Northern Illinois Rallies for Victory
Michael Turner ran for a season-high 199 yards and two touchdowns as No. 16 Northern Illinois overcame a slow start to beat Central Michigan, 40-24, on Saturday.
The Chippewas, who fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference, scored the first 17 points and kept the Huskies out of the end zone in the first half.
But the second half was all Northern Illinois (6-0, 2-0), which outscored the Chippewas, 28-7, in the third quarter en route to its 13th victory in its last 14 games.
Central Michigan’s Kenan Lawhorne ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass. Derrick Vickers passed for 215 yards and a touchdown but also threw four interceptions.
Northern Illinois trailed, 17-3, at halftime and was held to 68 yards rushing in 19 carries, even though Turner ran for 71 yards in the opening quarter. Central Michigan went into the game ranked next to last in total defense among Division I-A schools.
Turner carried the ball 28 times, averaging 7.1 yards. Teammate Sam Hurd caught four passes for 109 yards, including a 42-yard reception.
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