Instant replay: Main takeaways from NIU’s 33-27 overtime win at Buffalo

BUFFALO – Clint Ratkovich scored on a 25-yard run on Northern Illinois’ first play in overtime gave the Huskies a 33-27 victory over Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference game Wednesday night, completing the Huskies’ worst-to-first turnaround.

With the win, the Huskies (8-3, 6-1 MAC) clinched the MAC West and their first trip to the conference title game since 2018 after going 0-6 last season.

Buffalo (4-7, 2-5) tied the score on Alex McNulty’s school-record 55-yard field goal with 1:10 left in regulation. John Richardson missed a 37-yard field goal into the wind on the final play of regulation for Northern Illinois.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

Game turns on overtime fumble

With Buffalo driving on its possession in overtime, reserve quarterback Matt Meyers fumbled on a quarterback keeper up the middle on third down from the NIU 1-yard line. Demond Taylor recovered for the Huskies.

Ratkovich skirted the right end on the next play for the game-winner from 25 yards out.

Momentum swings

Buffalo, playing without injured quarterback Kyle Vantrease, generated 114 yards of offense in the first quarter but managed only one field goal. The Bulls went in front 10-3 on Dylan McDuffie’s 1-yard run with 5:29 left in the half.

Trayvon Rudolph brought the Huskies even on the first play of the ensuing possession with a 75-yard touchdown on a sweep. NIU pushed the lead to 24-10 midway through the third quarter on Antario Brown’s 47-yard run and a 7-yard touchdown run by Clint Ratkovich.

The Bulls halted the momentum with a strip-sack of quarterback Rocky Lombardi, recovering at the Huskies’ 28. Two plays later, Ron Cook scored on a 22-yard run up the middle to make it 24-17. On Buffalo’s next possession, Cook hauled in a 13-yard scoring pass from Matt Myers to make it 24-24 with 12:22 remaining.

John Richardon’s 27-yard field goal put the Huskies up 27-24, but McNulty tied it with his long field goal with 1:10 remaining.

Brown bolsters ground game

Freshman Antario Brown put the Huskies up, 17-10, with a 47-yard touchdown run with 11:53 in the third quarter on his first carry of the game. Brown, who rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries against Eastern Michigan, followed by 94 yards in 24 carries vs. Toledo, had only seven carries for 16 yards over the previous three games.

Brown finished with 71 yards on three carries, and Rudolph had 94 yards on three carries as the Huskies finished with 308 yards rushing.

Wind a factor in kicking game

Richardson saw his attempt at a second consecutive game-winning field goal knocked down by the stiff wind. Richardson, whose 32-yarder as time expired gave the Huskies a 30-29 victory over Ball State last week, lined up for another potential game-winner from 37 yards, but the strong wind pushed the ball to the left.

McNulty’s game-tying 55-yard field goal came with the wind at his back. After connecting on a 32-yarder into the wind on the Bulls’ opening possession, his 42-yarder late in the first quarter resembled a pop fly blown back toward the infield and fell short.

75 is the magic number

Rudolph’s 75-yard touchdown run matched the Huskies’ longest play of the season. Lombardi had a pair of 75-yard touchdown passes to Rudolph, one vs. Kent State and another vs. Central Michigan, and Harrison Waylee had a 75-yard touchdown run against Wyoming.