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AMHERST, N.Y. – Once he got to the edge, Clint Ratkovich saw more than the end zone.
He saw a MAC West championship, built by a team and coaching staff one year removed from a winless season.
After the defense came up with a huge turnover in overtime, Ratkovich skirted the right end from 25 yards out on the Huskies’ first offensive play in the extra session to give Northern Illinois a 33-27 victory over Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference game Wednesday night.
NIU (8-3, 6-1 MAC), winless in six games last season, secured a berth in the MAC title game for the first time since 2018.
“It feels good. Not only were we worst in our division last year, we were also predicted by most people to go last this year,” said Huskies quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 197 yards. “So, for us to come and win the MAC West, I think it sends a message across the MAC what coach Hammock’s doing here.”
Buffalo (4-7, 2-5) played without injured quarterback Kyle Vantrease but still overcame a 24-10 third-quarter deficit. The Bulls tied it again at 27-all on when Alex McNulty lined up with a strong wind at his back and drilled a school-record 55-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining.
The Huskies drove 55 yards in seven plays, but John Richardson’s 37-yard field goal into the wind was blown wide left.
On the opening possession in overtime, the Bulls drove to the 1-yard line, where reserve quarterback Matt Myers fumbled on third down and Demond Taylor recovered for the Huskies.
“It seemed like the ball was on the ground for about 25 seconds,” Huskies coach Thomas Hammock said. “We were very fortunate to get on top of it. Obviously on third down, if they would have got on top of it, it would have been a touchdown.”
On the next play, Ratkovich went around the right end to clinch the division title.
“I believe it was our left guard, as soon as he kicked out the one guy, there was no one there,” said Ratkovich, who finished with 75 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns. “So, I knew it was over with as soon as I got through the first line of defenders.”
Each of the Huskies’ seven conference games have been decided by eight points or less, including last week’s 30-29 victory over Ball State on Richardson’s 32-yard field goal as time expired.
“It’s amazing,” Ratkovich said. “There was a lot of people out there doubting us, which is awesome. I feel like it was just the people in our room that believed this year, and we’re showing the world what we’re about. It’s just a testament to the coaches and the work that we’ve put in. Coach Hammock’s done a great job. All the position coaches just push us every day to be better and it’s showing up.”
Although the Huskies are loaded with freshmen, senior linebacker Lance Deveaux will be playing in his second MAC title game. He was on the championship team in 2018, the year before Hammock came on board.
“I was telling coach Hammock earlier, this is why I came back,” Deveaux said. “Especially after last season, we had a young team, we were 0-6. Coming into this year, nobody believed in us. But we believed in ourselves. That’s the drive that’s been keeping us going this whole season.”
The Huskies close the regular season Tuesday at home against Western Michigan, with the MAC championship game Dec. 4.
“Obviously a great win,” Hammock said. “Our kids battled for four quarters and in overtime. But we expected this, we expected to win, and they went out there and got it done. I couldn’t be more proud of them, I couldn’t be more proud of our coaching staff, for staying committed to the process of building this thing back the right way. And, that’s what we’ve done. We have the second-youngest roster in college football, and we found a way to win a MAC West championship.”