Running back Chavon Wright lines up at quarterback out of the shotgun. He takes the snap. Looks for an opening.

It’s a play NIU has run a lot on third and fourth downs in short yardage situations. But when the Huskies needed it the most on Tuesday in a 35-19 loss to Western Michigan, it wasn’t there.

The Huskies (3-8 overall, 2-5 Mid-American Conference) scored the first 13 points, but the Broncos (7-4, 6-1) scored to get back into the game midway through the second quarter.

NIU faced a fourth-and-1 on its own 39. Earlier in the series, it was a second-and-4 when Wright ran for two yards. On third-and-2, Telly Johnson Jr., who had a long touchdown run on the first drive of the game, picked up one yard.

That set up Wright in the Wildcat with 2:26 left in the half. He was stood up by James Camden. Seven plays and 1:46 later Western Michigan was up 14-13.

They scored another 21 consecutive points after that to secure the win.

“I trust our players, but we didn’t get that situation, then they came back and got a touchdown,” Hammock said. “I guess you can second-guess and say we should punt the ball in that situation. But I have confidence in our offense and confidence in Chavon that we can make a yard. He hasn’t been stopped for a yard all season.”

The Huskies entered the game converting 60% of their fourth-down opportunities, 44th in the country. They matched that percentage Tuesday, going 3 for 5.

Hammock said Wright’s efficiency this year combined with the need to answer the Western Michigan score made going for it the right choice to him.

“If you stay on the field, maybe you go up 20-7 and it’s a different ball game at that point,” Hammock said. “We knew they were a ball control offense and I was trying to keep our offense on the field and play keep-away from them. And they stopped us in a critical situation.”

Johnson’s first carry of the game was a 43-yard touchdown run. The Huskies ran seven times on the eight-play drive, a trend that would continue for both teams as they focused on the ground attack as both quarterbacks struggled.

It was Johnson’s fourth touchdown run of the year, and his shortest by 10 yards. He’s averaging 62.5 yards per carry on his touchdowns. Almost 36% of his rushing yards this year have come on the four touchdown runs.

“I really feel like there’s nothing to it,” Johnson said. “In the offseason I worked on my breakout speed and it shows.”

WMU quarterback Broc Lowry’s struggles started on the Broncos’ first play. His pass was tipped by Jacob Finley and intercepted by Jasper Beeler, his third of the year.

Although the offense lost two yards on the next drive, Andrew Glass booted home a 39-yard field goal to push the lead to 10-0.

“My man just broke out and I broke with him,” Beeler said. “I saw the ball in the air, it got tipped. I grabbed it, picked it off.”

The loss likely means the Huskies will finish no better than 11th in their final season in the MAC after they were picked fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll. It’ll be the fourth losing season in Hammock’s seventh year and the third with four wins or less.

He’s also the first NIU head coach to win two bowl games, leading the team to postseason wins in 2023 and 2024, as well as what will be the team’s final MAC Championship in 2021.

Hammock said he’s extremely confident in his future with the Huskies and is confident, after losing 46 letter winners and 21 starters from last year, that the future is bright for the young team.

“We have a plan. We have a young team,” Hammock said. “My administration has given me the resources to retain my team. And I think that’s important. If I had the ability to retain some of the guys I’ve lost previously I don’t think things would have turned out the way they turned out.”