DETROIT -- One year ago, Bowling Green used an up-tempo offense to humiliate Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game, costing the Huskies a shot at a second-straight BCS appearance.
This time, things were much different.
The Huskies ran 100 offensive plays, keeping the Falcons offense glued to the bench, and won their third conference championship in four years with a 51-17 rout. Northern Illinois had a 16-minute advantage in time of possession and put up 31 second-half points as the Bowling Green defense ran out of gas.
"Once we got to the second half, I could really tell that they were getting tired," Huskies tackle Tyler Loos said. "They had their hands on their hips between plays, and it was getting a lot easier to move them around. That's a good feeling."
Bowling Green's defensive plan was to stack the box against the run and force sophomore quarterback Drew Hare to win the game with his arm. Unfortunately for the Falcons, he did just that, completing 29 of 49 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Hare also rushed for 60 yards and a score.
"Every quarterback loves to throw the ball, so I was excited when I saw what they were doing against us defensively," said Hare, who replaced Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch this season. "I felt like I got into a rhythm early on, and when you are able to do that, you are going to have a good day."
Hare's ability to hit receivers near the sidelines forced the Falcons to pull more defenders out of the center of the field, which opened up the running game. Cameron Stingily ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns as the Huskies put up 334 yards rushing.
"We just got beat by an outstanding football team," said Bowling Green coach Dino Babers. "We tried to match them, but they had too much strength and speed for us on both sides of the ball."
The victory was a sweet finish to what could have been a tough season for Northern Illinois. After last year's 47-27 loss in the title game, they had to replace a record-setting quarterback in Lynch as well as safety Jimmie Ward, who was drafted in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers.
"I told these guys in January that if they wanted to get here again, it was going to be a lot of hard work," coach Rod Carey said. "These guys have embraced that from day one, and they finished it off with their best game of the season. Now they've got to top this in a bowl game."
The Huskies played well enough to beat any MAC team on Friday night, but they acknowledged they had a little extra incentive after what happened in 2013.
"We got embarrassed last season because we weren't ready for their tempo," said safety Dechane Durante, who intercepted two passes. "This year, we knew what to expect, and we jumped right on them. You have to give the offense a lot of credit, though, because they never came off the field."
Both teams are headed to bowl games, but for the first time in 17 years, there won't be a MAC team coming to Detroit for Christmas. The new Quick Lane Bowl, which will match a Big Ten team against an ACC team, has replaced the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, which included a MAC team every season from 1997-2013.
