N. Illinois Wins Silicon Valley Classic

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Posted 5:57AM on Friday, December 31, 2004

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Josh Haldi passed for 146 yards and rushed for two touchdowns to lead Northern Illinois through mud and rain to its first bowl victory in 21 years, 34-21 over Troy on Thursday night in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Huskies (9-3) overcame a steady downpour, lighting problems and a delayed kickoff by scoring 34 straight points in this unlikely postseason matchup of two schools with one previous bowl appearance between them. Garrett Wolfe, the NCAA's scoring co-leader, rushed for his 21st touchdown of the season for Northern Illinois before leaving with a hip injury. But A.J. Harris filled in with 120 yards rushing and another score as the Huskies methodically erased a quick start by the Trojans (7-5), who scored two touchdowns in the first nine minutes of Troy's first bowl game in just its fourth season in Division I-A. D.T. McDowell threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two more scores for the Trojans, but they got stuck in the mud at Spartan Stadium and were unable to move the ball effectively or stop the Huskies' rushing attack. The victory is a high point in coach Joe Novak's impressive rebuilding job at Northern Illinois, which didn't get a bowl invitation last year despite going 10-2 and beating Maryland. But when the Pac-10 and WAC didn't produce enough bowl-eligible teams to fill their Silicon Valley slots, Northern Illinois and Troy took advantage. Haldi and the Huskies overcame more than Troy's vaunted defense, which was among the national leaders in several statistical categories. A day of intermittent rain left the Spartan Stadium field slick and soaked, and though more than 21,000 tickets were distributed, no more than 5,000 fans braved the miserable conditions for the fifth edition of a low-profile bowl game played without Fresno State for the first time. In addition, an electrical transformer outside the stadium malfunctioned shortly before kickoff, affecting the television crew and two stanchions of lights. The game began 23 minutes late under the remaining banks of lights while crews tried unsuccessfully to fix things. Yet both teams insisted on throwing long passes despite the miserable conditions and two offenses unfamiliar with such fireworks. McDowell threw 10 straight incompletions at one point, and Haldi was scarcely better - but Northern Illinois mixed in enough runs to keep moving consistently. Troy curiously cast aside its usual offensive caution and opened with aggressive downfield throws - and for a little while, it worked. On the game's seventh play, McDowell hit Jason Samples with a 45-yard pass to the Northern Illinois 1 for the Trojans' longest pass of the season. McDowell scored on a keeper and then led another scoring drive, hitting Richardson with a 23-yard screen pass. But Northern Illinois responded with a 50-yard TD run by Wolfe, who set the school record for rushing touchdowns with the score. After Haldi scored on the next drive, the rain limited both teams' offenses until Haldi scored again on a 1-yard keeper 34 seconds before halftime. The slick grass and mud obviously affected both teams' defenders, who couldn't pursue and change direction with much speed. Harris scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter, and Chris Nendick kicked two field goals.