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DEKALB, Illinois — The Utah football team pulled off a 17-6 win against Northern Illinois, though the Utes performance was subpar. Despite that, Huskies head coach Rod Carey said he was impressed with the Utes.
“I want to give Utah a ton of credit,” Carey said following the game. “They are a very good football team.”
The game ball went to Utah's defense, as the offense and special teams struggled all night. Utah’s defensive efforts kept the team in the game, holding Northern Illinois to 215 total yards and only 6 points. It was also the first time since 2016 that Utah didn’t allow its opponent to score a touchdown.
Utah’s linebackers Cody Barton and Chase Hansen had noticeable performances that made the difference for the Utes. Barton led the team with 13 tackles, his fourth career game with 10-plus tackles, and Hansen finished with 12 tackles and two sacks.
Hansen also picked off Northern Illinois quarterback Marcus Childers for a 40-yard touchdown to eventually seal the win for Utah.
“First time facing them, they are aggressive, long, athletic,” Carey said.
Utah’s defense also held Northern Illinois to 117 total rushing yards, but just 15 in the second half, including 1 yard in the fourth quarter. Carey said in his team's preparation for the Utes — watching film — he knew Utah's defense would play tough and his team would need to adjust during the game.
“That was what we expected on film," he said. Carey, though, credited his team's ability to run the ball against Utah's defense, saying "we ran the ball at times very effectively."
Huskies running backs Tre Harbison (63 yards), Marcus Jones (36 yards) and Jordan Nettles (29 yards) each had bursts of big yards through open holes to move the chains. Childers even had a long run of 19 yards, but they all came in the first half before Utah shut down the ground game.
“They made a couple adjustments to play more zone and get an extra guy in there," Carey said. "That’s why we started throwing the ball.”
Utah will look to grow from Saturday's game as the program prepares for its conference opener next weekend when Washington comes to Salt Lake City.
