Rockford Register Star
  • Jordan Lynch breaks his own NCAA record in NIU rout

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  • DEKALB — Jordan Lynch may have had his worst passing day, but he more than compensated with the best rushing day by any quarterback in NCAA history.
    Lynch ran for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries tonight to lead Northern Illinois to a 33-14 victory over Western Michigan. NIU, No. 20 in the BCS standings, now plays in the Dec. 6 Mid-American Conference title game in Detroit for the fourth year in a row.
    Lynch broke his own FBS record of 316 yards set Oct. 19 against Central Michigan.
    "Jordan Lynch, I think, is the best player in college football," said Western Michigan coach (and former NIU receiver) P.J. Fleck, who compared Lynch to Doug Flutie. "He makes every single player around him better. He is Northern Illinois. He is what Northern Illinois is about. He is the best football player in the country. That's what the Heisman Trophy is about. He deserves to be in New York, and it didn't take this game to prove it to me."
    Lynch became the fifth quarterback in history to have 5,000 career yards passing and 4,000 rushing and he did so despite never starting a game until his junior season.
    Cameron Stingily ran for only 49 yards on 14 carries, but that was enough to get the converted linebacker over 1,000 and join Lynch as the first Huskie tandem to top 1,000.
    On a chilly 17-degree night with 16 mph winds and a smattering of snow on the ground, Lynch completed only 5 of 17 passes for 39 yards, but the Huskies (12-0, 8-0 MAC West) wrapped up their first undefeated regular season as a major college team.
    "It was hard to throw the ball in that wind; good thing we have a good running game," Lynch said of the Huskies, who ran for 425 yards.
    "I have to make some of those throws, though. Their quarterback made some of those throws. It was tough, but we practice outside in this."
    Western Michigan (1-11) threw for 163 yards and ran for 93 and lost any chance to make a game of it in the middle of the game. The Broncos trailed 20-7 at the half when they missed a field goal and then couldn't handle a would-be TD pass on third down followed by a blocked field goal on the final two drives of the half. They opened the second half by recovering their own onside kick, but Jimmie Ward broke up a pass on fourth-and-1.
    "If Jimmie Ward isn't the best (defensive) player in the MAC, I don't know who is," NIU coach Rod Carey said.
    Page 2 of 2 - NIU's receivers did more blocking than catching tonight, but that's one of the things that makes Lynch great. "They blocked their butts off," Lynch said.
    "Jordan runs so hard and physical, we have to stay on our blocks," tight end Luke Eakes said. "You never know when he's going to break one for a long gain, like he always does. He's always running physical, hitting people and moving the chains for us."
    Matt Trowbridge: 815-987-1383; mtrowbridge@rrstar.com; @matttrowbridge
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