Barnes, Woodill lead Northern Illinois to 23-13 upset over Ohio

Updated Oct. 14, 2023 7:59 p.m. ET

Associated Press

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Grayson Barnes turned a short pass into a 58-yard touchdown early in the third quarter and Kanon Woodill kicked three field goals in the second half to lift North Illinois to a 23-13 win over Ohio on Saturday.

The Huskies' defense held the Bobcats, who were averaging 24.5 points a game, scoreless in the second half. UNI held Ohio 14 yards short of their rushing average and 31 shy of their passing average. They also picked off Kurtis Rourke three times, ending the Bobcats' last three drives.

Northern Illinois (3-4, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when Gavin Williams raced 53 yards through the left side for a touchdown.

Rourke sandwiched a 1-yard scoring plunge between a pair of Woodill field goals, the last with 7 seconds to go, to give the Bobcats (5-2, 2-1) a 13-7 lead at the half.

Rocky Lombardi was 15-of-23 passing for 172 yards for the Huskies, who had 302 yards of offense.

Rourke was 22 of 36 but only had 159 yards as his longest completion was 14 yards. The Bobcats' longest run was 15 yards.

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