Former Ankeny Centennial football standout Elijah Porter made the biggest play of his collegiate career in Northern Illinois’ 45-3 victory at Massachusetts on Wednesday night.
Porter, a redshirt freshman running back, caught a pass over the middle from Jalen Macon and raced 67 yards to the end zone for his first career touchdown with 11 minutes 42 seconds left in the first half. It was Macon’s first passing touchdown at NIU and the longest pass play of the year for the Huskies, extending their lead to 17-0.
Porter also had five carries for 27 yards in his most extensive action of the season in the backfield. The Huskies improved to 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference and 3-7 overall.
“I loved how guys stepped up and made plays tonight,” said NIU coach Thomas Hammock after the Huskies’ second win in the last three games. “Offensively, we scored the most points we’ve scored all year and that’s something we can build off of going forward. Our players worked really hard at practice to keep trying to play football the way we know how.”
Porter and his older brother Trey, a redshirt junior safety, have played in all 10 games for the Huskies. Trey has recorded five tackles and forced a fumble, while Elijah has also made five tackles while playing on special teams.
The Huskies return home to host Western Michigan on Tuesday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.