Devon Akers will never forget the first reception of his college football career.
The former Ankeny standout caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Josh Holst during the second quarter of Northern Illinois’ 48-21 loss at Ohio on Saturday afternoon. It was the second career game for the tight end, who sat out his initial season in 2024 as a redshirt.
Akers’ touchdown was followed by a two-point conversion pass from Holst to George Dimopoulos, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to 21-8. Holst later threw a 50-yard scoring strike to DeAree Rogers in the third quarter to pull the Huskies within 34-14.
The pass to Rogers was the longest of the season for NIU (1-6), which went on to score a season-high 21 points on 293 yards of offense.
“We played faster and with more urgency in the second half,” said NIU coach Thomas Hammock. “We called plays at the line of scrimmage, which is what we need to do to pick up the tempo and let our guys play.”
Former Ankeny Centennial stars Trey and Elijah Porter have played in all seven games this season for the Huskies. Trey, a redshirt junior safety, has recorded five tackles and also forced a fumble. Elijah, a redshirt freshman running back, started one game and has made two tackles on special teams.