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 Draft Scout College Football Player News: Northern Illinois
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  2025 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ROY M. "LEGS" HAWLEY OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Taron Dickens, QB, R-So., Western Carolina,...Entering postseason play, Western Carolina's Dickens leads FCS football in seven offensive categories, including passing yards (3,508), completion percentage (.742) and passing TDs (38). His 38 touchdown passes set a new SoCon record for passing touchdowns in a season. Dickens passing efficiency rating of 188.24 this season broke Michael Payton's previous mark of 181.30 set in 1991. Dickens claimed SoCon Offensive Player of the Week three times this season, most recently on Monday after a four-touchdown performance at VMI. The other two wins came on Sept. 22 and Oct. 6.

On Oct. 4 at Wofford, Dickens completed his first 46 passes of the contest, setting a new NCAA record in the process. Dickens' performance against the Terriers led to him being named the Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Year. He was named honorable mention for the national honor on four other occasions. Combined with his final four completions from the week before at Campbell, Dickens' multi-game NCAA record is 50 consecutive completions. Dickens is the second Catamount quarterback in the past three seasons to be recognized as the conference's offensive player of the year, as Cole Gonzales received the honor from the media in 2023. - SoCon Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: SoCon Football
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  WEEK 13 SOCON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taron Dickens, R-So., QB, Western Carolina, Miami, Fla.,...Dickens accounted for four touchdowns in Western Carolina's 48-6 win over VMI. The native of Miami, Florida, logged 362 yards of total offense, throwing for 330 yards and rushing for 32 yards. The redshirt sophomore had touchdown passes of 12, 1 and 22 yards, along with a 3-yard score on the ground, marking his first touchdown run of the season. Dickens broke the SoCon's single-season record for touchdown passes in the contest, bringing his season total to 38 to top the mark of 36 set by Samford's Micheal Hiers in 2022 and Devlin Hodges in 2016. Dickens leads the FCS in passing yards (3,508). Other nominees: Devontae Houston (ETSU), Adjatay Dabbs (Mercer), and JT Fayard (Wofford). - SoCon Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: SoCon Football
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  Taron Dickens threw three touchdown passes in breaking the Southern Conference single-season passing TD record and leading Western Carolina to a 48-6 win over VMI in a regular-season finale on Saturday. Dickens was 28-of-40 passing for 332 yards with his three TD passes giving him 38 this season for the Catamounts (7-5, 6-2), passing Samford quarterbacks Michael Hiers (2022) and Devlin Hodges (2016) who each had 36. Dickens' record-breaking 37th touchdown pass came on a 16-yard score to Michael Rossin in the final minutes of the first half for a 24-3 lead. Dickens also ran for a 3-yard touchdown for the Catamounts' final touchdown. Markel Townsend and Branson Adams also rushed for touchdowns and Brayden Blackmon and Malik Knight had TD catches. Nana Utsey rushed for 137 yards and passed for 80 more for the Keydets (1-11, 0-8). - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  Jalen Macon accounted for four touchdowns in his first Northern Illinois start since transferring in, and the Huskies rolled past Massachusetts 45-3 on Wednesday. Macon, an FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer, became the first NIU quarterback to win his debut start with the program since Rocky Lombardi, who led a 22-21 upset of Georgia Tech in 2021. Macon ran for three scores and threw another, steering an NIU offense that piled up 318 rushing yards while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He finished with 98 yards on 12 attempts, including a 36-yard touchdown burst early in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 38-0. He also hit Elijah Porter for a 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the Huskies (3-7, 2-4 MAC).

Chavon Wright added 86 yards and a 1-yard touchdown, and backup Brady Davidson found Gary Givens for a 31-yard score to cap NIU's output with 8:16 left in the third. The Huskies scored on seven of their first eight possessions and recorded six plays of 20 yards or more. NIU's defense controlled every phase, holding UMass to 65 rushing yards on 25 carries and surrendering points only on a 44-yard field goal by Derek Morris with 6:13 left. The Minutemen (0-10, 0-6) managed just one red-zone trip and averaged 4.7 yards per pass attempt. Macon and Brady Davidson were 3-for-4 passing for the Huskies, combining for 115 yards and two touchdowns. UMass quarterbacks Brandon Rose and AJ Hairston combined for 197 yards, with Jacquon Gibson leading the receiving corps at 64 yards. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2027 QB Jalen Macon, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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  Taron Dickens threw four touchdown passes and Western Carolina beat Chattanooga 35-28 on Saturday night for the Catamounts' sixth straight win. The Mocs (4-5, 3-2 Southern Conference) rallied to get within seven on Justus Durant's 8-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter and were driving in the final minute, reaching the Catamounts' 5-yard line before Cam'Ron Dabney intercepted Camden Orth. Three of Dickens' TD tosses went to James Tyre in the first half and Western Carolina (6-3, 5-0) led 21-7 at the break before the Mocs rallied to tie on a pair of third-quarter touchdowns.

