DE KALB, Ill. — All good things come to an end, or so the old saying goes.

Bowling Green’s bid at an undefeated season vanished into the night here Saturday, as Northern Illinois built a 17-point lead in the first half and held off a furious BG comeback for a 26-17 victory in front of 25,822 spectators.

The loss ended BG’s 11-game win streak, and the 17 points scored was the Falcons’ lowest output of the season.

“I thought that football game was a great game for the conference and a great game for the country to see what the Mid-American Conference is all about,” BG Coach Urban Meyer said after the game.

For the first half, at least, the game wasn’t very indicative of two good football teams, as BG’s normally high-powered offense sputtered while Northern’s did not. Huskie kicker Steve Azar put the first points on the board with just a minute to go in the first half with a 27-yard field goal, and a tipped pass from BG quarterback Josh Harris on the ensuing drive set the Huskies up inside the BG 15 yard line. NIU quarterback Josh Haldi found receiver Dan Sheldon on the first play of the second quarter for a 12-yard score, and that quickly, it was a 10-0 game.

“I’m going to take responsibility — our team was not ready to play in the beginning of the game,” Meyer said. “You can’t do that against a good football team. They’re good on offense, defense and the kicking game.”

After another three-and-out by BG, Sheldon took Pat Fleming’s punt and raced up the left sideline, and was caught from behind by receiver James Hawkins at the BG 11. Two players later, Haldi found Shatone Powers for an 18-yard score, making the game 17-0 with 12 minutes to go in the half.

After a punt by each team, BG finally put points on the board, but not the kind they wanted. On first down from NIU’s 20, Harris looked for Hawkins over the middle, but Hawkins was unable to hold onto the ball at the goal line, forcing the Falcons to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham.

The defense held the Huskies scoreless throughout the rest of the half, and with a driving wind at their backs, Harris and company drove inside the Huskies’ 30. Suisham attempted his second field goal of the game, but missed wide left, keeping the NIU lead at 17-3 at halftime.

BG’s defense held the Huskies on their first possession of the second half, but the Falcons were unable to move the ball. After another Fleming punt, NIU drove and scored on another Azar field goal, making the score 20-3.

On the ensuing possession, BG would finally punch the ball into the end zone, as they ran one of their now-famous throwback plays. Receiver Cole Magner lined up behind center, but handed to Harris on a reverse. Harris found tailback Joe Alls in the back of the end zone, and BG cut the NIU lead to 10.

Once again, though, the Huskies drove, and despite being held inside the Falcon 10 again, Azar kicked his third field goal of the game — this one from 26 yards — and the Huskies had a 23-10 lead.

Harris and the offense, though, kicked into high gear, as Harris used three passes to Hawkins to move the Falcons into scoring position. On fourth down and goal, Harris eluded an NIU defender, and found Robert Redd in the end zone, cutting the Huskie lead to six at 23-17.

“We just started throwing the ball around a little bit more [in the second half],” Redd said. “We came into the game, and there was so much stuff going on, we just weren’t focused, and it showed in the second half. Everybody came together and played in the second half. … We needed to play four quarters of football, and we didn’t do that.”

The game would only get closer, as Janssen Patton intercepted a Haldi pass intended for Sheldon at his own seven, and returned it to the Falcon 30 yard line. The Falcons moved the ball to the 50, but Harris was stuffed on a fourth-down run, turning the ball over to NIU on downs. Azar would tally his fourth field goal of the day, providing the final margin at 26-17.

“It was a great victory,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “Our defense played real well. It was a huge help to have two weeks to prepare. Our kids went out and made plays and executed the game plan and did a great job of controlling their running game.” BG linebacker Chris Haneline talked about the Huskies’ offensive attack.

“We knew all week Northern Illinois had a tremendous offensive attack,” linebacker Chris Haneline said. “They have one of the best running backs in the nation. We really focused this week, and coming into this game on trying to slow him down a little bit. We had to get the offense the ball back in better situations; we held them to field goals, but those are still points on the board.” A huge factor in the game was NIU tailback Michael Turner, who is second nationally in rushing. Although he didn’t figure in the scoring, Turner ran for 201 yards on 40 carries.

“Our guys compared him [Turner] to [former Toledo running back] Chester Taylor,” Meyer said. “Our defense played very well. We held a good back in check. To win at Bowling Green, you’ve to got to play good defense, and we’re starting to play good defense again.”

The Huskies outrushed BG 198-86. Harris threw the ball a season-high 52 times, completing 27 for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Redd had a career-high 14 receptions for 119 yards.