From the moment Northern Illinois’ no-nonsense coach, Rod Carey, emphatically instructed a player to turn his ballcap forward in the postgame news conference, this much was clear: He took no satisfaction in giving top-ranked Ohio State a scare.
“There ain’t one of us in here that’s happy,” he said. “I bet if you ask any of these guys, they’d rather play terrible and get a win than play great and get a loss.”
The Huskies entered as five-touchdown underdogs to the defending national champions. And yet after allowing only one offensive touchdown, NIU linebacker Sean Folliard said: “We’re not happy where we are right now.”
If it makes them feel better — and it won’t — many of the Buckeyes were equally unsatisfied by the 20-13 victory, which was still in doubt in the final two minutes.
“We’re happy to win,” linebacker Darron Lee said, “but we’re not blaring music right now. As a team, we want to be going on all cylinders.”
Defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis seemed to be alone in calling the win “a beautiful thing. To come out victorious is a great thing.”
Offensive tackle Taylor Decker likely spoke for many after being asked if there’s a difference between winning 20-13 and 50-13.
“Yeah, no disrespect to our opponents, but I think we should be winning bigger,” he said. “We have the capability to play a lot better. Underachieving is not fun. You always want to enjoy and appreciate a win because obviously Northern Illinois is a very good team. But I think we can play at a higher level.”
On that point, everyone can agree.
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And on this one: Ohio State’s offense is a complete mess. The Buckeyes failed to gain 300 yards for the first time in the Urban Meyer era. And Meyer said he doesn’t know who will start at quarterback next week against Western Michigan.
“I haven’t had time to think about it,” he said.
Cardale Jones was benched after his second interception, the result of a bad read. He completed 4 of 9 passes for 36 yards, and his five drives resulted in just three points.
J.T. Barrett was better (11-for-19, 97 yards), but not by much. He quickened the pace and ended a drive with a perfectly lofted 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. But he also fired a bad interception, allowing Folliard to step in front of throw intended for tight end Nick Vannett.
And Braxton Miller, the quarterback-turned-receiver who starred at Virginia Tech, was all but invisible Saturday.
None of the quarterbacks, by the way, was made available for postgame interviews. It remains a delicate topic for this 3-0 team.
NIU quarterback Drew Hare did all he could Saturday while facing a front seven that, as he correctly put it, “is probably as good as anybody’s in the nation. They have athletes everywhere.”
The Huskies were not intimidated, though, playing before a crowd of 104,095. They had won their previous three games against the Big Ten, taking down Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern from 2013-14.
“They have a great program, great tradition,” NIU athletic director Sean Frazier said. “We have the same.”
Northern Illinois received a $900,000 guarantee to come to the Horseshoe, which Frazier called “huge” considering its athletic budget is a bit north of $30 million.
From the outset it was clear that Ohio State got more than it bargained for.
Shawun Lurry intercepted an overthrown pass by Jones, and the Huskies needed just three plays to convert the mistake into a touchdown.
“They have a good team,” Buckeyes defensive end Sam Hubbard said of the Huskies. “Big Ten-level talent.”
But the Buckeyes’ defense gave up just two more field goals the rest of the game, bailing out an offense that’s stuck in fall camp.
And sending the Huskies home unsatisfied.
“A loss,” Carey said, “is a loss.”
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2 minute drill
Nowhere to throw: How good is Ohio State’s defense? NIU quarterback Drew Hare threw for 360 and 358 yards in his previous two games but managed just 80 Saturday. Ohio State blanketed Huskies receivers, and Kenny Golladay could not get a foot in-bounds on a long potential completion.
Boot-y call: Three of Josh Orne’s seven kickoffs sailed out of bounds, allowing the Buckeyes to start at the 35-yard line. Asked if there was some strategy involved, NIU coach Rod Carey said no. Christian Hagan managed to nail both his field-goal tries, from 38 and 31 yards.
He’ll take that: Cornerback Shawun Lurry stands just 5 foot 8 and weighs 178 pounds. But he came up huge Saturday, intercepting Cardale Jones twice and breaking up two passes.
The hard way: Aurora Christian alum Joel Bouagnon made the most of the holes he found. The 226-pound junior rushed 21 times, netting 78 yards.
Looking ahead: The Huskies travel to Boston College for noon game Saturday.
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