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DeKALB — After three first-half interceptions, Northern Illinois fell into a 28-point halftime deficit. Down four scores entering the second half, the Huskies couldn’t recover, falling 52-32 to Toledo in its homecoming game.
Here are the main takeaways from the Week 6 MAC matchup:
Hampton tosses four interceptions, pair of pick-sixes - all to Toledo’s Mitchell
The Huskie offense had an uphill battle to fight from the second quarter on. Two Ethan Hampton pick-sixes and 21 defensive points allowed put NIU behind 35-7 at halftime.
On Hampton’s first pass of the game, Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell jumped a flat route along the left sideline, intercepted the ball, then ran untouched 25 yards for a score.
Mitchell nabbed his second pick-six off Hampton with 3:27 to play in the second quarter, jumping an out-breaker to the right and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown.
Hampton threw a third interception to Mitchell from the Toledo 3-yard line in the final minute of the second quarter.
With 14:14 to play in the third quarter, Mitchell nabbed his fourth interception of the game, making a diving catch near the middle of the field.
Hampton went 11 for 22 with 99 passing yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the first half, and finished the game 30 for 49 with 284 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Rough start for Huskies
NIU fell into a 14-0 hole in the first 3:38 of the game, as the Rockets offense capped an eight-play, 69-yard scoring drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dequan Finn to Jerjuan Newton, then scored again on the 25-yard pick-six 34 seconds later.
The Rockets took a 21-7 first-quarter lead as 3:46 remained, using the Finn-to-Newton connection again - this time for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Huskie defense surrendered 165 yards and three touchdowns on 17 plays in the first quarter (9.7 yards per play).
Finn and Newton shredded the Huskies through the air with a 43-yard pass play and two touchdowns, while Jacquez Stuart pounded the ball for 73 yards, a touchdown and 7.3 yards per carry in the first half.
Absence of big plays early for offense
The Huskie offense had two 10-plus-yard plays in the first half: a 16-yard Antario Brown run and a 15-yard Justin Lynch run.
A personal foul penalty wiped out the biggest NIU offensive play of the first half: a 25-yard pass from Hampton to Cole Tucker on 3rd-and-7. Five plays later, the Huskies punted.
NIU’s offense was a little more productive than Toledo’s from a yardage standpoint, piling up 424 yards to 349, but the four interceptions created a 21-point swing, and ultimately, the Huskies couldn’t recover.
In the second half, NIU scored 25 points and racked up 240 yards, with all those points coming after trailing 45-7 in the fourth quarter.
Huskies recover two onside kicks, adding to impressive success rate
NIU’s onside kick success continued this week with two more onside recoveries, pushing their season success rate to 57% (4 of 7).
The pair of John Richardson onside kicks led to the Huskies’ surge in the fourth quarter. Richardson recovered the first onside kick himself, then polished off the scoring drive with a 46-yard field goal, cutting the NIU deficit to 45-18 with 10:03 to play.
On the next drive, the Huskies drove 52 yards on 10 plays, scoring on a 3-yard Hampton touchdown pass to Messiah Travis with 6:20 to play. The fourth-quarter touchdown cut the deficit to 45-24.