DeKALB, Ill. – Air Force rushed for 439 yards as the Falcons topped the Northern Illinois University Huskies, 28-7, on Saturday at Huskie Stadium. Evan Medders gained 114 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns and Owen Allen had 110 yards on 13 carries with a pair of touchdowns for Air Force.
Running back Telly Johnson Jr. rushed for his third touchdown of the season and has back-to-back games with a score.
“Obviously its not the outcome we wanted,” said interim head coach Rob Harley following Saturday night’s game. “It takes all three phases to win a game, especially against a team like Air Force that runs the triple option and possessions are limited. We’ve got to ramp up what we’re doing during the week to get over this hump of youth and inexperience. We’ve got to get to a place of consistently executing.”
On its first drive of the game, Air Force (4-1, 2-1 MW) went 83 yards in 15 plays, using more than eight minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Allen capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons in front with 4:48 to play in the opening quarter.
NIU (0-5, 0-1 MW) pulled even with 7:58 to play in the second quarter when Johnson scored from 10 yards out, finishing a seven-play, 71-yard drive. Taron Dickens connected with DeAree Rogers twice on the drive for a combined 39 yards and the Huskie signal caller also rushed for 12 to help setup the score by Johnson one play later.
Dickens finished the game 13-of-20 passing for 140 yards while Rogers caught seven passes for 81 yards. Johnson gained a team-high 47 yards on the ground on eight carries.
A touchdown late in the second quarter and another on the opening drive of the second half helped the visitors open up a 21-7 advantage. Medders scored for four yards out with 41 seconds to play in the second quarter and Allen went up the middle for a 33-yard touchdown just under five minutes into the third quarter to give the Falcons a 14-point lead.
“We were right there in the game when it could have been very different,” Harley said. “That’s football. You’re never going to get plays back, but you have to look at those things if you want to have the motivation to continue. It’s about execution and it starts with me.”
Medders added his second touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter, giving Air Force a 28-7 lead. The Falcon drive went 55 yards in three plays, capped by a 41-yard score from Medders.
Brady Kerperin (Jefferson City, Mo./Blair Oaks), Jack Murray and Jashawn Nelson each had 10 tackles to lead the NIU defense. Kerperin also recorded his first sack of the season.
NIU will return to the road next Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Huskies travel to Wyoming to take on the Cowboys. Kickoff in Laramie is scheduled for 2:30 p.m..