Northern Illinois Vs. Toledo Final Score: Rockets Score 60 And Lose

Well, we joked that the MAC had center stage tonight thanks to David Stern and the NBA lockout, but little did we know that a basketball game would break out on the football field. Northern Illinois topped the Toledo Rockets 63-60. If only Toledo could have hit those free throws...

Both offenses put on a show that made for a very entertaining game. Toledo quarterback Austin Dantin threw for over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns on the night. Dantin also ran the ball for 60 yards and another touchdown. Adonis Thomas ran the football for 160 yards and a touchdown, but all of that 589 yards of offense and 60 points weren't enough for Toledo to win the game.

NIU got off to a quick start, returning the opening kick off 100 yards for a touchdown. After Toledo answered with a touchdown drive, Tommylee Lewis took the kick off 95 yards this time for another touchdown. The Huskies quickly went up 14-7 before their offense even got on the football field. Once the NIU offense got on the field however, they scored just as easily. Quarterback Chandler Harnish, someone who scouts think may get himself drafted late, only threw for 265 yards and completed just 17 passes, but 6 of those completions were for touchdowns. Harnish also racked up 133 yards running the football as the Huskies put up 532 yards of offense on the night. That doesn't include the 265 return yards, though.

It was a wild game to watch. There were 38 points scored before the end of the first quarter -- and 123 total in 60 minutes. The teams traded scores back and forth all night, but with 13 seconds left in the game, Chandler Harnish hit Perez Ashford for the game winning touchdown. Both teams are now 4-1 in conference play as NIU moves to 6-3 overall and Toledo falls to 5-4.