| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALL | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| NIU | 21 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 63 |
Childers' 4 TD passes help N. Illinois beat Ball St., 63-17
DEKALB, Ill. -- Marcus Childers threw a career-high four touchdown passes and Jackson Abresch scored twice on blocked punts to help Northern Illinois beat Ball State 63-17 on Thursday night.
Sutton Smith, who came in leading the FBS with 20 tackles for losses this season, had two Thursday to set the Northern Illinois single-season record. The Huskies (7-3, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) finished with a school-record 18 TFLs (the most in an FBS game this season), including a season-high-tying seven sacks.
Childers threw touchdown passes to Shane Wimann and Jordan Huff before Trayshon Foster blocked a punt which Jackson Abresch returned 13 yards for a score to make it 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. Jauan Wesley blocked another Ball State (2-8, 0-6) punt, from inside its own end zone, and Abresch covered it to cap the scoring with 4:18 to play. The Huskies have blocked four punts in their last three games.
Drew Plitt, Ball State's fourth-string quarterback, made his second career start and completed 9 of 14 passes for 89 yards and a score before being replaced by Jack Milas at halftime.
Northern Illinois has won nine in a row against the Cardinals.
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Game Information
2024 Mid-American Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 7-1 | 11-3 |
| Miami (OH) | 7-1 | 8-5 |
| Buffalo | 6-2 | 8-4 |
| Bowling Green | 6-2 | 7-5 |
| Western Michigan | 5-3 | 6-7 |
| Toledo | 4-4 | 7-5 |
| Northern Illinois | 4-4 | 7-5 |
| Akron | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Eastern Michigan | 2-6 | 5-7 |
| Central Michigan | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Ball State | 2-6 | 3-9 |
| Kent State | 0-8 | 0-12 |
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