# 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by Thomas Hammock in his sixth year as the head coach. The Huskies played home games at Huskie Stadium, located in DeKalb, Illinois.
On September 7, the Huskies notched their first-ever win over a top-10 ranked team, beating No. 5 Notre Dame 16–14 in South Bend, Indiana. As a result, the Huskies were ranked No. 25 in the AP poll released on September 9, the first time an NIU team had been ranked since December of 2013.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish tied for third in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
MAC Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Miami | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Toledo | 109 (3) |
| T3 | Bowling Green | 92 |
| T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 |
| 5 | Ohio | 81 |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 |
| 7 | Western Michigan | 60 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 59 |
| 9 | Ball State | 42 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 37 |
| 11 | Akron | 24 |
| 12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Miami | 10 |
| 2 | Toledo | 2 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 2:30 p.m. | Western Illinois* | | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN+ | W 54–15 | 10,828 |
| September 7 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 5 Notre Dame* | | Notre Dame StadiumSouth Bend, IN | NBC | W 16–14 | 77,622 |
| September 21 | 2:30 p.m. | Buffalo | No. 23 | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN+ | L 20–23 $^{OT}$ | 18,688 |
| September 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at NC State* | | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | The CW | L 17–24 | 56,919 |
| October 5 | 11:00 a.m. | UMass* | | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | W 34–20 | 12,466 |
| October 12 | 2:30 p.m. | at Bowling Green | | Doyt Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH | ESPN+ | W 17–7 | 9,559 |
| October 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Toledo | | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN+ | L 6–13 | 18,350 |
| October 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at Ball State | | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy) | ESPN+ | L 23–25 | 15,318 |
| November 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Western Michigan | | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN2 | W 42–28 | 10,346 |
| November 13 | 6:00 p.m. | Akron | | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | W 29–16 | 6,795 |
| November 19 | 8:00 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPN | L 9–20 | 5,891 |
| November 30 | 2:30 p.m. | Central Michigan | | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | W 24–16 | 5,843 |
| December 23 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. Fresno State | | Albertsons StadiumBoise, ID (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) | ESPN | W 28–20 $^{2OT}$ | 10,359 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | 25 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Western Illinois (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Leathernecks | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| Huskies | 6 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 54 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 10,828
* Referee: Amanda Sauer
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper and Ryan Cavanaugh
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WIU | NIU |
| First downs | 17 | 30 |
| Total yards | 298 | 706 |
| Rushing yards | 94 | 312 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 394 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:26 | 31:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Illinois | Passing | Nathan Lamb | 17/29, 204 yards, TD |
| Western Illinois | Rushing | Cameren Smith | 14 rushes, 51 yards |
| Western Illinois | Receiving | Tristin Duncan | 5 receptions, 68 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 18/20, 328 yards, 5 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 8 rushes, 69 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Trayvon Rudolph | 4 receptions, 104 yards, TD |

### At No. 5 Notre Dame

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| No. 5 Fighting Irish | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 77,622
* Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
* TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett, and Zora Stephenson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NIU | ND |
| First downs | 16 | 17 |
| Total yards | 388 | 286 |
| Rushing yards | 190 | 123 |
| Passing yards | 198 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:38 | 25:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 10/19, 198 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 20 rushes, 99 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Antario Brown | 2 receptions, 126 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Riley Leonard | 20/32, 163 yards, 2 INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Jeremiyah Love | 11 rushes, 79 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Beaux Collins | 5 receptions, 45 yards |
This was the Huskies' first win over an AP top-10 team in program history.

### Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| No. 23 Huskies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: N 9 mph
* Game attendance: 18,688
* Referee: David Siegle
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. and Tyoka Jackson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UB | NIU |
| First downs | 9 | 24 |
| Total yards | 184 | 359 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 194 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 23:47 | 36:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 10/17, 107 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 11 carries, 56 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 23/43, 194 yards, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 24 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Cam Thompson | 3 receptions, 49 yards |

### At NC State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Wolfpack | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (The CW): Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Carla Gebhart (sideline)
| Statistics | NIU | NCST |
| First downs | 20 | 11 |
| Total yards | 279 | 171 |
| Rushing yards | 120 | 62 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 109 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 32:41 | 27:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 14/29, 159 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 28 carries, 114 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Andrew McElroy | 3 receptions, 58 yards |
| NC State | Passing | CJ Bailey | 13/20, 109 yards, TD |
| NC State | Rushing | CJ Bailey | 10 carries, 22 yards, TD |
| NC State | Receiving | Noah Rogers | 2 receptions, 48 yards |

### UMass

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Huskies | 7 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 34 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Luke Kuechly (analyst)
| Statistics | MASS | NIU |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 378 | 402 |
| Rushing yards | 115 | 367 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 35 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:20 | 33:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 15/30, 263 yards, 2 TD |
| UMass | Rushing | CJ Hester | 15 carries, 71 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | T.Y. Harding | 5 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 5/9, 34 yards, TD, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Gavin Wiliams | 19 carries, 125 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Brock Lampe | 1 reception, 15 yards, TD |

