Defense gives NIU a championship week
DEKALB — No one inside Huskie Stadium on Friday would have imagined the home team’s championship hopes depending on a defensive stop.
Northern Illinois had scored at least 40 points in nine of 11 games this season, while the defense struggled more often than not.
But for some reason, the Huskies couldn’t get the offense rolling in a game that kicked off at 10 a.m. They clung to a 6-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, while upset-minded Eastern Michigan set up at the NIU 31-yard line.
When it mattered most, Northern Illinois’ defense delivered. Back-to-back sacks by Alan Baxter and Sean Progar sent EMU back 25 yards before a desperation fourth-down pass was knocked away to seal the 18-12 victory.
“It was on the defense’s back, and I was just hoping and praying they would come through,” NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish said. “They carried us. Maybe they returned the favor.”
The victory clinched a second consecutive MAC West title. Northern Illinois (9-3, 7-1) will face Ohio in the conference title game next Friday at Ford Field in Detroit (7 p.m., ESPN2). Those teams did not face each other this season.
“I said afterward, there’s nothing better than stopping somebody at the end of a game to win it,” said first-year NIU coach Dave Doeren. “You can’t win championships without defense.”
Except for a couple of big plays, NIU’s offense was kept under control.
Harnish hit Willie Clark for a 54-yard touchdown in the first quarter, then Harnish broke loose on a third-and-1 for a 68-yard touchdown. The long run, and missed 2-point conversion, put the Huskies ahead 18-6 with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.
Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4) kept hanging around and closed within 18-12 on a 24-yard pass from Alex Gillett to Nick Olds with 6:19 remaining.
The visiting Eagles forced a punt and went back on offense as 13,000 NIU fans held their breath. On the first play of the drive, Gillett ran for 26 yards, then hit Trey Hunter for a first down at the 31-yard line.
The Huskies needed someone to make a play, and the defensive line supplied two volunteers, starting with Baxter, a Buffalo Grove High School grad.
“It was a screen (pass), so if they don’t get the ball off right away, we’re going to be back there,” Baxter said. “The quarterback kind of hesitated throwing the ball. We just stayed composed, kept doing what we knew we could do.”
Baxter dropped Gillett for a 15-yard loss on second down. On the next snap, Gillett eluded a couple of rushers before being tackled from behind by Progar, from Loyola Academy.
On fourth-and-35, Gillett was on target to tight end Garrett Hoskins, but NIU corner Sean Evans pried the ball loose as safety Demetrius Stone made a big hit from behind.
The defense also had some strong moments in the first half. It held EMU to a field goal after a pass-interference penalty gave the Eagles a first-down at the 2-yard line.
In the second quarter, Progar dropped EMU running back Dominique Sherrer for a loss in the end zone, recording the Huskies’ first safety in more than two years.
Harnish finished with 148 rushing yards on 17 carries but completed just 9 of 19 passes for 98 yards.
“Third-down conversions were big for us. We were 2 of 13 and there were some easy throws in there,” Harnish said.
“I think this might be a blessing in disguise for the offense because we’re going to be upset this week and we’re going to work our butts off because we don’t want to have another performance like that.”
This will be Northern Illinois’ third trip to the conference championship game, and the first two resulted in heartbreaking defeats.
The Huskies lost 26-21 to Miami of Ohio last year, letting the Redhawks convert a fourth-and-20 on their way to the winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. In 2005, NIU lost 31-30 to Akron on a 36-yard TD pass with 10 seconds left.
“It’s all about winning a championship,” Doeren said. “This is going to be championship week. We’re going to practice like champions and we’ll prepare like champions. We’re going to Detroit to win and bring it back.”
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com