Ethan Hampton (Elburn, Ill./Aurora Christian) threw for a career-high 328 yards and five touchdowns on 18-of-20 passing to lead the Northern Illinois University Huskies to a 54-15 victory over Western Illinois on Saturday (Aug. 31) in the season opener at Huskie Stadium. NIU amassed 706 yards of total offense as seven different Huskies found the end zone in the victory.
“Proud of our players,” said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. “The maturity of the group, how they prepared all throughout fall camp. I think this is the calmest I have been for a game, based on what I have seen from these guys. They checked every box up until this point and that performance today is one that we haven’t had here in a while.”
Hampton recorded a school record quarterback efficiency rating of 310.3, bettering the previous mark of 261.3 set by George Bork on Sept. 14, 1963, against Wisconsin-Whitewater, and his five touchdown passes were the most by a Huskie in a game since Chandler Harnish threw for six on Nov. 1, 2011, at Toledo.
NIU’s 706 yards of total offense is the third-highest total in program history, behind just the 806 yards of offense amassed against Fresno State on Oct. 6, 1990, and NIU’s 710 yards against Ball State on Nov. 15, 2011.
Trayvon Rudolph (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee) had four catches for 104 yards and a touchdown while also recording 67 rushing yards on two carries with a score. Antario Brown (Savannah, Ga./Beach) had a team-high 69 rushing yards on just eight carries. Grayson Barnes (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin/American River CC) had a team-high six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.
NIU scored seven touchdowns on its first eight possessions, including on its second offensive play as Hampton connected with Dane Pardridge (DeKalb, Ill./Marmion Academy) from 23 yards out to give the Huskies a 6-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
After a Western Illinois field goal cut the Huskie lead in half, NIU scored early in the second half on Hampton’s second touchdown pass as he found Cam Thompson (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman/Eastern Illinois) in the back of the end zone on a third down to give the Huskies a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Rudloph added another touchdown midway through the second, going 60 yards on an end around to put the Huskies in front, 20-3.
The Huskies added two more touchdowns in the final two minutes of the opening half to take a 34-3 lead into halftime. A shovel pass from Hampton to Keyshaun Pipkin (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) with 1:55 left before the break gave NIU a 24-point lead and, after the Huskie defense forced a three-and-out, Hampton delivered his fourth touchdown pass of the half as he connected with Rudolph for a 43-yard score.
Just three plays into the second half, Hampton found Barnes down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown as NIU increased its lead to 41-3.
Freshmen Jaylen Poe (Dallas, Ga./North Paulding) added his first career touchdown late in the third quarter and Jalen Macon (Nashville, Tenn./Hillsboro/UAPB) capped the Huskie scoring in the fourth with a five-yard rush.
Nathan Lamb was 17-of-29 passing for Western Illinois for 204 yards and a touchdown. Roy Williams (Crestwood, Ill./Shepard) had a team-high six tackles, including a sack, to lead the NIU defense.
The Huskies will head on the road for the first time this season next Saturday, Sept. 7, when they travel to South Bend, Ind., for the first all-time meeting between NIU and Notre Dame. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will be televised live on NBC and Peacock.