Another quarterback change didn’t equal a different result for the NIU football on Saturday in a 48-21 loss at Ohio.

After two weeks on the bench behind true freshman Brady Davidson, redshirt sophomore and Marengo grad Josh Holst returned to the starting lineup.

“Obviously it wasn’t fun but I wasn’t playing well,” Holst said. “Brady is a great player, great kid. Those two weeks on scout team put it in perspective. I felt like a freshman again. Going against the defense built the confidence back up. Yeah, I was a little [ticked] off but whatever the coaches need me to do, I’ll do it.”

The Huskies (1-6, 0-3 MAC) did score three touchdowns and break the 20-point mark for the first time this year, two of the three touchdowns came in the second half with Ohio (4-3, 2-1) leading 34-8.

Holst finished 21 of 29 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception but did fumble on a fourth and 7 from the Ohio 13 and 2:52 left in the game. Jalen Thomeson returned it 91 yards for a score, pushing the Ohio lead 48-21.

DeAree Rogers made seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. No other receiver had more than 12 yards.

NIU ran for 132 yards, their highest rushing total since putting up 180 yards at Maryland in a 20-9 loss on Sept. 5. Holst ran for 48 yards on 11 attempts, behind only Telly Johnson’s 11-carry, 64-yard performance.

Holst started the first four games for the Huskies this year, all nonconference games. Coach Thomas Hammock said he wanted to see what last year’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl MVP could do in MAC play.

“We felt like he deserved an opportunity to play in MAC play,” Hammock said. “The teams he played against were some of the best teams on our schedule. So to give a full evaluation on him based on those games was not the right thing to do.”

Rogers said for him, it doesn’t really matter who is at quarterback.

“For the receivers, our biggest thing is to make the quarterback right,” Rogers said. “If it’s a 50-50 ball, no matter which quarterback throws it, we need to come down with it. It doesn’t really matter who goes out there week-to-week, we just want the win at the end of the day.”

Rogers, Holst and Hammock all said the team played with a much faster tempo in the second half, leading to a better offensive push. The 293 yards of total offense is the highest total of the year.

Hammock said he’s been pushing for a faster tempo and Holst said it worked well during spring and fall camps.

“We were kind of playing from behind so we played with a little tempo,” Rogers said. “It seemed to work out in the second half. ... I think it showed we should be a tempo team. Going into next week’s game from the beginning of the game, not just when we’re behind.”

The loss was the sixth in a row for the Huskies and the third in conference play, likely eliminating them from MAC contention. They’ll need to win out to be eligible for a third straight bowl bid.

It’s the longest losing streak since the Huskies went 0-6 in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

“I think the accountability starts with me,” Hammock said. “I’m responsible for how we play. I think the buck starts and ends with me. These guys are playing their tail off, they’re practicing hard and for whatever reason we’re not getting the results we want. It’s hard to take but I have to live with that and take responsibility for that.”

Holst said the players need to take accountability as well.

“Coaches are putting us in the position to win every week,” Holst said. “It’s not on the coaches, it’s on the players to execute. We need to take accountability better, each and every player on this team. We need to quit pointing fingers and start pointing thumbs.”