DEKALB, Ill. – Tied at 14 in the second quarter, Hawai'i scored 35 consecutive points as the Rainbow Warriors claimed a 56-21 victory over the Northern Illinois University Huskies on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24) at Huskie Stadium.
Wide receiver
DeAree Rogers (Lexington, S.C./Irmo) finished the game with a season-high 115 yards and two touchdown receptions on eight catches. Rogers is the first Huskie player to record over 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdown catches in a single game since 2021.
"We have to find a way, and it starts with me first, to find a way to increase the consistency with the base stuff that we do," said interim head coach
Rob Harley. "It comes down to execution, the coaching and playing in those moments. We have to find a way to get these things done and be consistent … we have to get back to work and find a way to make that happen."
Hawai'i (2-6, 1-4 MW) scored on the opening possession of the contest as the visitors marched 75 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead. DeVon Rice scored for two yards out to give the Rainbow Warriors the early lead. Rice ran for a team-best 71 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns.
NIU (0-7, 0-3 MW) answered right back as quarterback
Taron Dickens (Miami, Fla./Western Carolina) connected with Rogers for a 49-yard touchdown on the first Huskie offensive drive.
Dickens went 17-of-26 passing in the contest for 171 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
The Rainbow Warriors responded to the Huskie score with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Micah Alejado to Frank Abreu as Hawai'i took a 14-7 lead with 3:43 to play in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter NIU answered with the second Dickens-to-Rogers touchdown connection, tying the game at 14 with 13:46 to go. The 25-yard touchdown pass capped a 4-play, 39-yard drive as the Huskies converted a short field from a Hawai'i punt into their second score of the day.
Hawai'i took a 21-14 lead with 11:17 to play in the opening half. The visitors went 75 yards in five plays as Rice scored on a 33-yard rushing touchdown to give Hawai'i a seven-point lead. The Rainbow Warriors increased their lead to 28-14 on a one-yard rushing touchdown from Cam Barfield with 5:27 left in the second quarter. A 62-yard screen pass from Alejado to Barfield put the visitors in the red zone at the NIU three yardline and two plays later Barfield scored to give Hawai'i a 28-14 edge.
Alejado threw his second touchdown of the half with 00:23 left, finding Abreu on a 12-yard pass to give the Rainbow Warriors a 35-14 lead at halftime.
The visitors added two more scores in the third quarter to go up 49-14 running back. Running back
Elijah Porter (Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial) found the end zone from three yards out with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter before Hawai'i closed the scoring with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from TJ Fo'ilefutu.
Hawai'i recorded over 500 yards of total offense in the contest as the Rainbow Warriors ran for 175 yards and threw for 329 yards. Alejado went 22-of-32 passing for 323 yards and three touchdowns while Rice rushed for 71 yards and three touchdowns.
Linebacker
Brady Kerperin (Jefferson City, Mo./Iowa Western CC) led the NIU defense with nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Defensive back
Avery Jones (Baltimore, Md./Lafayette), cornerback
Liam Lindo (Wallkill, N.Y./Bryant) and linebacker
Jack Murray (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East) each had seven stops with Jones adding a pass breakup.
NIU will head back on the road next Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Huskies travel to Las Vegas, Nev., to take on UNLV. Kickoff against the Rebels is slated for 9:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
