Northern Illinois bounced back from its overtime loss against CMU with a 42-14 win Tuesday against Kent State on a snowy night in Kent, Ohio.

The Huskies (6-5, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) earned bowl eligibility with their sixth win of the season. NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish threw two touchdowns and ran for two scores in the win.

NIU took a 14-0 lead on Harnish’s 2-yard pass to Reed Cunningham. He also had a 31-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to give his team a 21-7 lead. NIU scored 21 points in the quarter.

Huskies defensive tackle Craig Rusch added a fumble recovery for a touchdown, giving NIU a 21-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Running back Chad Spann ran for a 26-yard score later in the quarter as NIU led 35-14.

The Huskies, who committed zero turnovers, clinched at least a .500 season after they won just two games last season. They also converted 7-of-13 third downs and averaged 6.2 yards per play.

Julian Edelman passed for 126 yards and had 108 rushing yards for Kent State (3-8, 2-5 MAC). Running back Eugene Jarvis led the Golden Flashes with three receptions for 50 yards.

The Huskies outgained Kent State 397-253, a season-low for the Golden Flashes, who had averaged more than 40 points per game in their last three games. KSU also had four fumbles, losing three.

Kent State lost its home finale despite 13 tackles from Derek Burrell, who topped the 100 tackle mark in back-to-back seasons.

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