Before we see the latest installment of this non-rivalry, I think we should take a look back at the last 4 (four seems like a good number) meetings between the two.
10/9/2010: NIU 65, Toledo 30
Quote:DEKALB, Ill. -- Tailback Chad Spann had three touchdowns rushing and quarterback Chandler Harnish threw a touchdown pass and ran for another as Northern Illinois pounded Toledo 65-30 on Tuesday.
Six players had touchdowns for the Huskies (8-2, 6-0 Mid-American).
Northern Illinois built a 28-0 halftime lead and then combined with the Rockets (6-4, 5-1) for a 51-point third quarter.
Harnish went 11-of-16 for 162 yards. He also rushed 13 times for 149 yards scored on a 28-yard run. Spann added 70 yards on 20 carries.
Adonis Thomas had 10 carries for a game-high 152 yards, including touchdown runs of 18 and 60 yards, for Toledo. Quarterback Terrance Owens was 18-of-38 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Eric Page had seven catches for 67 yards.
Northern Illinois' 65 points were a season high and fifth-highest in school history and its seven-game winning streak is the longest since 2003. Toledo's loss was its first in four games.
NIU outgained Toledo 584 to 380, including 482 yards on the ground. A whopping 8 players carried the rock for NIU, including then true freshman Akeem Daniels having 62 yards on 2 carries and 2 TDs.
The loss was Toledo's first in MAC play. NIU would win the West, advancing to Detroit for the first time since 2005.
11/1/2011: NIU 63, Toledo 60
Quote:TOLEDO, Ohio -- Chandler Harnish threw a 4-yard strike to Perez Ashford with 19 seconds left for his sixth touchdown pass of the game, lifting Northern Illinois to a wild 63-60 victory over Toledo on Tuesday night.
The Huskies and Rockets combined for 1,121 yards of offense and a Mid-American Conference-record 17 touchdowns in the second-highest scoring game in league history.
Tommylee Lewis returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the first quarter for the Huskies (6-3, 4-1), who have won four straight and five of six. Harnish completed 17 of 26 passes for 265 yards, and also had 16 carries for 133 yards.
Austin Dantin threw five touchdown passes to Eric Page as the Rockets (5-4, 4-1) finished with 33 first downs and 589 yards of offense. Dantin went 20-for-33 for 322 yards, and Page had nine grabs for 150 yards.
Harnish connected with Nathan Palmer four times for 120 yards and three touchdowns, including a 71-yard play that gave Northern Illinois a 28-14 lead with 9:59 left in the second quarter.
Toledo then scored the next 17 points, capped by Dantin's 5-yard run that made it 31-28 with 11:46 to go in the third.
Adonis Thomas finished with 160 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Rockets, who had won four straight since a 33-30 overtime loss at Syracuse on Sept. 24.
Thomas' 3-yard plunge gave Toledo a 60-56 lead with 4:16 remaining in the game.
Lewis returned the opening kickoff 100 yards to put the Huskies in front. The Rockets responded with Page's 12-yard TD reception, but Lewis went 95 yards on the ensuing kickoff to make it 14-7.
There was only one turnover in the game, a fumble by Northern Illinois.
Chandler Harnish had 398 total yards and 6 TD, including the game winning TD pass to Perez Ashford with 19 second to play.
Then true freshman Tommy Lee Lewis returned the first two Toledo kicks of the game for scores.
Nathan Palmer had 120 yards recieving and 3 TDs.
Coaches had to restrain a Toledo player leaving the field from running into the stands to attack 7.
It was Toledo's first conference loss. NIU repeated as West Champions, advancing to Detroit and winning the MAC for the first time in 28(?) years.
11/14/12: NIU 31, Toledo 24
Quote:DE KALB, Ill. -- Jordan Lynch threw for 407 yards and three touchdowns Wednesday night and Northern Illinois defeated Toledo 31-24 to claim a spot in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
Lynch also ran for 162 yards for the Huskies (10-1, 7-0), who extended the longest home winning streak in Division I to 21 games. The defending MAC champions won their 10th straight game and wrapped up the West Division title to advance to the conference championship Nov. 30 in Detroit.
