Northern Illinois Huskies at Kent State Golden Flashes
· NCAA - Football
Lombardi sparks Northern Illinois to 37-27 win over Kent State
Northern Illinois finished its season with back-to-back wins to finish 5-3 and in second place in the Mid-American Conference West Division, three games behind unbeaten 8-0 Toledo.
Kent State put up 17 points in the second quarter and took a 17-10 lead at the half. Lombardi threw 16 yards to Grayson Barnes for a touchdown to start the third quarter, then punched over from the 1 to take a 24-20 lead after three quarters.
Kent State (0-8, 1-11) took the lead on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Devin Kargman to Jameel Gardner Jr. with 10:23 left, but the Huskies answered with a 75-yard, nine-play drive that consumed almost six minutes and was capped by senior quarterback Lombardi.
The Golden Flashes put together a nine-play drive that stalled at the NIU 36-yard line when Kargman threw incomplete on fourth down, but the defense held the Huskies to a three-and-out and Kent State got the ball back at its own 9 with under a minute left. James Ester and Navaeh Sanders sacked Kargman on consecutive plays to put the ball near the goal line and Gardner fumbled on the next play.
Lombardi finished 9 of 18 passing for 183 yards and a touchdown and had two 1-yard runs for touchdowns. Gavin Williams carried 17 times for 103 yards and Antonio Brown added another 89 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Kargman was 14 of 26 for 237 yards and two touchdowns, with Gardner catching three passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Luke Floriea caught nine passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
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How To Watch
How can I watch Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Kent State Golden Flashes?
- TV Channel: Huskies at Golden Flashes 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
 |
FG | 1st Period 11:27 | Kanon Woodill 36 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 1st Period 4:07 | Antario Brown 24 Yd Run (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
 |
TD | 2nd Period 12:09 | Luke Floriea 9 Yd pass from Devin Kargman (Andrew Glass Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 7:53 | Luke Floriea 13 Yd Run (Andrew Glass Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:54 | Andrew Glass 21 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 14:05 | Grayson Barnes 16 Yd pass from Rocky Lombardi (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 9:12 | Andrew Glass 25 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 3:37 | Rocky Lombardi 1 Yd Run (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 10:23 | Jameel Gardner Jr. 50 Yd pass from Devin Kargman (Andrew Glass Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 4:45 | Rocky Lombardi 1 Yd Run (Kanon Woodill Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 0:00 | Jacob Finley 0 Yd Fumble Return |
Statistics
 NIU |
 KENT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1st Downs | 18 |
| 5-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 7-15 |
| 1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 1-2 |
| 426 | Total Yards | 366 |
| 183 | Passing | 253 |
| 9-18 | Comp-Att | 16-29 |
| 10.2 | Yards per pass | 8.7 |
| 243 | Rushing | 113 |
| 40 | Rushing Attempts | 35 |
| 6.1 | Yards per rush | 3.2 |
| 2-10 | Penalties | 4-20 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 1 | Fumbles lost | 2 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 29:56 | Possession | 30:04 |
Game Information
Location: Kent, OH
Capacity:
Mid-American - East
| TEAM | OVR | CONF |
|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 11-3 | 7-1 |
| Ohio | 10-3 | 6-2 |
| Bowling Green | 7-6 | 5-3 |
| Buffalo | 3-9 | 3-5 |
| Akron | 2-10 | 1-7 |
| Kent State | 1-11 | 0-8 |
Mid-American - West
| TEAM | OVER | CONF |
|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 11-3 | 8-0 |
| Northern Illinois | 7-6 | 5-3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 6-7 | 4-4 |
| Western Michigan | 4-8 | 3-5 |
| Ball State | 4-8 | 3-5 |
| Central Michigan | 5-7 | 3-5 |
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