Northern Illinois outlasts Eastern Illinois 43-39

Sep 21, 2013, 11:28 pm

DEKALB, Ill. -- Jordan Lynch accounted for 424 yards of offense in the air and on the ground as Northern Illinois overcame six touchdown passes by Jimmy Garoppolo to pull out a 43-39 victory on Saturday night.

Garoppolo, with 450 yards on 34-of-49 passing, tied Tony Romo's school career record of 85 TD throws.

Garoppolo's pass to Erik Lora, who had 198 yards receiving, put the Panthers ahead 39-36 with 9:53 remaining.

NIU's Keith Harris Jr., who scored twice, rushed 8 yards for a 43-39 lead with 8:25 left. The NIU defense then stiffened and the Huskies ran out the final 5:01.

The Panthers (3-1) had a 20-0 first-quarter lead on three Garoppolo TD passes. The Huskies rallied, taking the lead at 23-20 just before halftime.

Cameron Stingily rushed for a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns for NIU (3-0), which won its 22nd straight home game, best in the nation.