Final
Spann leads Northern Illinois past Minnesota 34-23
Sep 26, 2010 - 4:11 AM MINNEAPOLIS(AP) -- Chad Spann ran for a career-high 223 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Northern Illinois past Minnesota 34-23 Saturday night.Chandler Harnish threw touchdown passes to Martel Moore and Connor Flahive for the Huskies (2-2).
Adam Weber threw for a season-high 373 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (1-3), which lost its third straight at home. The inconsistent Gophers hung with No. 20 USC for three quarters last week before losing 32-21, and lost 41-38 to South Dakota, an FCS team, two weeks ago.
Harnish and Flahive connected for a 2-yard score on fourth down early in the fourth quarter for a 27-16 Huskies lead.
Spann, whose previous high was 174 yards against Eastern Michigan last year, scored on a 61-yard run with 6:22 to play, to clear out much of the crowd at TCF Bank Stadium. He had 106 rushing yards in the first half.
Harnish's first touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to Moore with 3 seconds left in the first half, gave Northern Illinois a 20-13 lead.
Duane Bennett had 74 rushing yards for Minnesota. He had 299 yards in the Gophers' first two games, but a sore ankle limited him to just six carries and 8 yards last week. Bennett's 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was negated by a holding penalty.
He was stuffed on a fourth-down play at the Northern Illinois 21 to end the same drive. Spann made the game-clinching rumble up the middle three plays later.
Weber found MarQueis Gray for a 29-yard touchdown for Minnesota with 4:18 to play, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds.
Both teams were looking for momentum heading into next week's conference openers - Minnesota at home to Northwestern in the Big 10 and Northern Illinois at Akron in the Mid-American.
Minnesota may not be favored in any of its eight Big Ten games - including five with ranked teams - making it difficult to avoid a third losing season in coach Tim Brewster's four years. There were at least three "Fire Brewster" chants during the game.
It was the second straight strong performance against a Big Ten team for the Huskies, who lost 28-22 at Illinois last week, and are favored by many to win the MAC West Division.
- NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7 13 0 14 34
MINNESOTA 3 10 3 7 23 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: MINNESOTA - FG, ERIC ELLESTAD 28 YD, 8:39.
MINNESOTA 3-0
NORTHN ILL - TD, CHAD SPANN 3 YD RUN (MICHAEL
CKLAMOVSKI KICK), 11:34.
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7-3
2ND QUARTER: NORTHN ILL - FG, MICHAEL CK
Sep 25 11:54 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 34
MINNESOTA 23 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 25 11:54 PM
TD MINNESOTA MARQUEIS GRAY 29 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 23 4th - 4:18Sep 25 11:35 PM
TD MINNESOTA MARQUEIS GRAY 29 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 23 4th - 4:18Sep 25 11:35 PM
TD MINNESOTA MARQUEIS GRAY 29 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 23 4th - 4:18Sep 25 11:35 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 34
MINNESOTA 23 4:18 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 23 4th - 4:18Sep 25 11:35 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CHAD SPANN 61 YD RUN (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 16 4th - 6:22Sep 25 11:28 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CHAD SPANN 61 YD RUN (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 16 4th - 6:22Sep 25 11:28 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 34
MINNESOTA 16 6:22 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 16 4th - 6:22Sep 25 11:28 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CONNOR FLAHIVE 2 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 27, Minnesota 16 4th - 13:55Sep 25 11:07 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CONNOR FLAHIVE 2 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 27, Minnesota 16 4th - 13:55Sep 25 11:07 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CONNOR FLAHIVE 2 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 27, Minnesota 16 4th - 13:55Sep 25 11:07 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 27
MINNESOTA 16 13:55 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Northern Illinois 27, Minnesota 16 4th - 13:55Sep 25 11:07 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 20
MINNESOTA 16 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Sep 25 10:59 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 20
MINNESOTA 16 6:26 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Northern Illinois 20, Minnesota 16 3rd - 6:26Sep 25 10:44 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 20
MINNESOTA 13 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 25 10:04 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS MARTEL MOORE 10 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 20, Minnesota 13 2nd - 0:03Sep 25 10:02 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS MARTEL MOORE 10 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 20, Minnesota 13 2nd - 0:03Sep 25 10:02 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS MARTEL MOORE 10 YD PASS FROM CHANDLER HARNISH (MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI KICK)
Northern Illinois 20, Minnesota 13 2nd - 0:03Sep 25 10:02 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 20
MINNESOTA 13 0:03 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois 20, Minnesota 13 2nd - 0:03Sep 25 10:02 PM
FG NORTHN ILLINOIS MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI 35 YD
Northern Illinois 13, Minnesota 13 2nd - 2:37Sep 25 9:53 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 13
MINNESOTA 13 2:37 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois 13, Minnesota 13 2nd - 2:37Sep 25 9:53 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 10
MINNESOTA 13 6:09 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 13 2nd - 6:09Sep 25 9:41 PM
TD MINNESOTA DA'JON MCKNIGHT 20 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 10 2nd - 7:18Sep 25 9:34 PM
TD MINNESOTA DA'JON MCKNIGHT 20 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 10 2nd - 7:18Sep 25 9:34 PM
TD MINNESOTA DA'JON MCKNIGHT 20 YD PASS FROM ADAM WEBER (ERIC ELLESTAD KICK)
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 10 2nd - 7:18Sep 25 9:34 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 10
MINNESOTA 10 7:18 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 10 2nd - 7:18Sep 25 9:34 PM
FG NORTHN ILLINOIS MICHAEL CKLAMOVSKI 21 YD
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 3 2nd - 9:24Sep 25 9:27 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 10
MINNESOTA 3 9:24 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois 10, Minnesota 3 2nd - 9:24Sep 25 9:27 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7
MINNESOTA 3 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Sep 25 9:09 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CHAD SPANN 3 YD RUN (ALAN SMITH KICK)
Northern Illinois 7, Minnesota 3 1st - 3:26Sep 25 9:02 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS CHAD SPANN 3 YD RUN (ALAN SMITH KICK)
Northern Illinois 7, Minnesota 3 1st - 3:26Sep 25 9:02 PM- NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7
MINNESOTA 3 3:26 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Northern Illinois 7, Minnesota 3 1st - 3:26Sep 25 9:02 PM - NCAAF
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
MINNESOTA 3 6:21 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Northern Illinois 0, Minnesota 3 1st - 6:21Sep 25 8:55 PM
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