DEKALB, Ill. (AP) Marcus Childers threw for three touchdowns, and a late interception by Northern Illinois preserved the Huskies' 24-16 win over Central Michigan in a Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday.

With CMU at the Huskies' 15-yard line, Vinny Labus intercepted Tommy Lazzaro's pass that bounced off the hands of Cameron Cole with 20 seconds left.

Down 21-3, Lazzaro replaced starter Tony Poljan to begin the comeback in third quarter. Lazzaro scored on a 6-yard run to make it 21-10, and on CMU's next possession, led the Chippewas 73 yards on a drive that ended when he connected with Julian Hicks on a 4-yard scoring pass that made it 24-16 with 9:43 left.