The #17 Northern Illinois Huskies improved to 9-0 as they ran past the Minutemen, once again gaining over 600 yards. Jordan Lynch and the Huskie starters were pulled just 5 minutes into the third quarter after scoring 42 in the first half. Lynch managed five touchdowns and 280 yards as NIU scored on it's first five possessions.
Lynch once again showed why he is a Heisman contender, passing for 160 yards on 10-13 throwing with a TD and rushing for 119 yards on 17 carries, finding the endzone 4 times on the gound - a career high for Lynch. Stingily and Bouagnon both had at least 8 carries and totaled 97 yards. Third string quarterback Drew Hare also ran for 52 yards and was 2-4 passing with a TD and 98 yards. Chad Beebe led all receivers with 81 yards and a TD, on just one catch.
For the Minutemen, kicker Brendan Levengood was one of two bright spots. He went 4-4 on field goals, with a long of 46. Freshman Lorenzo Woodley had a breakout day, rushing 38 times for 163 yards and the lone UMass touchdown. Quarterback Mike Wegzyn went 10-25 with 169 yards and two INTs. Tajae Sharpe caught 5 passes for 65 yards.
In a sloppy second half for both teams, UMass blocked an NIU field goal midway through the third quarter, but then fumbled it - giving the ball right back to the Huskies. NIU turned the ball over on two consecutive possessions with their backups in and the Minutemen gave the ball away three times.