With #1 Ohio State holding a three point lead late in the 3Q vs unranked NIU, who had just intercepted JT Barrett, LB Darron Lee makes a presnap recognition based on the WR splits and jumps the route for the pick 6, giving the Buckeyes a 19-10 lead. Source: buckeyemond
Darron Lee's Play of the Game Was Something He Saw Coming September 19, 2015 Source: The Ozone - The defense may have saved the day again for Ohio State in its 20-13 win over Northern Illinois, but it was linebacker Darron Lee specifically who played the hero.
The Buckeyes’ walk-out linebacker only had two tackles on the day, but was constantly a menace on blitzes and in coverage. Lee also made the play of the game for OSU, intercepting Huskies’ quarterback Drew Hare towards the end of the third quarter, one play after the Buckeyes turned the ball over.
“I’m just doing my job I guess,” Lee said after the game. “But the defense, once again the offense took a minute to get their rhythm. We knew we were going to go out there, have fun, do our jobs, and stop them.”
For the second week in a row, the Ohio State offense struggled to put up the numbers it’s accustomed to. This meant the Silver Bullets were once again relied upon to take care of business and Lee and his teammates answered the call.
Lee, who became a playmaker defensively for the Buckeyes last season, made the play of the game with the interception. The linebacker jumped a bubble screen to get the ball back and then sprinted into the end zone for the score.
“Just really keying on their splits,” Lee recounted the play. “We saw it a bunch of times in the first half. Number 10, he was pretty close to his number two receiver. I just knew what was coming and just made a play.”...
Darron Lee Talks Ohio State's 20-13 Win Over Northern Illinois Source: Eleven Warriors
Cardale Jones started and threw two interceptions, J.T. Barrett finished and was not much better, but linebacker Darron Lee and Ohio State's defense bailed out the struggling offense and the top-ranked Buckeyes beat Northern Illinois 20-13 on Saturday.
For the second straight week neither quarterback was particularly effective against an opponent Ohio State was expected to blow out. So who starts next week?
''Good question. And I don't know that right now,'' coach Urban Meyer said. ''I haven't had time to think about it.''
Jones went to the bench in the second quarter. Barrett threw a touchdown pass and a pick. Ohio State had five turnovers in all and averaged only 4.5 yards per play, but still managed to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 16 games.
''It's discombobulated right now,'' Meyer said about the offense.
Lee made a spectacular interception and returned it for a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 20-10. Unlike last week, when the Buckeyes shook free of Hawaii in the second half, they couldn't ditch Northern Illinois (2-1).
The Huskies cut the lead to 20-13 on a field goal with 7:46 left in the fourth quarter and had two possessions where they could have tied it with a touchdown. Both times Joey Bosa and the Buckeyes D did not allow a first down.
''They're front seven is probably as good as anyone's in the country,'' Huskies quarterback Drew Hare said.
It wasn't just a quarterback problem for the Buckeyes. Again the offensive line struggled to move a defense that played a three-man front. NIU had shown a 4-3 look in its previous games. Ezekiel Elliott had 108 yards on 23 carries, but none longer than 13 yards.
''Obviously, everybody is going to play odd (3-4) against us now. We showed we struggle against it,'' tackle Taylor Decker said. ''That takes away our double team. We like to run the ball up the middle.''
The big question heading into the season for Ohio State was who would start at quarterback: The Big Ten player of the year (Barrett) or the guy who led the Buckeyes to the national championship (Jones)?
The answer turned out to be Jones, but Meyer insisted both guys would play and they have.
The next question was: What would happen if Jones struggled? How much patience would Meyer have with his starter?
The answer appears to be: Not all that much.
Jones' second pass of the game was too high to an open Braxton Miller and picked off by Shawun Lurry. Three plays later, Aregeros Turner made it 7-0 NIU on a 5-yard sweep.
Lurry snagged another pass from Jones, this time one he was trying to squeeze between defenders, in the second quarter. That led to a Huskies field goal and got Barrett warming up on the sideline.
