Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Falcons Fall At Northern Illinois, 26-17
November 09, 2002 | Football
Nov. 9, 2002
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) - Michael Turner ran for 192 yards and Josh Haldi threw two touchdown passes as Northern Illinois handed No. 20 Bowling Green its first defeat of the season Saturday, 26-17.
The Falcons (8-1, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) had won 11 in a row dating to last season and entered the day one of just four Division I-A teams without a loss this season.
Northern Illinois (7-3, 6-0) beat a ranked team for just the second time in 22 games.
Bowling Green had been averaging 47 points a game, but the Falcons were forced to throw play after play in the second half after falling behind 20-3.
Turner, the nation's second-leading rusher, carried 40 times and showed no effects from an ankle injury that forced him to leave the Huskies' previous game.
The Falcons cut the lead to 23-17 with 7:12 left when Josh Harris threw a TD pass to Robert Redd on fourth-and-7. After struggling in the first half, Harris went 7-of-10 for 64 yards on the 14-play, 80-yard drive.
Bowling Green got the ball right back when Haldi was hit as threw the ball and Janssen Patton intercepted. However, the Falcons failed to move the ball past midfield, and Northern Illinois took over on downs when Harris' run fell short on fourth-and-2.
Harris completed 27 of 52 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bowling green running back Joe Alls, who entered the game averaging 111 yards a game and 7.6 per carry, was held to 31 on 18 carries.
Early on, Harris and the Bowling Green offense had just as much trouble throwing the ball as running it. Harris was 4-of-15 at one point, overthrowing receivers and frequently passing on the run under a heavy pass rush.
Harris' receivers didn't give him much help, either.
Trailing by 17, Bowling Green drove to the Northern Illinois 15, but Redd dropped a pass from Harris in the end zone, and the Falcons settled for a 32-yard field from Shaun Suisham.
Bowling Green used some trickery to pull within 10 points in the second half. With receiver Cole Magner lined up as the quarterback, Harris took the handoff on a reverse and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Alls, who had lined up alongside Harris at receiver.
Northern Illinois' first touchdown came when Harris' pass to D'Monn Baker was deflected by the tight end and intercepted by safety Justin Dole. The Huskies scored three plays later, on Haldi's 12-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dan Sheldon.
On the Huskies' next possession, Sheldon, who has two punt returns for touchdowns this season, ran one back 80 yards to the Bowling Green 11. Facing third-and-18, Haldi found Shatone Powers wide open in the corner of the end zone for the TD, giving Northern a 13-7 halftime lead.
By JASON STRAIT
AP Sports Writer
