Hawai'i Routs Northern Illinois 56-21, Scores 35 Straight to Snap Four-Game Skid

Hawai'i flew 4,255 miles to DeKalb, Illinois, which the Honolulu Star-Advertiser called the farthest any FBS team has ever traveled for a conference game. They brought along a four-game losing streak and an offense that had scored 10 points in each of its last two games.

They flew home with 56 points, a blowout and a pulse.

Hawai'i beat Northern Illinois 56-21 on Saturday at Huskie Stadium, scoring 35 straight points after the Huskies tied it 14-14 early in the second quarter. The win was Hawai'i's first since Sept. 12, its first on the road this season and its first in Mountain West play. The Rainbow Warriors are now 2-6 overall. Northern Illinois, in its first Mountain West season after leaving the MAC, fell to 0-7.

A real game, briefly

For about a quarter and a half, this looked like it might be close. Hawai'i opened with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate 5:47 of clock and ended with DeVon Rice scoring from 2 yards out.

Northern Illinois answered almost immediately. Quarterback Taron Dickens found DeAree Rogers for a 49-yard touchdown on the Huskies' first offensive drive.

Micah Alejado responded with a 13-yard touchdown throw to Frank Abreu, who was so open that Hawai'i's football account could barely contain itself.

Then Northern Illinois struck again. After a Hawai'i punt set up a short field, the Huskies went 39 yards in four plays and Dickens hit Rogers again, this time from 25 yards, to tie it 14-14 with 13:46 left in the first half.

That was the last time the Huskies were in the game.

The 35-point avalanche

It took Hawai'i five plays to go back in front. Rice broke a 33-yard touchdown run with 11:17 left in the half, and the Rainbow Warriors never looked back.

The next score was a showcase for Cam Barfield. Alejado dumped a screen to the co-captain, who rumbled 62 yards before being dragged down at the NIU 3. Two plays later, Barfield punched it in from a yard out for his first touchdown of the season. "I wish I scored on the 62, but I was blessed to get it in there," Barfield said, via the Star-Advertiser. "I needed (a touchdown) on the season, and I finally got it."

Alejado capped the half with a 12-yard strike to Abreu with 23 seconds left. It was initially ruled incomplete, but replay showed Abreu got his left toe down, and Hawai'i took a 35-14 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was more of the same. A shanked NIU punt gave Hawai'i good field position, Titan Lacaden turned a short catch into a 22-yard gain, and Rice scored his third touchdown on a 5-yard run. Late in the quarter, Alejado found Josiah Fetui for a 44-yard touchdown, the first score of Fetui's college career. "(The Huskies) busted the coverage," Fetui said. "I didn't see a safety in the middle of the field."

By then it was 49-14, and the only suspense left was whether Hawai'i would top 50 for the first time under fifth-year coach Timmy Chang. Elijah Porter ended the run with a 3-yard touchdown for NIU with 8:55 to go, and true freshman TJ Fo'ilefutu answered with a 6-yard run for his first career touchdown to close the scoring.

Alejado finally gets to play ball

Hawai'i heard plenty of outside noise during the skid, and its quarterback answered all of it. Alejado completed 22 of 32 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. He was 17-of-22 for 237 yards in the first half alone, connected on four passes of 40 yards or more, and posted his third 300-yard game of the season and the eighth of his career. On Monday, he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week.

He also spread it around. Twelve different Rainbow Warriors caught a pass, matching a season high. Audric Harris turned two deep shots into 90 yards. Abreu caught three passes for 31 yards and two scores, and Alejado said the touchdown connection was no accident. "We talked about it all week," he said. "We said if it's one-on-one, I'm going to him. He was ready."

The ground game showed up too

The most important number might be 42. That is how many times Hawai'i ran the ball, after weeks of criticism that the offense leaned too heavily on the pass. The Rainbow Warriors finished with 175 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Rice had 12 carries for 71 yards and three scores. Barfield added 58 yards on 16 carries plus his 70 receiving yards. Rice made sure the credit went up front. "The O-line played great tonight," he said. "All the running backs, not just myself, took care of business."

The stats that matter

Hawai'i piled up 504 total yards, a season high, and outgained Northern Illinois 504-266. The 56 points were the program's most since a 59-41 win over Navy in 2018 and tied the school record for points in a Mountain West game.

The efficiency numbers were even louder. Hawai'i converted 9 of 15 third downs, went 6-for-6 in the red zone and held the ball for 37:44. Northern Illinois converted 1 of 8 third downs.

The defense did its part. Hawai'i forced four takeaways, a season high, and special teams added another fumble recovery on an NIU punt return. Jeremiah Hughes picked off a pass for his third interception in two games, and true freshman Kydel Stone got his first career pick on the Huskies' final drive. Elijah Palmer led the team with eight tackles. Nose tackle Ozzy Pollard said the plan was simple. "This whole week we talked about getting pressure in his face and keep getting after him," Pollard said of Dickens.

Every snap is in Hawai'i's official box score (opens in a new tab), and the school's game recap (opens in a new tab) has the rest.

A rough afternoon in DeKalb

Rogers was the lone bright spot for Northern Illinois. The receiver caught eight passes for a season-high 115 yards and both Dickens touchdowns, becoming the first Huskie since 2021 with 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdown catches in a game. Dickens finished 17-of-26 for 171 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and linebacker Brady Kerperin led the defense with nine tackles.

But three lost fumbles, two picks and a 1-for-8 day on third down will bury anyone. Interim head coach Rob Harley put the blame on consistency, and on himself. "We have to find a way, and it starts with me first, to find a way to increase the consistency with the base stuff that we do," Harley said in NIU's postgame recap (opens in a new tab).

Next on the schedule was a Halloween night trip to UNLV, with the Huskies still hunting their first win.

What it means for Hawai'i

The math is brutal but simple. At 2-6, Hawai'i needs to win its last four games to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. The Rainbow Warriors get a bye this week, then visit UTEP on Nov. 7.

Alejado did not dodge it. "It's about holding up a standard," he said. "There are a lot of games to play, and we have to win out."

This was the first time all season that Hawai'i's offense looked like the group Chang said back in July could make a title run: balanced, explosive and mostly mistake-free. If that version travels to El Paso, the bowl conversation is not over yet.

The last word

There is a tradition in Hawai'i football: after a road win, the coaches and administrators give up their first-class seats on the charter home to the players. It had been a while since anyone had to move.

"I'm happy to go to the back of the plane," Chang said.

After 4,255 miles, a four-game skid and a lot of outside noise, a long ride in coach never sounded so good.

Sources: NIU Athletics recap and box score, UH News, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Aloha State Daily, Hawaii Sports Radio Network, SportsGrid and ESPN. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Scott Walstrom, NIU.