N. Illinois 23, North Dakota 17

Published Sep. 12, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

foxsports

Chandler Harnish threw for one touchdown and rushed for another as Northern Illinois claimed a 23-17 victory over North Dakota Saturday night.

The visiting Fighting Sioux (0-2) never led, but closed the deficit to 16-14 after an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Landry to Greg Hardin with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

Two minutes later, Harnish had a career-long 40-yard touchdown run to boost the Huskies' lead to 23-14.

Harnish was 14 of 25 for 146 yards and rushed for 178 more for Northern Illinois (1-1) while Chad Spann rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown. Landry went 18 of 31 for 267 yards, while Hardin had six catches for 171 yards.