It was Senior Night in DeKalb’s Huskie Stadium on Tuesday night, with the newly-minted MAC West champion Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4, 6-2 MAC) celebrating a last-to-first season for the ages. They would host the Western Michigan Broncos (7-5, 4-4 MAC), who were coming in to try and obtain postseason eligibility after a disappointing league season.
At the end of the proceedings on a cold, damp night in the farmland of Illinois, it would be the visiting Broncos who won out the day, riding an efficient offense and a pressure-filled defense to a 42-21 road victory.
It was NIU who sought to make a statement at the start of the game, with starting running back Jay Ducker breaking loose for a 47-yard run on the first play from scrimmage to get to the WMU 25-yard line.