Barrett's first possession was a three-and-out, but on his second he connected with Michael Thomas on a 23-yeard touchdown pass to tie the game at 10 with 8:21 left in the second quarter.
Northern Illinois had beaten the last three Big Ten teams it faced. The Buckeyes were a big step up from Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern, but the defending Mid-American Conference champions hung tough, despite generating only 190 yards and 10 first downs.
With the Buckeyes offense snarled, the defenders took matters into their own hands. Lee jumped a quick pass to the sideline, picked it off, stiff-armed one Huskie and then ran away from another he outweighs by about 60 pounds.
''I got the look I wanted outside,'' Hare said. ''I tried to throw the screen and their guy made a great play.''
Lee said he knew what play was coming by how the Huskies lined up.
''We needed to make something happen,'' Lee said.
The linebacker's touchdown made it 20-10 with 1:44 left in the third.
It was the second week in a row Ohio State scored a defensive touchdown and held its opponent under 100 yards passing. The offense that looked unstoppable in the opener at Virginia Tech has been nowhere to be found.
Meyer said lack of game reps for the quarterbacks could be a problem. He wouldn't commit to a full diagnosis until after he saw the film. The basic problems, though, are simple to see.
''Turnovers, if you can't control the line of scrimmage, you're not going to win a big game,'' Meyer said. ''And those two things have to get fixed fast.''
Hawaii vs #1 Ohio State (Sep 12, 2015 at Columbus, Ohio) Source: OSU Official Site Scoring Summary, Team Statistics, Individual Statistics, Drive Chart, Defensive Statistics, Game Participation, Box Score, Play-by-Play, Play breakdown
• Per Stats and Info, total QBRs for Ohio State's quarterbacks after three games: Cardale Jones, 73.4. J.T. Barrett, 33.4. Urban Meyer said after the win over Northern Illinois he wasn't sure who his starter would be next week.
• The 5 #OhioState TOs were most ever by an Urban Meyer coached team.
• In game 44 of the Urban Meyer era, the Buckeyes failed to gain 300 yds of offense for the 1st time.
• Stars of the game: It was the Ohio State defense for a second straight game, with the front four stepping to the fore, a revolving lineup of eight players led by Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington. Bosa had 2 1/2 of the team’s seven sacks, and the unit limited Northern Illinois to 80 yards passing.
• Turning point: While most kept waiting for someone on the offense to break the lethargy, linebacker Darron Lee decided to. He jumped a wide screen by the Huskies late in the third quarter and returned it 41 yards for a TD — the second straight game the defense has scored.
• Repercussions: A 20-13 win over any opponent other than Michigan State is not going to impress the poll voters or the playoff selection committee. One has to believe that the Buckeyes’ run at No. 1 in two major polls is in jeopardy, but fixing the offense is paramount for Urban Meyer.
• The win extends Ohio State's win streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the nation.
• Ohio State is 69-12-1 all-time as the No. 1 ranked team and 52-4 as a No. 1 team vs. unranked opponents.
• Ohio State had its streak of consecutive games with at least three touchdowns ended at 31. Baylor takes over the lead with 17. The Buckeyes, who had one passing touchdown and one score on an interception return vs. Northern Illinois, did not have a rushing touchdown for the first time in 26 games. The squad has at least one rushing touchdown in 42 of 44 games coached by Urban Meyer.
• Urban Meyer improves to 145-26 in his career and maintains the highest winning percentage (.847) among active coaches.
• Meyer is 53-5 in his career in games played in August and September.
• Northern Illinois, which came into the game seventh in the NCAA with 594.0 yards per game, was held to 190 yards of total offense by the Ohio State defense.
• The last time Northern Illinois was held to fewer than 200 yards of total offense was Oct. 4, 2008 when it had 190 in a 13-9 loss at Tennessee.
• Darron Lee's third-quarter interception marked the third of his career. The touchdown was his third-career score and first off an interception.
