KALAMAZOO, Mich. — On Wednesday night, Northern Illinois faced off against the Mid-American Conference leaders, Western Michigan, and emerged victorious with a score of 42-28. Telly Johnson Jr. was a standout for Northern Illinois, rushing for an impressive 141 yards and scoring two touchdowns during the game.

This defeat marked the end of Western Michigan’s three-game winning streak at home, and they were unable to secure a 5-0 start in conference play for the first time since their unbeaten season in 2016. With this loss, the Broncos fell into a four-way tie at the top of the league standings.

Northern Illinois, now boasting a record of 5-4 and 2-3 in conference play, has successfully defeated Western Michigan in their last three encounters. Johnson made his presence felt on the field, scoring on a 6-yard run as well as a 26-yard touchdown that propelled the Northern Illinois lead to 42-21 toward the end of the third quarter.

Quarterback Ethan Hampton demonstrated efficiency, completing 13 of his 16 attempts for a total of 156 yards and throwing two touchdown passes. In addition, Gavin Williams contributed with a touchdown both on the ground and through the air for the Huskies. Another highlight for Northern Illinois was Cam Thompson’s remarkable 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

For Western Michigan, Hayden Wolff went 14-of-27 with 179 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Running back Jaden Nixon had a strong performance, rushing for 95 yards and scoring twice. Wolff’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Mareyohn Hrabowski with 11:49 left in the game was the final scoring play.

The Huskies attempted to answer back with a lengthy 12-play drive that consumed over seven minutes off the clock, but Kanon Woodill was unable to convert a 43-yard field goal, missing the attempt. Throughout the season, the Western Michigan offense had been averaging a league-high 44.8 points per game, while the Northern Illinois defense had been strong, allowing just 17 points on average across the conference.