NIU Clinches MAC West Title With 18-12 Win Over Eastern Michigan
DeKALB, Ill. (AP) — Chandler Harnish ran for 148 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown, and threw a 54-yard touchdown pass as Northern Illinois wrapped up a spot in the Mid-American Conference championship game by beating Eastern Michigan 18-12 on Friday.
The Huskies (9-3, 7-1) clinched a share of the MAC West title, and because they beat Toledo 63-60 on Nov. 1, they own the tiebreaker and have earned a second straight trip to the MAC championship game. NIU will play Ohio on Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Detroit for the MAC championship.
Harnish's 54-yard touchdown pass to Willie Clark opened the scoring. The Huskies led 12-3 at the half and Harnish's 68-yard run on a third-and-1 play extended their lead to 18-6.
The Eagles (6-6, 4-4) cut the deficit in half on Alex Gillett's 24-yard TD pass to Nick Olds with 6:19 to go, but were stopped on their final possession.
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