• Eli Apple tallied his fourth-career interception and first of the 2015 season.
• Vonn Bell set a career high with 10 tackles against the Huskies and recorded his fifth pass breakup of the year.
• In addition to Bell, Raekwon McMillan and Tyquan Lewis each recorded a career high in tackles. McMillan had nine stops, while Lewis had seven tackles, including his third TFL of the year.
• Joshua Perry had 10 tackles vs. the Huskies, marking the fourth game of his career with 10 or more stops.
• Michael Thomas' 23-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter marked his fourth reception of 20-or-more yards this season. The touchdown catch was Thomas' second of the year and 11th of his career.
• The 108 yards by Ezekiel Elliott represent the eighth-consecutive game and his 13th overall with at least 100 yards.
• OSU played the game without sophomore nickel back Damon Webb. OSU announced before the game Webb had been suspended for a violation of team rules. The length of the suspension was not disclosed.
• Ohio State is now 33-1 all-time against opponents from the Mid-American Conference. The record is officially 31-1 with 2010 wins over Ohio U. and Eastern Michigan vacated due to NCAA sanctions. OSU is hosting a MAC school for the 19th consecutive season. The lone loss was to a current MAC school was to Akron in 1894.
• As heard in crowd: “Take the Browns out and put the Buckeyes in.”
• If mama ain’t happy …: Candice Lee, mother of Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee and the weekend anchor at Channel 4 in Columbus, let it be known via Twitter how frustrated she was by the Buckeyes’ lack of offense. One tweet read: “Three things: 1. offense sucks. 2. Don’t deserve to be #1. 3. Defense needs Sunday off #Buckeyes.” Another one read: “Defense has been working. The offensive play calling has been for crap … not to mention the play.”
• 1:12: How long it took OSU fans to begin calling for J.T. Barrett to replace Cardale Jones, who threw the first of his two interceptions at 13:48 of the first quarter.
• The number 5: Touches for Braxton Miller. Enough?
Ohio State vs. Northern Illinois | The Bottom Line Columbus Dispatch - Offense (1 leaf) Ezekiel Elliott kept alive his streak of 100-yard games, and Michael Thomas showed a glimmer twice. What else you got? Otherwise, the Buckeyes looked like a train wreck that started a dumpster fire so large that an epic fail would be considered an improvement. Big fix needed.
Defense (5 leaves)
The only place OSU looks like a No. 1 team is on D, where the mission is to render opponents’ upset dreams impossible. Accomplished. Northern Illinois totaled 190 yards — 404 below (you read that right) its per-game average. Darron Lee’s pick-six saved the offense’s bacon.
Special teams (3 leaves)
Better, but not best. Jalin Marshall set up the offense’s one shining drive with a nifty 26-yard punt return, and Joey Bosa pulverized the Huskies punter to give OSU good field position, like that mattered. Jack Willoughby: two field goals, zero kickoffs out of bounds.
Coaching (2 leaves)
This offensive incompetence is making Urb’s skin crawl — you know that — but it might prompt the eruption necessary to get his team playing with juice again. Key word there is might. Meantime, here’s a problem: If you’re trying to milk the final minutes, why snap with 15 or more seconds left on the play clock?
Opponent (3 leaves)
The Huskies are no MAC pushovers by any measure, but they don’t have the punch to trade leather with the OSU defense, nor enough exotics in the playbook to gain yards via trickery. Meltdowns on special teams sure didn’t help win field position. They’re kicking themselves today.
Officiating (4 leaves)
Some fans objected when it looked as if OSU gunners had saved two punts from getting into the end zone, though they should familiarize themselves with the differences between college and the NFL. And it’s always a good day when the review system works.
OFFENSIVE LINE GRADE: D The offense, as a whole, was out of sync again. The Buckeyes were awful on third and fourth down conversions (2 of 15) against a defense that gave up 866 yards in its first two games. Not laying all of the blame on the front five, or even most of it, but it’s hard for anybody on that side of the ball to feel good about the way they’re playing.
