-0 lead on its first possession as Chisholm capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive with 1-yard touchdown run.
Northern Illinois replied with 17 straight points, starting with Lynch’s 18-yard touchdown run just 63 seconds later to tie the score.
Tyler Wedel, filling in for regular kicker Mathew Sims, hit a 42-yard field goal with 7:33 left in the first quarter — the first of his career — for a 10-7 Northern Illinois lead.
Lynch connected with Desroy Maxwell on a 25-yard scoring strike with 4:52 left as the Huskies made it 17-7. The score was also a career first for Maxwell.
Chisholm scored his second touchdown of the quarter on a 1-yard leap with 1:12 remaining to cut the Zip deficit to 17-14.
A 40-yard pass from Lynch to Tommylee Lewis set up Northern Illinois’ third touchdown -- a 9-yard run by Stingily with 11:37 left in the third for a 24-14 lead.
Huskies safety Jimmy Ward intercepted Pohl early in the fourth quarter at the Zip 30 to set up a 21-yard field goal by Wedel that made it 27-14 lead with 11:19 left in the fourth quarter.
Ward’s interception was his fifth of the season and fourth in his last four games. He entered the game ranked second in the nation.
Pohl’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Goodman with 5:27 showing to cut the Huskie lead to 27-20. But Northern Illinois’ Boomer Mays blocked Robert Stein’s extra point kick.
The Zips blocked a 40-yard Wedel field goal try with 1:15 left and regained possession at its own 32, but the Northern Illinois defense stopped Akron on a fourth and 10 at its own 45.