CMU rallies from 17 down to beat NIU

Shane Morris hit Corey Willis with a 29-yard touchdown pass with 1:31 remaining on Friday as the Central Michigan Chippewas topped the Northern Illinois Huskies, 31-24, in the Chippewas’ regular-season finale at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

It was the fifth consecutive win for CMU, which is 8-4 overall, 6-2 MAC. The Chippewas, who tied the Huskies for second place in the MAC West, will await a bowl invitation that will be announced on Dec. 3. Their eight wins is CMU’s most since 2009.

It was a stellar day for Morris, as he threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns as Central Michigan overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit to extend its win streak over NIU to four games. Morris' TD passes went to Willis, Mark Chapman and Jonathan Ward, and Ward ran 54 yards for a score early in the fourth quarter to put CMU up 24-17.

The game was high on dramatics in Mount Pleasant. NIU (8-4, 6-2) tied the game at 24 with just over three minutes remaining on a Tre Harbison 12-yard run. Ward finished with 159 yards rushing on 21 carries.

CMU responded with a five-play, 75-yard game-winning drive, capped by Morris’ fourth-down-and-4 toss to Willis. It was the 23rd career TD reception for Willis, a senior who moved passed Antonio Brown and into third place on CMU’s career TD reception list.