RUNNING GAME GRADE: C- Not much daylight to speak of for running backs or receivers. Either OSU’s troubles on offense go deeper than we thought or NIU played the game of its life on defense. Ezekiel Elliott fumbled in NIU territory on a fourth-and-one failure, but Eli Apple gave it right back to the Buckeyes with an interception. Elliott hurdled cornerback Albert Smalls on a six-yard gain late in the third quarter that got the crowd excited, but even that didn’t kickstart the offense.Curtis Samuel also had a fumble, one of five OSU giveaways. Elliott went over 100 yards for the eighth straight game, but he did it quietly.
PASSING GAME GRADE: D Starter Cardale Jones was bad from the get-go, badly misfiring on his first pass and then throwing two horrendous interceptions to Shawn Lurry that led to NIU’s 10 first half points. J.T. Barrett entered to a rousing ovation at 12:12 and could have been victimized by a pick-six on his first series before coming back on the next possession to throw a 23-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas. The catch was much better than the throw. He was intercepted once and could have been picked three times. Hard to believe OSU had trouble generating anything through the air against a team that, statistically, ranked among the worst in the country in pass defense.
DEFENSIVE LINE GRADE: B+ Joey Bosa’s best play was on special teams but the front seven rattled quarterback Drew Hare enough that he didn’t look anything like the guy who had thrown for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first two games. He was 14 of 31 for 80 yards and two interceptions. NIU’s scoring “drives” were 22, 8 and 41 yards. The Huskies put a nice drive together in the fourth quarter, but at that point the OSU defense had to be fatigued after getting so little help from the offense. Adolphus Washington, Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard all had sacks.
LINEBACKERS GRADE: A- You didn’t hear his name much for the better part of three quarters, but Darron Lee made another one of his patented impact plays, picking off a pass in the flat and returning it 41 yards for a TD to up OSU’s lead to 20-10. Talk about “quick change.” J.T. Barrett had thrown an interception on the previous play, leaving NIU 55 yards from potentially taking the lead. Raekwon McMillan was laying the wood all afternoon, but he got a little over-zealous on a block in the back that pushed the ball back on an interception by Eli Apple.
DEFENSIVE BACKS GRADE: A Eli Apple had an interception that led to a first quarter field goal and did a great job all day on 6-4 receiver Kenny Golladay. The transfer from North Dakota came in with 17 catches for 357 yards and two TDs. He was held to three catches for 19 yards. Gareon Conley had a nice break-up in the end zone to force a field goal in the fourth quarter. Safety Vonn Bell and linebacker Josh Perry spent all day vying for the team lead in tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS GRADE: b NIU punter Jake Ambrose bobbed two snaps and paid dearly for the second one, getting crunched at his own 37 by Joey Bosa. But that just turned into another squandered opportunity by the OSU offense. One of the few times the Buckeyes cashed in was after a 26-yard punt return by Jalin Marshall set them up at the NIU 44 in the second quarter, leading to OSU’s only touchdown of the first half. Jack Willoughby had two field goals and has now made three in a row since missing his first kick as a Buckeye. Cameron Johnston averaged 50 yards on five punts. Only surprise is that he had to punt five times.
COACHING GRADE: c Northern Illinois will probably continue to be the class of the Mid-American Conference, which has already seen Toledo beat Arkansas and Bowling Green beat Maryland. So there’s that. But I would sure hate to think that OSU’s offensive woes can be linked to the departure of coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman, now the head coach at Houston. You’ve got to wonder, though, after a second straight shaky game. Urban Meyer has always been the common denominator to great offenses everywhere he’s been, so you’ve got to figure it’s only a matter of time before they get it straightened out. Who knew Luke Fickell’s defense would be more reliable so far in
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Urban Meyer is 40-3 at Ohio State, including winning the College Football Playoff championship in January. Northern Illinois has been successful recently, too. The Huskies and Oregon are the only schools with 11 or more victories in each of the past five seasons.
