2015 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

The 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach Rod Carey, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 8–6 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, finishing in a four-way tie for the MAC West Division title with Central Michigan, Toledo, and Western Michigan. Northern Illinois advance to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to Bowling Green. The Huskies were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl, to the Poinsettia Bowl, where they were defeated by Boise State. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.

2015 Northern Illinois Huskies football
MAC West Division co-champion
MAC Championship Game, L 14–34 vs. Bowling Green
Poinsettia Bowl, L 7–55 vs. Boise State
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
Record	8–6 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach	Rod Carey (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Cole (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Jay Niemann (5th season)
MVP	Kenny Golladay, Boomer Mays
Captain	Aidan Conlon, Paris Logan, Boomer Mays, Marlon Moore, Andrew Ness
Home stadium	Huskie Stadium
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Bowling Green x$		7	–	1					10	–	4
Ohio		5	–	3					8	–	5
Akron		5	–	3					8	–	5
Buffalo		3	–	5					5	–	7
Kent State		2	–	6					3	–	9
Miami (OH)		2	–	6					3	–	9
UMass		2	–	6					3	–	9
West Division
Northern Illinois xy		6	–	2					8	–	6
Western Michigan x		6	–	2					8	–	5
Toledo x		6	–	2					10	–	2
Central Michigan x		6	–	2					7	–	6
Ball State		2	–	6					3	–	9
Eastern Michigan		0	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Bowling Green 34, Northern Illinois 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The season marked the Huskies' eighth consecutive trip to a bowl game and their fourth consecutive bowl game loss.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	6:30 p.m.	UNLV*	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	CBSSN	W 38–30	15,455
September 12	2:30 p.m.	Murray State*	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN3	W 57–26	17,465
September 19	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Ohio State*	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC/ESPN2	L 13–20	104,095
September 26	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College*	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ESPN3	L 14–17	30,193
October 3	2:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mt. Pleasant, MI	ESPN3	L 19–29	17,380
October 10	2:30 p.m.	Ball State	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN3	W 59–41	13,535
October 17	1:30 p.m.	at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	ESPN3	W 45–12	20,278
October 24	2:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN3	W 49–21	17,245
November 3	7:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN2	W 32–27	23,089
November 11	7:00 p.m.	at Buffalo	University at Buffalo Stadium Buffalo, NY	ESPNU	W 41–30	14,260
November 18	7:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN2	W 27–19	10,194
November 24	6:30 p.m.	Ohio	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	L 21–26	9,755
December 4	7:00 p.m.	vs. Bowling Green*	Ford Field Detroit, MI (MAC Championship Game)	ESPN2	L 14–34	16,425
December 23	3:30 p.m.	vs. Boise State*	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA (Poinsettia Bowl)	ESPN	L 7–55	21,501
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

UNLV

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	7	10	3	10	30
Huskies	3	7	14	14	38

See also: 2015 UNLV Rebels football team

The Huskies trailed by seven points at halftime, but scored four touchdowns in the second half to beat the Rebels 38–30. Northern Illinois quarterback Drew Hare was 21-for-26 for 360 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught nine passes for 213 yards in his first game for NIU.^[1]

Murray State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Racers	7	3	6	10	26
Huskies	6	14	20	17	57

See also: 2015 Murray State Racers football team

After getting off to another slow start, the Huskies overpowered the Racers 57–26. Drew Hare threw a career-high four touchdown passes. Kenny Golladay had eight catches for 144 yards and was one of ten Northern Illinois receivers who caught passes.^[2]

At Ohio State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	7	3	0	3	13
Buckeyes	3	7	10	0	20

See also: 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

The Buckeyes, ranked No. 1 in the nation, beat the Huskies 20–13 in a close-fought game. Northern Illinois had won their three previous games against Big Ten opponents.^[3]

At Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	7	0	7	14
Eagles	0	7	7	3	17

See also: 2015 Boston College Eagles football team

In another close game, the Eagles, with the nation's top-ranked defense, beat the Huskies 17–14. In his first start as the Boston College quarterback, Troy Flutie, the nephew of Doug Flutie, completed five of 11 passes for 92 yards with one touchdown and one interception.^[4]

At Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	10	0	3	6	19
Chippewas	3	0	23	3	29

See also: 2015 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

In their first conference game of the season, the Huskies led 10–3 at halftime, but committed four turnovers in the second half, allowing 19 unanswered points by the Chippewas. This marked NIU's first three-game losing streak since 2009.^[5]

Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	3	17	7	14	41
Huskies	0	28	10	21	59

See also: 2015 Ball State Cardinals football team and Bronze Stalk Trophy

After falling behind 10–0, the Huskies scored on nine of their next ten possessions. NIU quarterback Drew Hare was 29-for-32 in passing for a 90.2% completion rate, a new school record. Cardinals quarterback Riley Neal threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns, but the Huskies prevailed, 59–41,^[6] winning the Bronze Stalk Trophy for the seventh year in a row.

At Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	21	0	10	14	45
RedHawks	0	3	2	7	12

See also: 2015 Miami RedHawks football team

The Huskies scored three unanswered touchdowns in the first quarter, and went on to beat the RedHawks 45–12 for their first road victory of the season. NIU receiver Kenny Golladay had six catches for 73 yards, and Joel Bouagnon ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Cornerback Shawun Lurry had his seventh interception of the season, the most in the nation.^[7]

Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	14	7	21
Huskies	14	21	7	7	49

See also: 2015 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

The Huskies led the Eagles 35–0 at halftime, and went on to win their Homecoming game 49–21. Drew Hare threw four touchdown passes, and Joel Bouagnon and Jordan Huff each gained more than 100 yards rushing.^[8]

At Toledo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	10	6	3	13	32
#20 Rockets	17	0	7	3	27

See also: 2015 Toledo Rockets football team

The Rockets, ranked #20 in the AP poll, led for most of the game, but the Huskies pulled ahead with two minutes remaining and won 32–27. After Drew Hare sustained a leg injury midway through the second quarter, Ryan Graham took over as NIU quarterback, completing 9 of 12 passes for 132 yards and running for 41 yards.^[9]

At Buffalo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	14	14	3	10	41
Bulls	3	0	20	7	30

See also: 2015 Buffalo Bulls football team

After leading 28–3 at halftime, the Huskies hung on to beat the Bulls 41–30 for their fifth straight win. In his first start at the Huskies quarterback, redshirt freshman Ryan Graham was 15-of-24 passing for 190 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and also ran for 78 yards. Joel Bouagnon ran for a career-high 156 yards and had two touchdowns.^[10]

Western Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	3	7	9	0	19
Huskies	7	7	0	13	27

See also: 2015 Western Michigan Broncos football team

NIU had fallen behind after three quarters, but then running back Joel Bouagnon and wide receiver Kenny Golladay each scored a touchdown, and the Huskies beat the Broncos 27–19. Jordan Huff ran for 159 yards on eight carries, including an 87-yard touchdown.^[11]

Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	7	13	0	6	26
Huskies	7	0	7	7	21

See also: 2015 Ohio Bobcats football team

The Bobcats beat the Huskies, 26–21. After Ryan Graham was injured, freshman Tommy Fiedler took over as NIU quarterback, completing 9 of 17 throws for 113 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The loss snapped the Huskies' 22-game winning streak of games played in November, and their 17-game winning streak of games against MAC East opponents.^[12]

The loss left NIU's title hopes in limbo, but when Toledo lost to Western Michigan three days later, the Huskies qualified for their sixth consecutive MAC Championship Game, and third straight against Bowling Green.^[13]

Bowling Green–MAC Championship Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	14	7	6	34
Huskies	0	0	14	0	14

See also: 2015 Bowling Green Falcons football team and 2015 MAC Championship Game

In the Mid-American Conference Championship Game, the Falcons beat the Huskies 34–14. It was the teams' third consecutive meeting in the MAC title game. Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson completed 25 of 37 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, finishing the season with 4,700 yards passing, a new MAC record. Falcons running back Travis Greene rushed for 183 yards on 29 carries. It was the first career start for NIU freshman quarterback Tommy Fiedler, who threw 12 of 28 for 152 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.^[14]

Boise State–Poinsettia Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	21	10	10	14	55
Huskies	0	7	0	0	7

See also: 2015 Boise State Broncos football team and 2015 Poinsettia Bowl

According to the Chicago Tribune, "Two of the winningest programs in recent years will meet for the first time when Northern Illinois takes on Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 in San Diego.... Northern Illinois has won 65 games in the last six seasons. Only Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State have won more. Boise State has 63 victories in that span."^[15] This was the eighth year in a row that the Huskies played in a bowl game.^[16]

Boise State beat Northern Illinois 55–7. The Broncos totaled 654 yards of offense, compared to 33 yards for the Huskies, whose touchdown came on a kickoff return. The Boise State win meant that this was the team's 14th straight senior class to win 40 or more games.^[17]

References

1. McCarthy, Jack (September 5, 2015). "Northern Illinois Pushed to Limit but Prevails 38-30". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
2. McCarthy, Jack (September 12, 2015). "Drew Hare Tosses 4 Touchdown Passes as NIU Blows Out Murray State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
3. Greenstein, Teddy (September 19, 2015). "Northern Illinois Falls Short but Makes Real Game of It at Ohio State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
4. Powtack, Ken (September 26, 2015). "Boston College Edges Northern Illinois 17-14". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
5. Severson, Jesse (October 3, 2015). "Second Half Turnovers Costly for Huskies in Loss at Central Michigan". Daily Chronicle. DeKalb. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
6. McCarthy, Jack (October 11, 2015). "Drew Hare Breaks NIU Passing Record in 59-41 Victory over Ball State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
7. Severson, Jesse (October 17, 2015). "Huskies Strike Early, Roll Over Miami (Ohio) for First Road Win". Daily Chronicle. DeKalb. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
8. "NIU 49, EMU 21: Eagles' Defense a Speed Bump for Huskies". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press. October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
9. "Northern Illinois Rallies for 32-27 Win over No. 20 Toledo". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
10. "Freshman Graham leads Northern Illinois past Buffalo, 41-30". CBS Sports. Associated Press. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
11. McCarthy, Jack (November 18, 2015). "Northern Illinois 1 Win from 6th Straight MAC Title Game after 27-19 Win". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
12. McCarthy, Jack (November 24, 2015). "Northern Illinois Fails to Wrap Up MAC West with 26-21 Loss to Ohio". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
13. McCarthy, Jack (December 3, 2015). "Playing in MAC Championship Game Is Routine for Northern Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
14. Hawkins, James (December 5, 2015). "Bowling Green Bolts to Four-Touchdown Lead to Top NIU 34-14 for MAC Title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
15. McCarthy, Jack (December 6, 2015). "Northern Illinois Earns Poinsettia Bowl Date with Boise State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
16. McCarthy, Jack (December 17, 2015). "Northern Illinois Benefits in Name Recognition from 8th Straight Bowl Trip". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
17. Gemmell, Kevin (December 23, 2015). "Balanced Boise State Cruises By Northern Illinois in Poinsettia Bowl". ESPN. Retrieved December 23, 2015.