NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton threw five TD passes Saturday against Western Illinois. Those big plays bruised Western in a 54-15 loss in DeKalb. (Photo by Scott Walstrom, NIUHuskies.com)
By Barry Bottino
DeKALB – Watching the Northern Illinois offense Saturday left Joe Davis wanting to pump the brakes.
“With any opponent, you want to make them beat you by driving the football,” Davis said.
The Huskies did that in Davis’ debut as the Western Illinois head coach, but those drives came at a lightning-fast pace in NIU’s 54-15 victory against the Leathernecks.
Western allowed four touchdown drives of four plays or fewer and extended their school-record losing streak to 25 consecutive games.
“Those are things that are a priority for us – preventing explosive plays and creating them on offense,” Davis said. “We certainly did not do a very good job of that. Too many explosive plays. Too many wide-open guys. Those are things we’re going to have to shore up.”
NIU’s big-play offense created 706 yards, including 312 on the ground for an average of 7.6 yards a carry. Quarterback Ethan Hampton threw five touchdowns and piled up a career-high 328 yards through the air.
“We’ve got to work on pursuing to the ball more,” WIU safety Willie Jones said. “But we never gave up. I learned that we’re a really tough group. We’re going to keep fighting together.”
Senior quarterback Nathan Lamb completed 17 of 29 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown in his first career Division I start. Running back Cam Smith led the Western rushing attack with 51 yards on 14 carries. The Leathernecks had zero turnovers.
“We moved the ball there for a little while,” Lamb said. “We need to get better in the red zone. We’re going to get better. I’m excited for that.”
With 65 new players on the roster, many Leathernecks are getting game reps for the first time.
“There’s not much experience on this team,” Lamb said. “A lot of guys haven’t played. Me too. I’m 23 years old and this is my first (D-I) start ever. Coming out here for the first time, it was a little skittish here and there.”
The loss did provide some building blocks, though, including some offensive highlights.
“I told the team, ‘You can’t win a championship tomorrow,’” Davis said. “But we’re going to try to get a little bit better every single week.”
Western kicker Antonio Chadha connected on 44- and 46-yard field goals. The most unique play of the night came after a third-quarter NIU touchdown. WIU defensive lineman Mayo Bola blocked the extra point and linebacker Fredrik Greenhoward scooped the ball up in the end zone and returned it more than 100 yards for a two-point conversion.
Game changers
12:21, 1st quarter: After a short punt gave NIU good field position, the Huskies drove 46 yards on only two plays and scored on a 23-yard catch by Dane Pardridge less than 3 minutes into the game.
0:40, 2nd quarter: In a span of 1:15, the Huskies scored a pair of touchdowns to add to a 20-3 NIU lead, making it a 34-3 halftime advantage.
2:59, 4th quarter: WIU running back Torrance Farmer caught a 27-yard touchdown pass out of the backfield for the Leathernecks’ first TD of the season.
What it means
Western Illinois lost its 25th consecutive game.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Western Illinois players in the game:
Willie Jones, DB: The junior safety had 10 first-half tackles and piled up 13 for the game, which is a career high.
Cam Smith, RB: The WIU newcomer rushed for 51 yards and 3.6 yards per carry for an offense that managed only 47.6 yards rushing per game as a team last season.
Tristin Duncan, WR: Duncan led all receivers with five receptions. His catches accounted for 68 yards, and he also had a TD reception called back by a holding penalty.
What’s next?
WIU plays a non-conference game Friday night at Big Ten Conference member Indiana. The game kicks off at 6 p.m.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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