KEY MATCHUP
Northern Illinois quarterback Drew Hare against Ohio State’s All-American defensive end Joey Bosa. Hare has thrown for 718 yards and six touchdowns without an interception and has rushed 16 times for 64 yards. Bosa had two tackles (one solo) in his debut last week vs. Hawaii after being suspended for the Virginia Tech game. He had a sack vs. Hawaii negated because of a penalty.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ohio State: Running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for three touchdowns and 101 yards against Hawaii, the seventh straight time he’s gone over the century mark.
Northern Illinois: Wide receiver Kenny Golladay is averaging 27.8 yards a catch and is second nationally in receiving yards per game (178.5).
FACTS & FIGURES
Hare became the first Huskies quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards in back-to-back games since NIU became an FBS program in 1969. He had 360 yards against UNLV and 358 vs. Murray State.
The Buckeyes have a rushing TD in 25 consecutive games.
Northern Illinois has won five of the past eight games against Big Ten schools.
Key matchups: September 17, 2015 Source: The News-Herald - Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee vs. Northern Illinois quarterback Drew Hare: Hare has thrown for 718 yards and six touchdowns in two games this season. He’s dangerous if he has time to throw. Lee has been very aggressive so far shooting in from his linebacker position and leads the Buckeyes with 21/2 sacks. Getting Hare on the run and forcing mistakes would behoove the Buckeyes.
Ohio State cornerbacks Eli Apple and Gareon Conley vs. Northern Illinios receiver Kenny Golladay: Through two games, Golloday has 17 receptions for 357 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is going to have a size advantage on whoever OSU has on him. It will be a challenge to shut down the Huskies’ top receiving threat.
Northern Illinois linebackers Boomer Mays and Renard Cheren vs. Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott: Mays is a hammer in the middle of the Huskies’ defense, with 17 tackles (12 solo), while Cheren has 15 stops. If Elliott continues his streak of 100-yard games against Northern Illinois, the Huskies are in trouble. The two ’backers need to step up.
Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Northern Illinois’ defensive line: The Buckeyes’ front five — six if you count tight end Nick Vannett and/or Marcus Baugh — has to be itching for some redemption after last week’s ho-hum performance against Hawaii. The Huskies give up 305 yards passing per game, but you can bet the Buckeyes’ O-line wants to gouge the NIU defense that has given up only 128 yards rushing through two games.
• Saturday will be the second meeting between Ohio State and NIU on the football field. The Buckeyes defeated the Huskies, 35-12, in the 2006
season opener for both teams. Ohio State also was ranked No. 1 in both major polls at that time.
• Ohio State is 30-1 all-time vs. Mid-American Conference schools. They are hosting a MAC school for the 19th consecutive season
• Ohio State enters the game having won 15 in a row overall, the longest active streak in the nation.
• Ohio State has won 67 of its last 68 regular-season home games against unranked, non-conference opponents.
• Ohio State defeated Hawai'i 38-0 last Saturday, its fifth shutout under Urban Meyer and the fifth in the last 28 games.
• Ezekiel Elliott has a streak of seven games with at least 100 yards rushing.
• Vonn Bell leads the Big Ten with five passes defended.
• Urban Meyer has the highest winning percentage (.847) among active coaches.
• Meyer is 52-5 in his career in games played in August and September.
• Ohio State had its streak of consecutive games with at least one touchdowns pass snapped at 24 last week vs. Hawai'i. The 24 games tied for the longest streak in school history with the 1994-96 Buckeye teams.
SILVER BULLETS PITCH SHUTOUT The 38-0 win over Hawai'i marked the fifth shutout for the Buckeyes in the Meyer era and the fifth in the last 28 games dating to the 76-0 win over Florida A&M in 2013. The Silver Bullets have recorded at least two shutouts in a season in each of the past two years.
