2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They were led by head coach Jerry Kill in his third season at NIU. The Huskies finished the season 11–3, 8–0 in MAC play to win the West Division Title, but lost to Miami (OH) in the MAC Championship Game. They were invited to the Humanitarian Bowl where they defeated Fresno State 40–17. Following the MAC Championship game, head coach Jerry Kill  resigned to accept the head coaching position at Minnesota. Kill did not coach in the bowl game. Tom Matukewicz coached the Huskies as interim head coach for the bowl game. The season marked the Huskies third consecutive trip to a bowl game and their first bowl game win since 2004. Regular season. Iowa State. Despite being without the services of starting QB Chandler Harnish, the Huskies pulled within a touchdown midway through the 4th quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by backup signal caller DeMarcus Grady. But an Iowa State touchdown drive immediately thereafter put the game away for  the Cyclones. Illinois. The Huskie defense was scorched on the ground, allowing 319 rushing yards to the Fighting Illini, and NIU star tailback Chad Spann was held to only 15 yards on 13 carries. QB Chandler Harnish had a strong performance, but lost a fumble in Illinois territory in the 4th quarter that proved to be costly. Minnesota. The win was the third over a Big Ten school in the history of the program, and the second in as many years. Temple. In a matchup of preseason MAC favorites, the Huskies took over in the second half thanks in large  part to a dominant and balanced offensive performance that wore the Owls down on a warm day in DeKalb. Central Michigan. NIU continues its 2nd-half dominance against MAC foes, not allowing a point in the 2nd half for the third straight week. Western Michigan. Quarterback Chandler Harnish found Willie Clark with a 21-yard TD pass with 3:42 to play to lift the Huskies (7-2, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) to their six straight victory, their longest winning streak since 2004. Toledo. Toledo could not hold on against NIU's offense as the Huskies dominated the Rockets with  Chad Spann scoring 3 touchdowns and Chandler Harnish going 11-of-16 for 162 yards. The Huskies (8-2, 6-0 Mid-American) now have a 7-game winning streak and are edging closer to the MAC championship. Ball State. While winning its eighth straight game and clinching the Mid-American Conference West Division title, the NIU Huskies excelled on offense, defense and special teams en route to a 59-21 victory. Eastern Michigan. The Huskies had 654 yards on 46 plays, rushing for 552 yards, with most of the starters on the sideline for the second half. The Huskies (10 -2, 8-0 MAC) swept MAC play for the first time in school history and will play Miami (8-4, 7-1) in the MAC Championship. It was the 5th most points scored by the Huskies in school History. MAC Championship: Miami (OH). Armand Robinson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Austin Boucher with 33 seconds remaining, lifting Miami to a stunning 26-21 upset of No. 25 NIU in the 2010 Marathon MAC Championship Game at Ford Field. The win marked the second time the RedHawks had won the league title game and completed a worst-to-first  league finish.