Mid-American
The 2018 season's largest margin: Northern Illinois 38, Toledo 15. A 23-point win — the year's high-water mark.
Northern Illinois·Mid-American
2018 — The Winning Chapter
Northern Illinois's 2018 season (8-6) is a middle chapter: table-stakes progress, no crown in the ledger, the program still writing the book.
Lost the Boca Raton Bowl
The shape of the season · week by week, cumulative W-L below
Who carried it
- Marcus ChildersQB2,000 passing yards
- Tre HarbisonRB987 rushing yards
- Marcus JonesRB525 rushing yards
- Jordan NettlesRB217 rushing yards
- Jauan WesleyWR589 receiving yards
- D.J. BrownWR496 receiving yards
- Spencer TearsWR372 receiving yards
- Antonio Jones-DavisLB100 tackles
- Kyle PughLB82 tackles
- Mykelti WilliamsS58 tackles
- Sutton SmithDE12 sacks
- Josh CorcoranDE8 sacks
- Matt LorbeckDL4.5 sacks
Season leaders, 2018.
The season's deepest loss: Northern Illinois 7, Iowa 33. A 26-point margin the season is remembered by.
The season's last act: Northern Illinois fell to UAB 13-37 in the postseason.
"Forward, Together Forward"
2018 is a middle chapter for Northern Illinois — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.