Wright, Johnson Jr. combine for 266 yards rushing, lead Northern Illinois over Ball State 21-7

Updated: Oct 25, 2025, 06:59 pm

DEKALB, Ill. -- — Chavon Wright and Telly Johnson Jr. combined for 266 yards rushing and a touchdown to lead Northern Illinois to a 21-7 victory over Ball State on Saturday.

Johnson broke loose on a 53-yard touchdown run on the opening drive for Northern Illinois (2-6, 1/3 Mid-American Conference). Josh Holst added a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 14-yard TD pass to DeAree Rogers in the fourth for the Huskies, who ended a six-game losing streak.

Wright had 166 yards rushing on 37 carries. Johnson ran the ball 15 times for 100 yards. Holst completed 6 of 11 passes for 65 yards with 36 yards on the ground.

Kiael Kelly was 10-of-23 passing for 136 yards and threw a touchdown pass and two interceptions, and led Ball State (3-5, 2-2) with 86 yards rushing on 27 carries.

Drew Cassens' 1-yard TD catch ended an 11-play, 80-yard drive for Ball State that tied it 7-7 early in the second quarter.

------

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football