Midseason coaching stock watch: Success stories at Michigan State, Kentucky and beyond
The Spartans' Mel Tucker, along with Kentucky's Mark Stoops and Wake's Dave Clawson, are among those whose stock has risen in our midseason check-in.
2021 Schedule
2021 Schedule
5-2, 1st in MAC - West
Trayvon Rudolph flies down field on 100-yard kickoff return TD (0:43)
Ducker's 210 yards rushing leads NIU past Bowling Green
— Jay Ducker carried it 33 times for 210 yards, freshman Trayvon Rudolph had a 100-yard kickoff return and a 20-yard touchdown reception and Northern Illinois beat Bowling Green 34-26 on Saturday for its fourth straight victory.
Richardson's 5 FGs lifts Northern Illinois over Toledo 22-20
— John Richardson kicked five field goals, including a 29-yarder with 26 seconds remaining in the game, and Northern Illinois rallied last in a 22-20 victory over Toledo in Mid-American Conference play on Saturday.
Northern Illinois holds off Eastern Michigan 27-20
— Antario Brown rushed for 101 yards and Northern Illinois scored the game's first 17 points then held on to defeat Eastern Michigan 27-20 on Saturday in a game delayed by lightning between the first and second quarters.
Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Northern Illinois Huskies: Full Highlights (1:52)
Rocky Lombardi takes off for a 64-yard Northern Illinois TD (0:32)
Michigan runs rampant with 8 rushing TDs in win (2:09)
Corum's 3 TDs help No. 25 Michigan rout N. Illinois 63-10
— A year ago, Michigan fans couldn’t be at the Big House as Rocky Lombardi led Michigan State to a 27-24 upset of the Wolverines.
McNamara airs it out 87 yards to Cornelius Johnson for a Michigan TD (0:37)
Chambers late TD, Wyoming pulls out 50-43 win at N. Illinois
— Sean Chambers ran nine yards for the winning touchdown with 1:35 remaining and Wyoming blunted a furious Northern Illinois comeback with a 50-43 win on Saturday.
Wyoming Cowboys vs. Northern Illinois Huskies: Full Highlights (1:51)
Lombardi lifts Northern Illinois past Georgia Tech, 22-21
— Thomas Hammock had no interest in his underdog Northern Illinois team settling for an overtime against Georgia Tech.
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Full Highlights (1:50)
College football's Bottom 10 is back -- and as bad as ever
With the new season comes our new rankings of the worst of the worst, but there's a familiar squad at the top of the list.
College football coaching hot seat: A conference-by-conference breakdown
After a relatively quiet 2020, college coaches across the country find themselves on the 2021 hot seat. We go conference-by-conference to see whose seat has the most pressure this season.
Bill Connelly's mega offseason previews: MAC West
Bill Connelly breaks down the MAC West division and if Ball State and Toledo can find more success than they did in 2020.
QB Lombardi transfers to N. Illinois from MSU
QB Rocky Lombardi, who started six games for Michigan State this season, is transferring to Northern Illinois, he announced Sunday.
Eastern Michigan holds on to beat Northern Illinois 41-33
— Preston Hutchinson threw two touchdowns and scored on a 1-yard run for a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead, and Eastern Michigan held off Northern Illinois 41-33 in the season finale for both teams Saturday.
Lee scores 61-yard fumble recovery TD for Eastern Michigan (0:34)
Hey! Former CFP contender Oregon!? Welcome to The Bottom 10
This week's Bottom 10 gives a special shoutout to the Oregon Ducks, who were going to be the just-good-enough team to make Ryan McGee take the Pac-12 seriously. Now, they're seriously good enough for his latest list.
Bradley leads Toledo past winless N. Illinois 41-24
— Sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns and Toledo beat Northern Illinois 41-24 on Saturday.
Toledo's Bryce Mitchell hauls in a 44-yard TD (0:32)
Harrison Waylee takes off to score a 28-yard TD (0:26)
Cancellations, upsets and the Pillow Fight of the Week make The Bottom 10 all about the Big Ten
The Big Ten had a lot of issues this past week, dealing with everything from canceled games to gripes about clapping on the sideline.
Find Tickets
- Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan ChippewasKelly/Shorts Stadium -Tickets as low as $10
- Buy Northern Illinois tickets with VividSeats
- Other Games
2021 MAC Standings
| EAST | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 2-1 | 3-4 |
| Kent State | 2-1 | 3-4 |
| Buffalo | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Ohio | 1-2 | 1-6 |
| Akron | 1-2 | 2-5 |
| Bowling Green | 0-3 | 2-5 |
| WEST | CONF | OVR |
| Northern Illinois | 3-0 | 5-2 |
| Ball State | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Western Michigan | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Central Michigan | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 1-2 | 4-3 |
| Toledo | 1-2 | 3-4 |
2021 Team Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards139.0124th
Rushing Yards237.910th
Points For28.4Tied-117th
Points Against30.634th
2022 Recruits
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Alvarado | S | Committed | 73 |
| Roy Williams | DE | Committed | 44 |
| Jake Gassaway | OLB | Committed | 43 |
| Trey Porter | CB | Committed | 43 |
| Dane Pardridge | WR | Committed | 43 |