Toledo (8-3, 5-2) led 14-7 at halftime, but 18 seconds into the third quarter Lynch hooked up with Martel Moore for a 74-yard touchdown pass, their second scoring connection of the game. NIU went ahead 21-14 on Lynch's 6-yard TD pass to Ashford Perez.
The Rockets trailed 31-14 but got within seven points after Jeremiah Detmer's 34-yard field goal with 5:57 left. The Huskies picked up three first downs and ran out the clock.
Moore had 153 yards receiving for NIU. Terrance Owens threw for 265 yards and ran for a score for Toledo.
Springboarded by a 370 yard quarter(!!!!!!), NIU outgained Toledo 596 to 396.
A man named Jordan Lynch combined for 569(!!!!) total yards and 3 TDs.
NIU intercepted Terrance Owens 3 times.
Martel Moore added in 153 recieving yards and 3 scores.
NIU clinched their 3rd straight Western Division title, and also would up repeating as MAC Champions in Detroit, earning the first BCS bowl in school and conference history.
11/20/13: NIU 35, Toledo 17
Quote:TOLEDO, Ohio -- Backed up against the end zone on third down, Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch had the defense right where he wanted.
He dropped back, waited until he spotted an opening and scrambled up the middle for a first down that sparked a 99-yard drive, clinching a 35-17 victory over Toledo on Wednesday night.
The No. 20 Huskies also secured a fourth consecutive trip to the Mid-American Conference title game.
Lynch, their do-it-all quarterback, said he never felt rattled, even with little room for error. That's because he said the Huskies practice those 99-yard drives.
"That's a momentum killer," he said. "It's a real dagger to the defense."
Lynch finished with three touchdowns -- all in the second half -- and 161 yards. The third score on a 1-yard dive came at the end of the Huskies' long drive in the fourth quarter.
He ran for 62 yards on seven carries during the drive, the big play coming when he scrambled out of the end zone to pick up a first down.
The Huskies (11-0, 7-0 MAC) extended their 24-game conference winning streak and are off to the best start in school history.
Lynch was 17-of-22 for 202 yards passing and ran for 161 yards on 28 carries. He is 23-2 as a starter.
Northern Illinois is still in the hunt for a second straight Bowl Championship Series appearance after playing in the Orange Bowl last season. The Huskies are 16th in this week's BCS rankings.
They need to keep winning and move ahead of Fresno State in the standings to keep their hopes alive.
Northern Illinois is the first MAC team to appear in four straight league championship games since Marshall did it six seasons in a row from 1997-2002. The Huskies have won the past two MAC titles.
The Huskies' offense sputtered in the first half without their two leading receivers, Tommylee Lewis and Da'Ron Brown, because of injuries. Lewis didn't dress for the game and Brown went out in the first quarter with an injured toe.
Toledo (7-4, 5-2) shut down Lynch too, holding him to just 30 yards on the ground in the first half.
But there was no panic.
Huskies coach Rod Carey said all he had to do was remind his team to finish their drives.
"That calmed the guys down," Carey said.
One guy he wasn't worried about being rattled was his quarterback.
"He's pretty decisive," Carey said. "When he's running and making plays, that's just him."
Lynch's second touchdown came when he faked a handoff and raced up the middle for a 31-yard touchdown, pulling the Huskies ahead for good at 21-17 with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
"He's always poised," said receiver Juwan Brescacin, who had eight receptions for 121 yards. "That's why we're as good as we are."
Lynch has thrown for at least 200 yards and run for 100 in the same game 11 times in his career. He moved into third place on the school's rushing list behind Garrett Wolfe and Michael Turner, both of whom went on to the NFL.
Helped by the second 99 yard drive against Toledo in consecutive years (they play good D), NIU scored on 5 straight possesion and didn't punt in the second half.
On the first play from scrimmage, Terrance Owens was sacked and fumbled.
Without it's top 2 WRs (Lewis and Brown), Canada had 8 catches for 121 yards.
Both Cam (146) and Lynch (161) eclipsed the 100 yard mark on the ground, and James Spencer added in a pair of rushing scores.
Mat Sims missed 3 field goals, but NIU's 364 rushing yards proved it to be irrelevant.
NIU clinched it's fourth straight MAC West Championship. Lynch would go on to be a Heisman finalist, while Toledo didn't make a bowl.
Go Huskies.
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NIU vs. Toledo--A Recent History
