Final Score: Northern Illinois 63, Toledo 60

Toledo, OH (Sports Network) - Perez Ashford's four-yard reception in the right corner of the end zone put the exclamation point on the highest scoring non- overtime game in Mid-American Conference history, as Northern Illinois outlasted Toledo, 63-60, in a back-and-forth battle.

Chandler Harnish's toss to Ashford with 19 seconds left in regulation was his sixth touchdown pass in a shootout that featured 1,121 yards from scrimmage and eight lead changes in the second half.

Harnish added 133 yards on the ground to go with 265 passing yards, 120 of which went to Nathan Palmer, who had three TDs in Northern Illinois' (6-3, 4-1 MAC) fourth straight win.

Tommylee Lewis returned two kickoffs for touchdowns for the victors.

Austin Dantin threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns -- all to Eric Page. Page wound up with nine grabs for 150 yards, while Adonis Thomas compiled 160 yards and two scores on 25 carries for the Rockets (5-4, 4-1), who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Harnish threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Palmer near the end of the first quarter, then heaved a deep ball to Palmer for a 71-yard score five minutes into the second for a 28-14 lead.

Page's five-yard TD grab and Jeremiah Detmer's 41-yard field goal cut the deficit to 28-24 heading to the break, and Dantin took one in himself from five yards out early in the third for Toledo's first lead, starting the tug- of-war tussle.

Page hauled in a 60-yard touchdown between TD grabs by Da'Ron Brown and Palmer, and Toledo's Ryan Casano opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 33- yard field goal.

Harnish connected with Willie Clark for a 15-yard score with just under 12 minutes to play, and Toledo countered with a Page 13-yard TD grab and a Thomas four-yard run to paydirt. The Rockets failed on the two-point conversion on both occasions, however, and led 53-49 with 10 1/2 minutes showing.

Jasmin Hopkins and Thomas exchanged short runs over the goal line later in the fourth, the latter's coming with 4:16 remaining.

Harnish then orchestrated a nine-play, 66-yard drive that Ashford capped with the game-winning score in the closing seconds.

The first quarter played out as if it were a scene in the movie 'Groundhog Day.' Lewis returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score, and Page ended a nine-play, 67-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown grab. Lewis took back the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to paydirt, only to have Page haul in another 12-yard TD a short time later.