NIU stages big comeback in win over Bobcats

DEKALB - Sutton Smith and Max Scharping garnered preseason accolades for the NIU football team this year.

And Smith and Scharping played a big role in the Huskies fourth-quarterback in a 24-21 NIU win on Saturday.

The Huskies (4-3, 4-0 MAC) trailed 21-9 in the fourth but stormed back. Down 21-16 but with Ohio (3-3, 1-1) driving into NIU territory, Smith picked up his second sack of Nathan Rourke, forcing the Ohio quarterback to fumble. Smith also recovered the fumble.

"That's the key to our success as a defense, being relentless," Smith said. "If they get a first down or something, move the ball, we're not flinching. That's our mentality. On that sack, I just saw it was pass and it's time to jump the ball. That's what I did, and I guess it happened."

NIU went on a 53-yard drive, which was in part kept alive by an pass interference call in the end zone on a third and 6. On the next play, Marcus Jones ran it in from 2 out for the lead.

On the two-point conversion. Childers pitched to Scharping, catching the Ohio defense off guard. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior plowed his way into the end zone for a 24-21 lead.

"I think we made plays, and we made enough plays to get the lead at the end of the third quarter," Ohio coach Frank Solich said. "You can't hand them the ball, give them the ball on turnover and expect you are going to come out ahead in this ballgame at the end."

The Huskies cut the lead to 21-16 when Marcus Childers ran up the middle untouched for a 10-yard score. Childers kept the drive alive on a fourth and 3 by finding D.J. Brown on a screen for a first down.

"I knew we had to have it," Childers said. "I knew if we missed the third down we were getting the fourth down call because we had to have the score. Coach U made a great call. Hitting D.J. on the run like that, they kind of lose him. ... D.J. made a good play, made a guy miss there, and got the first down."

NIU has had a 100-yard rusher in each of it's four MAC games, with Childers becoming the latest. He ran for 169 yards and a touchdown, while going 17 of 33 for 145 yards.