BELL TOPS B1G IN PASSES DEFENDED Junior safety Vonn Bell is off to a great start in 2015, leading the Big Ten with five PBUs. In Saturday's win over Hawai'i, Bell recorded three solo tackles, a career-high three PBUs, an INT and a 14-yard fumble return for a TD. Bell, who is on the Thorpe and Nagurski award preseason watch lists, made four tackles and broke up one pass in the season-opening win at Virginia Tech.
Third time's a charm! Entering Saturday's contest against Northern Illinois, Ohio State has scored at least three touchdowns in a nation's-best 31-consecutive games. Baylor is next closest tallying the TD-trifecta in 18 straight contests. The Buckeyes have compiled a 28-3 record during the streak.
TRACKING THE TREND • Streak began in 2013 season opener, a 40-20 win over Buffalo
• 188 total touchdowns scored (that's more than six per game!)
• 93 rushing
• 83 passing
• 12 defensive/special teams
• Most TD responsible for: J.T. Barrett (46)
• Most rushing TD: Ezekiel Elliott (24)
• Most receiving TD: Devin Smith (20)
• Braxton Miller (rush, pass, receive) and Jalin Marshall (receive, rush, punt return) are the only Buckeyes to account for three different types of touchdowns during the streak
Huskies against the world. Since 2010, Northern Illinois has been one of the most successful FBS programs in the country, with their 59 wins ranking fourth in the country over that span. In four straight years the Huskies have won at least 11 games. In each of the past five years Northern Illinois has earned a berth in the MAC Championship Game, winning three of the five contests. Their 2012 season was capped by an Orange Bowl berth against Florida State, and had it not been for a loss against Bowling Green in the 2013 MAC title game, the Huskies might have made two straight BCS games.
Success against the Big Ten has been plentiful for Northern Illinois lately, with the Huskies winning their last three games against the conference, and five of their last eight. Head coach Rod Carey has been at helm of the past three victories, with two of them coming in 2013 against Iowa and Purdue, and the latest coming last year against Northwestern. All three of those victories came on the road, where the Huskies have been a monster lately, winning 19 of their past 20 true road contests. The only loss during that span came in 2014 when Northern Illinois fell 52-14 at Arkansas. The Huskies have also found a great deal of success lately in the state of Ohio, winning their last seven games in the Buckeye State.
Beefing up the offensive line. Since Carey took over in Dekalb in 2012, one of the points of emphasis has been to strength an offensive line that was a little light. The Huskies line has been hitting the buffet table the last few years, with the 10 offensive lineman on the 2015 two-deep roster weighing in at an average of 311.4 pounds this year after averaging just 291.9 pounds in 2012. While mass isn't everything, it definitely won't hurt the Huskies when they try to slow down Joey Bosa, Adolphus Washington, and the rest of the Ohio State defensive line.
The elder statesmen of the Northern Illinois offensive line are center Andrew Ness and guard Aidan Conlon, who have each started 44 consecutive games for the Huskies. Since the first starts of their career, Ness has gone from 286 pounds to 314 pounds, and Conlon has gone from 267 pounds to 305 pounds. The Huskies might not have the number of returning starters that the Buckeyes do, but Ness and Conlon provide the veteran leadership needed to help make the Northern Illinois offense dangerous...
Huskies QB Drew Hare
If Northern Illinois plans to make things interesting, it'll need a huge performance from Drew Hare.
The junior signal-caller has been absolutely phenomenal this season, completing 78.1 percent of his passes for 718 yards and six touchdowns (against zero interceptions). But he's a viable threat on the ground as well, boasting 1,017 career rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
With Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington applying pressure, Hare may have to improvise and create plays with his legs.
Kenny Golladay
Drew Hare's top target will challenge the Ohio State secondary that has played so well this season.
Kenny Golladay has emerged as one of the most productive receivers in the country, ranking second nationally with 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He's capable of breaking the big play—his season long reception is 55 yards—but he can also move the chains, as he's hauled in 17 receptions through two games...