### At Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Doyt Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: NE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 9,559
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
| Statistics | NIU | BGSU |
| First downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total yards | 278 | 205 |
| Rushing yards | 170 | 107 |
| Passing yards | 108 | 98 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:44 | 25:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Josh Holst | 10/14, 89 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Gavin Williams | 29 carries, 102 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Andrew McElroy | 5 receptions, 47 yards |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 8/14, 88 yards, TD |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Terion Stewart | 13 carries, 64 yards |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Jamal Johnson | 3 receptions, 43 yards |

### Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Huskies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: N 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 18,350
* Referee: Rich Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | TOL | NIU |
| First downs | 15 | 25 |
| Total yards | 285 | 391 |
| Rushing yards | 133 | 181 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 210 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 23:46 | 36:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | John Richter | 15/28, 152 yards, TD |
| Toledo | Rushing | Connor Walendzak | 19 carries, 78 yards |
| Toledo | Receiving | Jerjuan Newton | 3 receptions, 64 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Josh Holst | 22/46, 210 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Gavin Williams | 16 carries, 78 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Cam Thompson | 5 receptions, 80 yards |

### at Ball State (Bronze Stalk Trophy)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 25 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Indiana
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kaspar (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)
| Statistics | NIU | BALL |
| First downs | 22 | 21 |
| Total yards | 374 | 392 |
| Rushing yards | 142 | 170 |
| Passing yards | 232 | 222 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:08 | 34:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 18/33, 168 yards, TD, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 11 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Cam Thompson | 8 receptions, 128 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 20/33, 211 yards, 2 TD |
| Ball State | Rushing | Vaughn Pemberton | 14 carries, 69 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Tanner Koziol | 9 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TD |

### at Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 42 |
| Broncos | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)
| Statistics | NIU | WMU |
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| Total yards | 411 | 390 |
| Rushing yards | 255 | 211 |
| Passing yards | 156 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 29:24 | 30:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 13/16, 156 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. | 23 carries, 141 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Trayvon Rudolph | 6 receptions, 74 yards |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 14/27, 179 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jaden Nixon | 12 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 4 receptions, 51 yards |

### Akron

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Huskies | 17 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp (play-by-play) and Brock Vereen (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | NIU |
| First downs | 19 | 14 |
| Total yards | 255 | 439 |
| Rushing yards | 50 | 295 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 144 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:31 | 33:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 19/52, 205 yards, TD |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 12 carries, 56 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 2 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 9/16, 105 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. | 21 carries, 104 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Dane Pardridge | 1 reception, 39 yards, TD |

### at Miami (OH)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| RedHawks | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Yager Stadium, Oxford, Ohio
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT/8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Fog • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h)
* Game attendance: 5,891
* Referee: William Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
| Statistics | NIU | M-OH |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 242 | 324 |
| Rushing yards | 128 | 87 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 237 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:56 | 27:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 10/25, 70 yards, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. | 15 carries, 47 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Andrew McElroy | 5 receptions, 38 yards |
| Miami (OH) | Passing | Brett Gabbert | 14/23, 207 yards, INT |
| Miami (OH) | Rushing | Keyon Mozee | 14 carries, 91 yards |
| Miami (OH) | Receiving | Reggie Virgil | 4 receptions, 107 yards, TD |

### Central Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chippewas | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Huskies | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (CBSSN): TBD
| Statistics | CMU | NIU |
| First downs | 15 | 22 |
| Total yards | 204 | 332 |
| Rushing yards | 112 | 163 |
| Passing yards | 92 | 169 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:23 | 33:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central Michigan | Passing | Jadyn Glasser | 12/25, 92 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Central Michigan | Rushing | Marion Lukes | 13 carries, 78 yards |
| Central Michigan | Receiving | Jesse Prewitt III | 5 receptions, 37 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 19/30, 169 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. | 20 carries, 84 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Trayvon Rudolph | 9 receptions, 97 yards |

### Fresno State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Huskies | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 28 |
| Bulldogs | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
* Date: December 23rd, 2024
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CST/11:30 a.m. PST
* TV announcers (ESPN): Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker and Tori Petry
| Statistics | NIU | FRES |
| First downs | 24 | 17 |
| Total yards | 368 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 161 | 117 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 211 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19-31-1 | 19-29-1 |
| Time of possession | 39:14 | 20:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Josh Holst | 18/30, 182 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Josh Holst | 16 carries, 65 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Dane Pardridge | 3 receptions, 59 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Joshua Wood | 16/23, 180 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Bryson Donelson | 15 carries, 82 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Mac Dalena | 6 receptions, 118 yards |