Northern Illinois Vs Eastern Michigan Recap: Eagles Stage Comeback, But Huskies Hold On To Win 18-12

The Northern Illinois Huskies (9-3, 7-1) escaped with an 18-12 win against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-6, 4-4). The Eagles staged a late comeback, scoring their first touchdown of the game with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, but ultimately could not outdo the Huskies defense.

A short punt from Ryan Neir positioned Eastern Michigan near midfield to start their third drive of fourth quarter. After their offense had done next to nothing all day, the Eagles suddenly orchestrated a rapid, seven play drive, capped by a touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Gillett to the outside shoulder of Nick Olds.

With the game narrowed to 18-12, the Huskies offense proved incapable of running out the clock, again punting the ball away. On the final drive, with the Eagles on NIU's 31 yard line, the Huskies linemen managed back-to-back sacks on 3rd and 4th down, effectively sealing the Huskies' win.

The victory ensures a first place finish in the Mid-American Conference for NIU, with the Toledo Rockets (7-4, 6-1) yet to finish their game today.

For news and updates concerning the Northern Illinois Huskies, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For in-depth analysis and commentary on Huskies football, drop by Red and Black Attack, SB Nation's Northern Illinois Huskies blog.

Northern Illinois Vs. East Michigan Score Update: Huskies Lead 18-6 In 4th Quarter

The Northern Illinois Huskies scored a touchdown in the third quarter, pushing their advantage to 18-6 over the East Michigan Eagles.

East Michigan began the second half with the ball, but failed to score after a 7 play, 23 yard drive. When the Huskies could do nothing with their first second half possession, the Eagles responded by driving 57 yards and setting up a 23-yard field goal from Kody Fulkerson, trimming the NIU lead to 12-6.

On the ensuing NIU possession, Chandler Harnish took a 3rd and 1 rush and gashed through the Eagles defense for a 68 yard touchdown run and a 18-6 lead. NIU subsequently failed their two-point conversion.

With the 4th quarter underway, the Huskies will look to hold onto their 12-point lead and finish the season with a seventh straight win.

For news and updates concerning the Northern Illinois Huskies, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For in-depth analysis and commentary on Huskies football, drop by Red and Black Attack, SB Nation's Northern Illinois Huskies blog.

Northern Illinois Vs. Eastern Michigan Score Update: Huskies Lead 12-3 At Halftime

The Northern Illinois Huskies are now 30 minutes of good football away from a MAC division title and a ticket to the MAC conference championship game at Ford Field in Detriot, as they lead the Eastern Michigan Eagles 12-3 at the half.  With winds gusting at 20mph out of the southwest, the weather has been a factor in keeping the scoring low through the first two quarters. Even so, game has been marked by some big plays.

NIU opened the scoring opened in the game with a 54-yard TD pass from QB Chandler Harnish to senior WR Willie Clark going against the wind, and then Eastern Michigan responded with a 10-play, 67-yard drive at the end of the first quarter, highlighted by a 42-yard reception from Eagles' WR Tyreese Russell, that resulted in a field goal.

At the open of the second quarter, the Eagles forced a turnover on downs by smothering NIU punter Ryan Neir, who avoided kicking a punt that would have surely been blocked. On the ensuing drive, the NIU defense forced a turnover on downs by preventing the Eagles from converting a 4th and 4-yards-to-go in Huskies' territory. 

NIU then got back on the board by forcing a saftey, stuffing Eagles' RB Dominique Sherrer on a rush up the middle while Eastern Michigan was trying desperately to get out of the shadow of their own end zone. The Huskies then took the safety kick and marched 30-yards on 10 plays for a 39-yard field goal by Mathew Sims to push the score to 12-3.

The Huskies have been able to control the game by limiting the Eagles to 15 yards on 18 carries on the ground (0.8 yds/car), while producing 94-yards on 23 carries (4.1 yds/car) on their own drives.

For news and updates concerning the Northern Illinois Huskies, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For in-depth analysis and commentary on Huskies football, drop by Red and Black Attack, SB Nation's Northern Illinois Huskies blog.

Northern Illinois Vs. Eastern Michigan Score Update: Huskies Lead 7-3 After One Quarter

Wind has been a factor early in the game between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Eastern Michigan Eagles, as it has been gusting at 20mph out of the southwest, but nevertheless the Huskies lead 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Scoring opened in the game with a 54-yard TD pass from QB Chandler Harnish to Willie Clark, which came despite the fact that NIU was going against the wind in the opening quarter. NIU dominated from a yardage standpoint, out-gaining the Eagles 148-63, but Eastern Michigan responded with a 10-play, 67-yard drive at the end of the first quarter that resulted in a field goal.

The game has been largely marked by big plays so far, with Eagles' WR Tyreese Russell grabbing a 42-yard reception to help fuel the field goal drive for Eastern Michigan, and the 54-yard TD pass from Harnish to Clark being the difference so far.

At the open of the second quarter, the Eagles forced a turnover on downs as NIU punter Ryan Neir elected to avoid kicking a punt that would have surely been blocked and instead allowing himself to be tackled. On the ensuing drive, Eastern Michigan stalled their movement and failed to convert a crucial fourth down and four situation, turning the ball back over to the Huskies.

For news and updates concerning the Northern Illinois Huskies, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For in-depth analysis and commentary on Huskies football, drop by Red and Black Attack, SB Nation's Northern Illinois Huskies blog.

Northern Illinois Vs. Eastern Michigan Game Time, TV Schedule, Spread And More

It's a Black Friday matchup with big implications in the MAC conference, as the Northern Illinois Huskies (7-3, 6-1 MAC) host the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-5, 4-3 MAC). The Huskies are 6-1 in MAC play, and control their own destiny heading into this game because they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Toledo Rockets, so a win would mean a conference division title for NIU.

The Huskies offense should be fun to watch, as they are looking to made a few marks in the record books on Friday, as noted by HuskieWire:

With seven sacks allowed through 11 games, the Huskies are on pace to surrender fewer than 10 this season. No Mid-American Conference team has done that since 2004, the first year the statistic was kept. Since 2007, only eight programs have done it nationally. Two were service academies that mostly run the football.

"We've got a quarterback who's got a chance to do some things no quarterbacks have ever done statistically," NIU coach Dave Doeren said of Chandler Harnish's quest to become the first player in college football history to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,500. "That starts with his protection and the holes the offensive line opens up for him. So you can't say enough about what they do."    

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for updates throughout the day on all the action.

Game date, time: 10:00 am CST, Friday, Nov. 25th, 2011

Location: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL

TV channel: ESPNU

Radio: WSCR-AM 670

Spread: Northern Illinois favored by 19.5 points

Series history: Northern Illinois leads, 17-5-2

For updates on this matchup, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of NIU, head over to Red And Black Attack. For more from around college football, visit SB Nation's NCAA football news hub.

Northern Illinois Huskies Vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles: Division Title On The Line For NIU

NIU is trying to secure a spot in the MAC championship game.