Defense looks strong, offense struggles as No. 23 NIU falls to Buffalo

DeKALB – Coach Thomas Hammock told his Northern Illinois players during the week the only way they would lose to Buffalo on Saturday is if they lost the turnover battle.

They lost the turnover battle 2-1. And the No. 23 Huskies lost the game 23-20 in overtime two weeks after beating No. 5 Notre Dame to garner national attention and get into the Associated Press rankings for the first time since 2013.

“We turned the ball over, which we talked about for two weeks. Turnovers. We have to win the turnover margin,” Hammock said. “We did not. We didn’t execute in special teams, and that’s what happens.”

The defense of the Huskies (2-1, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) was dominant throughout, holding the Bulls (3-1, 1-0) to less than 200 yards of total offense. But the Huskies fumbled once, threw an interception and missed two field goals in the loss.

The biggest turnover came late in the fourth quarter. The game was tied at 17 and the NIU defense had just got the offense good field position thanks to a third-and-12 sack of quarterback C.J. Ogbonna by Nevaeh Sanders.

The Huskies started with the ball at midfield and were down to the Buffalo 32 when Ethan Hampton tried to find Andrew McElroy, but Shaun Dolac was there for the pick and returned it down to the NIU 20. It capped an incredible game for Dulac in which he had 19 tackles (4 1/2 for a loss), a pass breakup and the interception.

Hampton finished 23 of 43 for 194 yards, no touchdowns and the interception. Hammock said Hampton needs to play better. He didn’t get an argument from his starter.

“I didn’t think [Dolac] was covering as much as he was,” Hampton said. “But those are the simple things I have to do better. ... That game falls on me and protecting the ball is my priority. It’s my job, and I didn’t do that today.”

The defense held firm, forcing the Bulls backward on three plays. But Upton Bellenfant connected on a 42-yarder to put the Bulls ahead for the first time in the game 20-17.

“At the end of the day, everything we do, we try to put the ball back in [Hampton’s] hands,” said Sanders, who had three sacks. “We’re going to try to continue to do that each week. Every day we come into work, we’re going to put the ball back in Ethan’s hands. We’ll give Ethan the credit and the support and love to do what he needs to do because this is our quarterback. If he does his job, we’re feeling great.”

NIU rolled off a 13-play, 66-yard drive that ended at the Buffalo 9 after Hampton couldn’t connect with Grayson Barnes in the end zone. Kanon Woodill made a field goal with 0:24 left to tie the game at 20 and force overtime.

After Antonio Brown lost four yards on first down to start the overtime, capping a 24-carry, 85-yard game that also featured his first two rushing touchdowns of the season, two completions by Hampton got the original four yards back. Woodill came on to try the 42-yarder, but this time Marquis Cooper blocked it. Buffalo got to the NIU 19, and Bellenfant made his kick from 37 to give the Bulls the upset win.

The Huskies gave up three points and 71 yards in the first half, with the Bulls netting all three of their first downs on the same drive. Buffalo got 20 points, six first downs and 113 yards in the second half.

When Sanders was asked how he thought the defense played and if there was any kind of a drop off in the second half, Hammock jumped in to answer.

“They played great defense, both halves. That’s not a question for him,” Hammock said, banging the table for emphasis on the “great defense” part of the answer. “They played their [butts] off. I’m proud of our defense. We didn’t play well enough on offense.”

The crowd was announced at 18,688. An unofficial look through the NIU website indicated that it was the largest crowd at Huskie Stadium since 20,185 people saw No. 18 NIU beat Eastern Michigan 59-20 on Oct. 26, 2013.

Hammock said the crowd was phenomenal and he hopes the crowd will come back for their next home game against the University of Massachusetts in two weeks and not give up on the team.

“Like coach Ham said, we appreciate it,” Hampton said. “And I apologize, sorry we couldn’t get that done today. I hope you come back. We have a great football team and one game doesn’t define us. I promise you there won’t be a team that works harder than us the next however many games we play.”

Hammock and the Huskies head to North Carolina State next week, with the Wolfpack coming off a 59-35 loss to Clemson in a game they were trailing 59-14 after three quarters.

“I understand, hey, now everyone is going to say we [stink], which is great,” Hammock said. “What other situation would you rather be in. But if somebody would have told you we’d be 2-1 at this point, I think we would have taken it. But I’m proud of our team, and we will respond the right way.”