Kent State University
5-7 , 4-4
Northern Illinois University
3-9 , 2-6
Garcia’s Career Day Powers Kent State to Send Northern Illinois out of the MAC with a Loss
11/28/2025 4:28:00 PM | Football
DeKalb, Ill. – Gavin Garcia rushed for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown, and Kent State held off Northern Illinois 35-31 on Friday to cap the 2025 season with a historic road victory in NIU's final Mid-American Conference game.
The win marked Kent State's first victory at Huskie Stadium since September 25, 1966, when the Golden Flashes defeated the Huskies 26-7, snapping a nearly 60-year drought in DeKalb.
Garcia carried 24 times and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 26-yard run with 4:11 remaining, powering through the NIU defense to give Kent State (5-7, 4-4 MAC) its first lead since the first half. Will Hryszko's extra point extended the advantage to 35-31.
The Flashes' defense, led by Sayed Abuhamdeh's career-high 10 tackles filling in for injured starter CJ Young, forced a crucial turnover on downs with 27 seconds remaining to seal the victory. NIU (3-9, 2-6) fell short on fourth-and-10 from the Kent State 27 when Jalen Macon's pass fell incomplete.
Quarterback Dru DeShields completed 11-of-22 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Terik Mulder for a 5-yard score in the second quarter and Da'Shawn Martin for a 17-yard touchdown. Martin finished with three catches for 91 yards, including a spectacular 59-yard reception in the third quarter.
Cade Wolford provided another highlight with a dazzling 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, making multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone. DeShields then hit Martin for the two-point conversion to cut NIU's lead to 31-28 with 10:23 remaining.
The game featured several momentum swings. Kent State took an early 3-0 lead on Hryszko's 34-yard field goal after recovering a Jalen Macon fumble. NIU responded with two rushing touchdowns from Macon to take a 21-17 halftime lead, capitalizing on a 38-yard touchdown run by Chavon Wright and a methodical ground attack.
The Huskies appeared to seize control in the fourth quarter when Taylor Powell recovered a Da'Shawn Martin fumble and returned it 49 yards to the Kent State 1-yard line. Wright scored on the next play to extend NIU's lead to 31-20 with 13:52 remaining.
But the Flashes refused to fold. After Wolford's touchdown and two-point conversion cut the deficit to three, Kent State's defense forced a punt. Garcia then broke free for a 29-yard run on the ensuing drive, setting up his game-winning score two plays later.
NIU, playing its final game as a MAC member before departing for the Mountain West Conference, rushed for 307 yards but couldn't overcome Kent State's balanced attack of 231 rushing yards and 207 passing yards. Wright led the Huskies with 185 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns.
The victory gave Kent State its fourth conference win and fifth total. It provided a positive ending for a team that had only won one game over the previous two seasons, with the program's first win in DeKalb in nearly six decades serving as a memorable milestone.
Big Plays
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
Trey Rubinstein there to recover the Huskies fumble.
KSU - 0
NIU - 0
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
DeShields finds Harris for the BIG gain!
KSU - 3
NIU - 7
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
DeShields finds Mulder for the first Flashes TD of the day.
KSU - 10
NIU - 7
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
DeShields finds Martin for another Flashes TD.
KSU - 17
NIU - 14
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
DeShields connects with Martin on the slant, and Martin did the rest!
KSU - 17
NIU - 21
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
Cade Wolford has a HUGE TD run and Martin added two after to make it a 3-point game.
KSU - 28
NIU - 31
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— Kent State Football (@KentStFootball) November 28, 2025
KSU - 35
NIU - 31
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Coach Carney Post Game Press Conference
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Team Stats
KSU 3, NIU 0
KSU - Hryszko,Will 34 yd field goal 6 plays, 23 yards, TOP 02:32
KSU 3, NIU 7
NIU - Macon,Jalen 2 yd run (Glass,Andrew kick), 12 plays, 71 yards, TOP 06:31
KSU 10, NIU 7
KSU - Mulder,Terik 5 yd pass from DeShields,Dru (Hryszko,Will kick) 9 plays, 81 yards, TOP 04:50
KSU 10, NIU 14
NIU - Wright,Chavon 38 yd run (Glass,Andrew kick), 2 plays, 43 yards, TOP 00:45
KSU 17, NIU 14
KSU - Martin,DaShawn 17 yd pass from DeShields,Dru (Hryszko,Will kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:05
KSU 17, NIU 21
NIU - Macon,Jalen 9 yd run (Glass,Andrew kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:28
KSU 20, NIU 21
KSU - Hryszko,Will 28 yd field goal 10 plays, 72 yards, TOP 05:18
KSU 20, NIU 24
NIU - Glass,Andrew 33 yd field goal 13 plays, 55 yards, TOP 06:58
KSU 20, NIU 31
NIU - Wright,Chavon 1 yd run (Glass,Andrew kick), 1 plays, 1 yards, TOP 00:05
KSU 28, NIU 31
KSU - Wolford,Cade 31 yd run (Martin,DaShawn pass), 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:23
KSU 35, NIU 31
KSU - Garcia,Gavin 26 yd run (Hryszko,Will kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:52
