Scores

Final

Ball St 38

(6-5, 4-3 MAC)

N Illinois 41

(8-3, 6-1 MAC)

Coverage: ESPNU

8:00 PM ET, November 15, 2011

Huskie Stadium, DEKALB, IL

1 2 3 4 T
BALL 14 10 7 738
NIU 0 14 14 1341

Top Performers

Passing: C. Harnish (NIU) - 338 YDS, 2 TD

Rushing: C. Harnish (NIU) - 28 CAR, 181 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving: M. Moore (NIU) - 6 REC, 120 YDS, 1 TD

N. Illinois 41, Ball St. 38

Associated Press

DEKALB, Ill. -- Mathew Sims hit two field goals in the final 2:46 and Northern Illinois piled up 710 yards of offense to defeat Ball State 41-38 on Tuesday night.

Sims nailed a 23-yarder that tied the score. After the Huskies (8-3, 6-1 Mid-American) forced a punt, they got it back at their own 20-yard line with 1:44 remaining. Ten plays later, Sims hit a 34-yarder with 8 seconds left for the game-winner.

Chandler Harnish had a school-record 519 yards of offense -- 338 passing, 181 rushing -- and a combined three TDs for Northern Illinois. Jasmin Hopkins added 122 yards rushing and two TDs, while Martel Moore (six catches, 120 yards) and Nathan Palmer (8-95) each had touchdown receptions.

Ball State (6-5, 4-3), which led 31-14 in the third quarter, got 245 yards passing and two TDs from Keith Wenning, a 92-yard fumble return from Joshua Howard for a touchdown, and a 68-yard run from Scott Kovanda off a fake punt that set up another score.

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Team Stat Comparison

 
BALL
NIU
1st Downs1843
Total Yards398710
Passing245338
Rushing153372
Penalties4-409-107
3rd Down Conversions3-147-14
4th Down Conversions2-30-0
Turnovers12
Possession23:3036:30

Passing Leaders

Ball StateC/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
Wenning23/432455.720
Northern IllinoisC/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
Harnish26/363389.420

Rushing Leaders

Ball StateCARYDSAVGTDLG
Kovanda16868.0068
Edwards14453.2015
Northern IllinoisCARYDSAVGTDLG
Harnish281816.5149
Hopkins181226.8245

Receiving Leaders

Ball StateRECYDSAVGTDLG
Smith46315.8138
Orsbon55511.0015
Northern IllinoisRECYDSAVGTDLG
Moore612020.0144
Palmer89511.9127

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTERBALLNIU
TD09:21Keith Wenning 3 Yd Run (Steven Schott Kick) 70
TD02:10Joshua Howard 92 Yd Fumble Return (Steven Schott Kick) 140
SECOND QUARTERBALLNIU
TD13:48Martel Moore 15 Yd Pass From Chandler Harnish (Mathew Sims Kick) 147
TD06:28Jasmin Hopkins 3 Yd Run (Mathew Sims Kick) 1414
TD03:37Jamill Smith 38 Yd Pass From Keith Wenning (Steven Schott Kick) 2114
FG00:33Steven Schott 40 Yd 2414
THIRD QUARTERBALLNIU
TD09:19Jack Tomlinson 3 Yd Pass From Keith Wenning (Steven Schott Kick) 3114
TD08:27Chandler Harnish 49 Yd Run (Mathew Sims Kick) 3121
TD03:16Jasmin Hopkins 11 Yd Run (Mathew Sims Kick) 3128
FOURTH QUARTERBALLNIU
TD14:12Nathan Palmer 27 Yd Pass From Chandler Harnish (Mathew Sims Kick) 3135
TD11:00Dwayne Donigan 7 Yd Run (Steven Schott Kick) 3835
FG02:46Mathew Sims 23 Yd 3838
FG00:08Mathew Sims 34 Yd 3841