The 2024 season's largest margin: Northern Illinois 54, Western Illinois 15. A 39-point win — the year's high-water mark.
2024 — The Winning Chapter
Northern Illinois's 2024 season (8-5) is a middle chapter: table-stakes progress, no crown in the ledger, the program still writing the book.
The Shape — week-by-week · cumulative W–L below
Who carried it
- Ethan HamptonQB1,608 passing yards
- Josh HolstQB593 passing yards
- Gavin WilliamsRB749 rushing yards
- Antario BrownRB567 rushing yards
- Telly Johnson Jr.RB480 rushing yards
- Trayvon RudolphWR403 receiving yards
- Cam ThompsonWR388 receiving yards
- Grayson BarnesTE338 receiving yards
- Jaden DolphinLB61 tackles
- Christian FuhrmanLB61 tackles
- Santana BannerS54 tackles
- Devonte O'MalleyDT8.5 sacks
- Roy WilliamsDE6.5 sacks
- Skyler Gill-HowardDL4.5 sacks
Season leaders, 2024.
The season's deepest loss: Northern Illinois 9, Miami (OH) 20. A 11-point margin the season is remembered by.
The season's last act: Northern Illinois beat Fresno State 28-20 in the postseason.
"Forward, Together Forward"
2024 is a middle chapter for Northern Illinois — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.