DEKALB, Ill. — Gage Roy threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Alex Herrera with 1:53 remaining, and FCS Illinois State beat Northern Illinois 28-24 on Saturday night.
Roy’s game-winning score capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive that chewed 5:31 off the clock.
Taron Dickens drove NIU to the ISU 20 on the ensuing series but threw an interception to Doreon Dubose with 20 seconds left to seal it for the Redbirds (3-0), who are ranked No. 5 in the Stats Perform poll.
Roy completed 20 of 23 passes for 146 yards. He also threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Lord to give the Redbirds a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
A 30-yard Andruw Ellis pick-six sparked a 17-point second quarter for NIU (0-2). Telly Johnson Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run ended an eight-play, 78-yard drive that gave the Huskies a 24-21 lead with 7:24 to play in the fourth quarter.
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Dickens finished 22 of 27 for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Johnson ran for 83 yards on 22 carries. DeAree Rogers had 11 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies.
Up next
Illinois State: at Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
Northern Illinois: at Arizona on Saturday.