Oxford, OH -- (Sports Network) - Northern Illinois jumped out to a 17-0 first- quarter lead and hung on to defeat the Miami-Ohio RedHawks, 27-22, in a Mid-American Conference game at Yager Stadium.

Chad Spann ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies (4-3, 2-1 MAC), who produced 202 yards on the ground. The Huskies' defense limited the RedHawks to minus-11 rushing yards and sacked Miami quarterback Zac Dysert eight times on the day. NIU signal-caller DeMarcus Grady converted just 6- of-10 passes for 60 yards as he was sacked two times on the day.

Dysert was 27-of-37 through the air for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but the RedHawks (0-8, 0-4) still lost their 13th consecutive game, the second- longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind Western Kentucky entering the weekend.

The RedHawks actually outgained the Huskies 337-262.

Spann got on the board for the Huskies on a 42-yard run with eight minutes left in the first quarter. Mike Salerno followed up with a 44-yard field goal three minutes later, before Perez Ashford extended the Northern Illinois lead with a 44-yard punt return for a touchdown with more than two minutes still left in the period.

Miami got on the board in the final minute of the first half when Dysert hit Armand Robinson with a 14-yard scoring pass, cutting the deficit to 17-7 at the break.

There was no further scoring until the fourth quarter when Miami's Trevor Cook booted a 32-yard field goal to bring his team to within a touchdown at 17-10 with just under 13 minutes remaining in regulation.

Salerno responded with a 25-yard field goal of his own with just over six minutes left.

The RedHawks drew closer when Dysert found Jamal Rogers with a four-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left, but Spann gave his team a two-score advantage a minute later, finding the end zone from 40 yards out.

Dysert connected with Robinson for a 24-yard touchdown on the last play of the game, capping a six-play, 71-yard drive that consumed less than a minute on the clock.

The last victory for Miami took place against Bowling Green a season ago, a 27-20 triumph on October 18, 2008. The RedHawks have now dropped nine straight conference outings and six in a row at home.