Jordan Lynch broke his own NCAA record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback, gaining 321 yards in No. 14 Northern Illinois’ 33-14 victory over Western Michigan on Tuesday night.
With the win, NIU moves to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in the MAC. At this point, it looks like the Huskies are a shoo-in to make a BCS bowl so long as they win the MAC title game on Dec. 6. Western Michigan falls to 1-11 and 1-7.
Lynch’s previous NCAA mark was set earlier this season when he rushed for 316 yards against Central Michigan. He got off to a great start against the Broncos, rushing for 229 yards and two scores in the first half as the Huskies forged a 20-7 lead. His final carry, a six-yarder early in the fourth quarter, gave him the fresh record. He finished with three touchdowns on the ground and one in the air, completing 5 of 17 passes for 39 yards in the snowy confines of Huskie Stadium. But with NIU ripping off 425 rushing yards at eight yards a pop, his arm was not really needed tonight.
Now that the Heisman race is in flux, a performance like this might get Lynch more attention from the trophy’s voters. He was fourth in the most recent HeismanPundit Straw Poll and, with another record-breaking game under his belt, a trip to New York could in the offing if things break his way in the next week or two.