Running backs Gavin Williams and Jaylen Poe combined to rush for 223 yards, 220 in the second half, as the Northern Illinois University Huskies overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit to defeat the University of Massachusetts 34-20 Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

With starting running back Antario Brown sidelined due to injury, NIU turned to its veteran offensive line to open holes for Williams, Poe and quarterback Ethan Hampton. The Huskies gained 249 of their season-high 367 rushing yards in the second half, with Williams tallying 124 of his 125 yards in the game after halftime and Poe gaining 91 of his 98. Both running backs, and Hampton, posted career best rushing totals as all four of NIU’s second half touchdowns came on the ground.

“Once we started changing the line of scrimmage, it became clear what we needed to do,” said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock of relying almost exclusively on the run game in the second half. “The run game was there in the first half, but we had the turnovers and stopped ourselves. Our offensive line at halftime said, hey we can take this game over, and we listened. We have great running backs, great depth in the backfield and great competition.”

UMass kicked its second field goal of the first half with six seconds remaining to take a 13-7 lead into the halftime locker room.  NIU took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards in seven plays and 3:37 with Poe scoring from 22 yards out to tie the game at 13 after the PAT was missed.

The Minutemen drove to the NIU 25 but on fourth and three from the Huskie 25, UM quarterback Taisun Phommachanh’s pass was incomplete and the Huskies took over. NIU embarked on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 7:06 off the clock. Williams ran five times for 30 yards, and Poe carried six times for 39 yards and scored his second touchdown of the day on a three-yard run. Woodill’s PAT gave the Huskies a 20-13 edge.

Hampton’s last pass – and last completion of the day – was a five-yard connection to Andrew McElroy to give NIU a third down conversion to the UMass 43. The Huskies converted nine-of-11 third downs in the game.

UMass drove to the Huskie 10-yard line, but the NIU defense once again came up big on fourth down as Jashon Prophete broke up Phommachanh’s fourth down throw.

The Huskies went back to the run with Hampton starting the drive with an 11-yard rush.  Three Williams runs, the last a 28-yard jaunt, took the ball to the UMass 37. Poe gained five yards on a pair of carries and Williams got a chunk of 24 to the eight-yard line. He took it in from one-yard out two plays later as the Huskies stretched the lead to 27-13 with 5:29 to play with the nine-play, 90-yard drive.

The Minutemen took just eight plays and 2:13 to once again make it a seven-point game at 27-20.  On fourth-and-10 from the NIU 16-yard line, Phommachanh connected with T.Y. Harding in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.

UMass’ comeback attempt was thwarted when Poe took the kickoff back 89 yards to the four-yard line and Hampton scored three plays later on a one-yard dive with 2:03 to play.

After three incompletions from their 48 on UM’s last gasp drive, Devonte O’Malley sacked Phommachanh for 11-yards, the fourth sack of the day by NIU’s defense, giving NIU two snaps from victory formation to close out the win.

O’Malley’s sack book-ended the game as Roy Williams recorded a sack on UMass’ first offensive play in the first quarter and Jalonnie Williams recovered a UM fumble on the next play to give NIU the ball on  the UMass 15-yard line less than minute in to the game.

Hampton then rolled out and found a wide-open Brock Lampe who scored at 14:10 on the clock for a 7-0 NIU lead. UMass took just four plays to go 75 yards with Harding taking it in on a pass from Phommachanh for their only touchdown of the half.

The Minutemen added a pair of 27-yard second quarter field goals by Jacob Lurie at 12:33 and 0:06 to compile the halftime lead.

The Huskie defense stopped UMass on fourth down three times in the game and held the Minutemen to 115 rushing yards on 34 carries.

NIU improved to 3-2 with the win while UMass fell to 1-5.

The Huskies next travel to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+.