Preview: Northern Illinois at No. 1 Ohio State September 18, 2015 Source: Eleven Warriors - "Quarterback's a stud," Meyer said Wednesday. "I watched the whole UNLV game and he's a runner, thrower, I think he's a senior, too. A really competitive guy."
"He’s good on his feet and with his arm and that’s something we haven’t really seen yet and something we’ve really worked on preparing for this week," Ohio State defensive tackle Tommy Schutt said Wednesday. "Being able to stop the run with his feet as well as being able to get after the quarterback in the passing game."...
Northern Illinois typically plays a base 4-3 on early downs, before changing to an attacking three-man front on passing or third downs. Ohio State hit some big plays against Virginia Tech, but didn't really against Hawai'i. Expect Meyer and the offense to look for that to change Saturday.
"Anytime you face a defense like that, the big hit opportunity is there, we've not hit it," he said. "Certainly last week, I think our big play was 20 yards, 24 yards. There were certainly opportunities to have them, but the edge blocking was not good."...
Betting trends Northern Illinois is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games against the Big Ten.
The total has gone over in eight of Northern Illinois' last nine games on the road in September. (O/U 66.5)
Ohio State is 22-0 SU against the MAC.
ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2-0):
Junior quarterback Drew Hare is completing 78.1 percent of his passes for 718 yards and six touchdowns and junior receiver Kenny Golladay has 17 receptions for 357 yards but those performances came against Murray State and UNLV as nobody expects the Huskies to roll up glittering stats versus the Buckeyes. "Listen, our players want to play against the best and this certainly qualifies as that," Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey said in a press conference. "I think every college football player wants to do that and thrives for that so I think there is a benefit that way." The defense is led by senior middle linebackers Boomer Mays (17 tackles) and Jamaal Payton (three tackles for losses).
Northern Illinois has won 19 of its last 20 true road games, with the loss coming last season against Arkansas.
• The Northern Illinois University Huskies (2-0) face the nation’s No. 1 team, the Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0), Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium in a game that will be seen on ABC in the markets of the two teams and on ESPN2 through the rest of the country.
• Northern Illinois has won three of the last four MAC championships and established itself as the class of the conference. The Huskies finished 10-2 last year, beating Bowling Green in the MAC Championship, and losing to Marshall in the Boca Raton Bowl. Ohio State has played the defending MAC champions just once, when it beat Bowling Green 17-6 in 1992.
• Northern Illinois is 5-4 against the Big Ten since 2009 with wins over Northwestern, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota
• NIU has taken on the top-ranked team twice before in its FBS history. NIU dropped a 35-12 decision at Ohio State in the 2006 season opener and lost to Miami (Fla.), 34-0, on Oct. 4, 1986.
• In the only previous meeting between the teams, the Huskies’ Garrett Wolfe ran for 171 yards on 26 carries and caught five passes for 114 yards and a score, and quarterback Phil Horvath completed 15-of-26 passes for 185 yards, but NIU was no match for the Troy Smith/Ted Ginn led Buckeyes, who took a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
• NIU Head Coach Rod Carey is 25-6 since taking over prior to the Huskies’ 2013 Orange Bowl game, and has a 3-0 record as a head coach versus teams from the Big Ten Conference.
• NIU has played in 71 games since the start of the 2010 season, the most by any team in the nation.
• The Huskies and Oregon are the only two teams in the country to win 11 or more games in each of the last five seasons. • NIU is the winningest Division I program in Illinois all-time.
• The Huskies have won three Mid-American Conference championships and are the only FBS team in the country to have played in five straight league championship games since 2010.
• Drew Hare became the fi rst Huskie quarterback to throw for 300-ormore yards in back-to-back games since NIU became an FBS program in 1969 with 360 and 358-yard efforts versus UNLV and Murray State.
• North Dakota transfer Kenny Golladay has quickly become Hare’s favorite target with 17 catches for 357 yards and two scores, including a nine-catch, 213-yard day versus UNLV to earn MAC Player of the Week honors, and five catches of 25 yards or more.
