Demerist Whitfield intercepted three passes, including one that he returned 30 yards for a touchdown, and blocked one punt in leading Northern Illinois to a 52-0 victory over Illinois State, Saturday at DeKalb.
Both teams are now 1-1.
NIU drove 90 yards on its opening possession, but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Brian Grider.
When the Redbirds went on the offensive so did Whitfield. On the first ISU play, Whitfield picked off a Kevin Glenn pass to the right flat and ran it back 30 yard for a TD.
Northern added 28 points in the second period and led comfortably at the half, 38-0. Due to Illinois State breakdowns, two of the Huskies scoring drives covered less than 20 yards.
Illinois States offense never got untracked. Twelve of the Redbirds 16 possessions failed to yield a first down.
The shutout loss ended a string of 28 consecutive games in which the Redbirds had scored, dating back to a 13-0 loss at Youngstown State in 1997. It was the 10th straight loss to a I-A foe by the I-AA Birds.
Glenn had been intercepted just 24 times in 30 games heading into Saturdays contest, but was picked off four times by Northern. Three of Illinois States first five possessions ended with an interception.
Thomas Hammock led the NIU offense with 29 carries for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Wide receiver Jon Laurenti, whose brother plays linebacker at Northern Illinois, was a bright spot for the ISU offense with five receptions for 48 yards.
Outside linebacker Ryan Szokola and safety Edgar Biddles led the defense with 13 tackles each, while inside linebacker Hamilton Wells added 12.
ISU senior cornerback Armando Andrade broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg on NIUs first offensive possession. He will miss the remainder of the season.
Illinois State returns to action, Saturday, at Southeast Missouri State.
