In what can only be described as a dominant performance to defy all expectations, the Northern Illinois Huskies (9-4, 7-2 MAC) completed their climb up the ladder from the winless basement to conference title glory on Saturday afternoon in Detroit, Michigan, taking down the Kent State Golden Flashes (7-6, 5-4 MAC) by a final score of 41-23 to claim their fifth MAC title in the last 11 seasons.
It was a foundational win for coach Thomas Hammock and his staff in their third year together, as they led a roster with over which had 15 players who started as walk-ons and played 18 true freshman throughout the season pulling out nine victories despite being chosen to finish last in the West division by a wide margin in the preseason polls.