Harnish throws for 281 yards, 3 TDs as Northern Illinois coasts past Akron 50-14 in MAC opener

Harnish sharp, Northern Illinois routs Akron 50-14

AKRON, Ohio — Chandler Harnish passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns as Northern Illinois routed Akron 50-14 on Saturday night in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

Harnish, who was 16-for-20, hit Willie Clark with a 7-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, when the Huskies (3-2, 1-0) scored 23 points to take a 29-7 halftime lead.

Harnish added TD passes of 16 yards to Clark and 58 yards to Nathan Palmer in the third quarter, helping Northern Illinois widen its lead to 43-14.

Alex Allen scored both touchdowns for the Zips (0-5, 0-1) on 1-yard runs. He finished with 99 yards on 14 carries, including a 74-yarder in the third quarter.

Michael Cklamovski kicked three first-half field goals for Northern Illinois and Chad Spann, who rushed for 223 yards in the Huskies’ win over Minnesota last week, gained 84 against the Zips in 16 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown.