G5 Football Daily

Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois Win First Bowl Game Since 2011

In a game that was contentious from warmups on, the Northern Illinois Huskies defeated the Arkansas State Red Wolves 21-19 in the 2023 Camellia Bowl. Both teams

Joe Londergan

© Mickey Welsh / USA TODAY NETWORK
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In a game that was contentious from warmups on, the Northern Illinois Huskies defeated the Arkansas State Red Wolves 21-19 in the 2023 Camellia Bowl. Both teams were 6-6 entering the day.

Huskies' head coach Thomas Hammock secures Northern Illinois' second winning season in his tenure and their first bowl win in eight appearances. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi completed 18 passes on 29 attempts for 200 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Here's what else stood out from the MAC's second win of this bowl season.

Kicker Kanon Woodill's Play of the Day

Northern Illinois' third touchdown of the day came from an unlikely source. Place kicker Kanon Woodill took a short toss from holder Tom Foley 32 yards for a touchdown. It's his first career touchdown. Woodill didn't make a field goal in the win, but this arguably made up for that.

Husky Ball Control

Despite being shutout in the second half, Northern Illnois managed to win the game through expert ball control. The Huskies had the ball for forty minutes and 21 seconds - over 75% of the game. Running back Antario Brown had 25 carries for 132 yards, his fifth 100-yard performance of the season. All together, the Huskies rushed for 189 yards in the win.

A Comeback Attempt That Fell Just Short

In the final minutes, Jalen Raynor led a touchdown drive for the Red Wolves that made the score 21-19 in favor of NIU. The two-point conversion that would have tied the game was unsuccessful. Arkansas State then attempted an onside kick and appeared to recover it, but the officials called the Red Wolves for offsides on the kick, much to Butch Jones' chagrin. NIU were able to run out the last minute on the clock to secure the win.  

Arkansas State are still searching for their first winning season under Jones. 

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe covers college sports from the Group of Five ranks and beyond. He has worked in the sports industry since 2008, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville, and a Master's degree from Seattle University.

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