[3] After being tied at the end of regulation, the game went into two overtime periods and eventually concluded with Northern Illinois winning 44–37.

[4] Multiple media outlets speculated that if Kent State won, it could earn a BCS bowl bid.

[5] Because of Northern Illinois' ranking entering the game, it had not been initially thought that the Huskies would be able to jump into the top 16 with a win, even with losses by UCLA and Texas.

[11] Their success can largely be attributed to their star quarterback, junior Jordan Lynch,[12] who achieved first-team all-MAC honors and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

[18] The Huskies' offensive line was anchored by left tackle Tyler Loos, who achieved second-team all-conference accolades.

[24] Kent State was led primarily by junior running back Dri Archer, who achieved first team all-MAC accolades.

[30] From an individual perspective, junior safety Luke Wollet led the team with four interceptions and achieved second-team all-MAC honors.

[32][33] Northern Illinois got the ball to start the game and, after three plays totaling three yards, were forced to punt, going three-and-out.

The final drive of the first quarter lasted 14 plays for 65 yards and ended in a Mathew Sims 27-yard field goal.

Kent State got the ball into the red zone, but ultimately settled for a field goal which cut NIU's lead to 4 points.

Northern Illinois' prolific offense continued their scoring by executing a 10-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 44-yard run by Lynch on a 4th and 1.

Northern Illinois' next drive lasted only one play, a fumble by Jordan Lynch that was returned by Kent State defender Zack Hitchens for a touchdown.

The Huskies got back on track by scoring a touchdown, a 9-yard run by Lynch, but the Golden Flashes responded with one of their own, a 19-yard pass from Keith to Tim Erjavec.

They were unsuccessful in doing so, however, as on 4th and 8, Keith threw an interception, thus ending the game with the Northern Illinois Huskies victorious by a score of 44–37.