Division West Division Offensive coordinator Bob Cole (1st year) | 2013 record 12–2 (8–0 MAC) Defensive coordinator Jay Niemann (2nd year) | |
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Head coach Rod Carey (1st full year) | ||
The 2013 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Rod Carey. They played their home games at Huskie Stadium. They finished the season 12–2, 8–0 in MAC play to win the West Division Title. They finished the regular season undefeated (12–0). They represented the West Division in the MAC Championship Game where they lost to East Division Champion Bowling Green 27–47. They were invited to the Poinsettia Bowl where they lost to Utah State 14–21.
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The season marked the Huskies' sixth consecutive trip to a bowl game and their second consecutive bowl game loss.
Iowa
Jordan Lynch threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies, who scored 10 points in the final 5:05 to record their first win over the Hawkeyes.
Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward intercepted Iowa's Jake Rudock with 1:17 left. He brought it to the Hawkeyes 30-yard line, setting up the game-winning kick from Sims.
Idaho
Jordan Lynch threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, as the team came away with their second win of the season.
Eastern Illinois
Jordan Lynch accounted for 424 yards of offense in the air and on the ground as Northern Illinois overcame six touchdown passes by Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdue
Jordan Lynch threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and Northern Illinois scored on a kickoff return and an interception return to rout Purdue 55-24. It's the first time a Mid-American Conference team has beaten two Big Ten foes during the same regular season, and the Huskies made it look easy, tying the MAC record for victory margin over a Big Ten school. Toledo beat Minnesota by 31 in 2001.
Kent State
Cameron Stingily ran for a career-high 266 yards and two scores as Northern Illinois remained undefeated with a 38-24 win over Kent State.
Akron
The Huskies used their defense and kicking game to beat Akron 27-20 on Saturday night after the offense went 1 for 15 on third-down conversions.
Central Michigan
Lynch had three rushing touchdowns and was 20 for 30 through the air for 155 yards and another score to help Northern Illinois (7-0, 3-0 Mid-American) extend the nation's best conference winning streak to 20 games. Lynch rushed for 316 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and the 23rd-ranked Huskies stayed unbeaten with a 38-17 victory at Central Michigan.