Northern Illinois powered to a 21-7 home victory over Ball State behind a complete team performance at Huskie Stadium. Telly Johnson Jr. set the tone early with an explosive 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter before the Cardinals briefly tied things up. Josh Holst took control in the second half, scoring on a 7-yard keeper and later connecting with DeAree Rogers on a 14-yard touchdown pass to put the game away for the Huskies.