Observations on the first half with Northern Illinois, 35-3

Michigan converted four red zones for 28 points; Northern Illinois gained one red zone for 3 points. Neither team turned the ball over.

Offense gained 17 first downs, 321 total yards on 33 plays with 130 on the ground; they were 2 of 2 in 3rd down conversions. Cade McNamara was 8 of 11 for 191 yards with an 87 yard scoring strike to Cornelius Johnson; he also ran a yard for a TD, but finished with -6 yards for the half with a 7 yard fumble loss that Donovan Edwards recovered. Hassan Haskins powered for 37 yards on 7 carries for 2 TDs; Blake Corum exploded for 71 yards on 10 carries for a TD. A.J. Henning ran for 26 yards on a reverse plus had a 24 yard reception. McNamara dished the ball to 6 different receivers!

Defense forced Northern Illinois into four "3 and outs" and 4 punts; they were 1 of 8 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. The Huskies gained 6 first downs, 108 yards in 29 plays with 90 yards on the ground. Rocky Lombardi was 5 of 9 for 18 yards, and ran 4 times for 25 yards. Harrison Waylee had 10 carries for 34 yards. Vincent Gray and Josh Ross led the defense with 5 tackles each; Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill had pass break ups.

Sepcial Teams looked improved with A.J. Henning returning punts! He had 4 returns for 38 yards including a 25 yarder. Jake Moody was flawless with 6 kickoffs for 4 touchbacks, and hit all extra points. The Huskies were unable to force Michigan into any punts. Mike Sainristil managed a 4 yard return on a "pooch" kickoff.

Second Half will give reserves a shot for playing time! Go Blue!