Hare leads Northern Illinois past Eastern Michigan, 49-21

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) Drew Hare threw four touchdown passes and Joel Bouagnon rushed for 136 yards and a score to help Northern Illinois beat Eastern Michigan

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) Drew Hare threw four touchdown passes and Joel Bouagnon rushed for 136 yards and a score to help Northern Illinois beat Eastern Michigan 49-21 on Saturday.

Jordan Huff added 128 yards rushing, including a 53-yard scoring run in the second quarter, on 13 carries.

Northern Illinois (5-3, 3-1 Mid-American) rushed for a season-high 322 yards on 59 carries - its second straight game with at least 300 yards rushing. The Huskies improved to 11-1 when rushing 55 times or more.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Hare had three touchdown passes in the first half as Northern Illinois took a 35-0 lead into the break. His fourth, a 39-yarder to Tommylee Lewis, made it 42-7 midway through the third.

Bouagnon topped the 100-yard plateau for the fourth-consecutive game and fifth time this season.

Darius Jackson finished with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Eastern Michigan (1-7, 0-4), which has lost eight in a row against Northern Illinois.