MT. PLEASANT, Michigan (Ticker) -- Northern Illinois got its running game on track just in time for a big comeback.
Michael Turner ran for a season-high 199 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns as 18th-ranked Northern Illinois rallied for a 40-24 victory over Central Michigan in a Mid-American Conference matchup.
The Huskies struggled with their running game against Ohio last week, managing just 36 yards on 30 carries. Turner was limited to 43 yards on 15 carries just one week after he became the school's all-time leading rusher.
Turner bounced back on Saturday as Northern Illinois (6-0, 2-0 MAC West) maintained its best start since 1985. He recorded his 16th career 100-yard game as the Huskies gained 206 of their 404 yards on the ground.
Northern Illinois trailed, 17-3, at halftime but came from behind for the sixth time in as many games this season. He had a 47-yard touchdown run just 2:09 into the third quarter as the Huskies scored three touchdowns in less than six minutes.
"We figured we had to score right away after halftime," Northern Illinois coach Jim Novak said. "Michael's long run got us going Then we had a lot of different people step up and make big plays today. This team keeps believing in itself."
Quarterback Ryan Gilbert and A.J. Harris had touchdown runs to give Northern Illinois a 24-17 lead with 7:17 left before Central Michigan tied it on a touchdown pass from Derrick Vickers 4:20 later.
Turner gave the Huskies the lead for good at 31-24 when he capped a 54-yard drive with a two-yard plunge with 46 seconds to go in the period.
"We got the victory, but I wish we wouldn't do it like this," Novak said. "They made me mad in the first half, but we keep finding a way to win."
Turner has 4,049 career yards and is just the 10th player in conference history to eclipse the 4,000-yard plateau.
Northern Illinois intercepted Vickers three times in the fourth quarter, leading to three field goals from Steve Azar.
P.J. Fleck caught six passes for 93 yards as the Huskies extended their winning streak over the Chippewas to a school-record six games.
Northern Illinois starting quarterback Josh Haldi completed 14-of-23 passes for 147 yards before he was shaken up in the third quarter. He was replaced Gilbert, who was 3-of-4 for 51 yards.
"Kudos to Ryan Gilbert," Novak said. "He's a guy who has played very little. But he had to step in there in a tough situation, and he did a nice job."
Vickers completed 17-of-31 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown, but threw four interceptions for the Chippewas, who also had a punt blocked, setting up Gilbert's touchdown run.