The Catamounts retook the lead for good in the final minute of the third quarter on Markel Townsend's 2-yard run that came after a quick 60-yard drive sparked by a 37-yard completion to Malik Knight to the Chattanooga 6. Dickens' 10-yard TD pass to Michael Rossin extended the lead to 35-21. The Mocs had rallied on Orth's 40-yard TD toss to Nathaniel Eberly-Rodriguez and the quarterback's 4-yard run late in the third quarter. Dickens was 18-of-29 passing for 225 yards. Orth was 15-of-27 for 241 yards but had two interceptions. Markell Quick had 126 yards receiving. - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  Chavon Wright and Telly Johnson Jr. combined for 266 yards rushing and a touchdown to lead Northern Illinois to a 21-7 victory over Ball State on Saturday. Johnson broke loose on a 53-yard touchdown run on the opening drive for Northern Illinois (2-6, 1-3 Mid-American Conference). Josh Holst added a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 14-yard TD pass to DeAree Rogers in the fourth for the Huskies, who ended a six-game losing streak. Wright had 166 yards rushing on 37 carries. Johnson ran the ball 15 times for 100 yards. Holst completed 6 of 11 passes for 65 yards with 36 yards on the ground. Kiael Kelly was 10-of-23 passing for 136 yards and threw a touchdown pass and two interceptions, and led Ball State (3-5, 2-2) with 86 yards rushing on 27 carries. Drew Cassens' 1-yard TD catch ended an 11-play, 80-yard drive for Ball State that tied it 7-7 early in the second quarter. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#130 RB) rSr/2026 RB Chavon Wright, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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  Taron Dickens threw for 369 yards with five touchdowns and Western Carolina defeated The Citadel 45-38 on Saturday. Dickens powered the top offense in the Southern Conference, completing 28 of 33 passes, and his 18-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Dutton gave the Catamounts a 45-31 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the game. The Citadel led 14-7 after one quarter before a short touchdown pass by Dickens and a 7-yard touchdown run from Markel Townsend helped Western Carolina (5-3, 4-0 Southern Conference) take a 24-17 lead at halftime.

Two more Dickens' TDs, the second a 37-yard connection with Malik Knight, led to a 38-24 lead through three quarters. The Bulldogs cut their deficit to seven points twice in the fourth quarter but a 38-yard non-scoring run by Townsend helped the Catamounts run out the clock. James Tyre had 112 yards and a touchdown catch for Western Carolina and Knight's 103 yards included two touchdowns. Townsend had 90 yards rushing. The Citadel (3-4, 2-2) had 278 rushing yards, led by quarterback Quentin Hayes with 90 yards but the Bulldogs attempted only nine passes despite trailing much of the last three quarters. Western Carolina has won five straight after starting the season 0-3. - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  WEEK 6 SOCON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taron Dickens, R-So., QB, Western Carolina, Miami, Fla.,...Dickens, who also won the honor on Sept. 22, set an NCAA passing record in Western Carolina's 23-21 road win at Wofford on Saturday. The native of Miami, Florida, threw for 378 yards, completing 53-of-56 passes, including connecting on his first 46 attempts, and three touchdowns. Dickens also ran for 44 yards in the contest. The 46 straight completions to begin the game established a new NCAA record for consecutive pass completions in a game at all levels of competition - NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III. The previous record was 28, set in 2013 by Princeton's Quinn Epperly. Dickens' 53 completions also set the school record for completions in a game, breaking Troy Mitchell's mark of 46, which was set in 2014 at USF. Dickens was named the Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week on Monday. On Saturday, he was featured on a segment on ESPN's SportsCenter and College Football Final, receiving a helmet sticker for his play against the Terriers. Other nominees: Devontae Houston (ETSU), Trey Hedden (Furman), Braden Atkinson (Mercer), Samuel Pickett III (Samford), Justus Durant (Chattanooga), and Noah Grevious (VMI). - SoCon Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: SoCon Football
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  Taron Dickens threw four touchdown passes, and the Western Carolina defense forced four turnovers in a 52-7 win over Furman in a Southern Conference rout on Saturday afternoon. Furman (4-2, 2-1) was derailed by turnovers. Despite a scoreless first quarter on either side, the game got away from the Paladins in the second frame.

After a 50-yard touchdown strike from Dickens to Michael Rossin, Gavin Hall returned the ball to the Catamounts (4-3, 3-0) on a fumble. Dickens found Joshua Perry on a 9-yard passing score for a 17-0 lead and a second touchdown in less than three minutes. A week after setting the FCS record with 46 consecutive completions to start the game, Dickens was 17 of 24 for 220 yards with another 60 on the ground. He was pulled at the 7:48 mark in the fourth quarter. Ken Moore Jr. led the Catamounts with two interceptions. Hasaan Sykes had the other. Trey Hedden was 18 of 35 for 208 yards and a touchdown for Furman. He had three interceptions and one fumble that the Paladins recovered. - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  WEEK 6 FCS NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taron Dickens, Western Carolina, QB, R-So., 5-11, 180,...Dickens shattered NCAA and FCS single-game records with 46 straight completions to begin Western Carolina's 23-21 win at Wofford in the Southern Conference. He finished 53-for-56 for 378 yards and three touchdowns, with the 94.6 completion percentage also an FCS record for a quarterback with 30+ completions. Dating to the Catamounts' Sept. 27 victory at Campbell, Dickens completed 50 straight pass attempts over the consecutive road games. Honorable Mention: Trey Hedden, QB, Furman; JaCobian Morgan, QB, Jackson State; Rodney Nelson, RB, Monmouth; Brady Olson, QB, Central Connecticut State; Chris Parson, QB, Austin Peay; L.J. Phillips Jr., RB, South Dakota; Michael Wortham, WR/RS, Montana. - Stats Perform FCS

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: Stats Perform FCS
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  Taron Dickens threw for 427 yards with four touchdown passes and Western Carolina defeated Campbell 42-35 on Saturday. The Catamounts scored 21 points in the second quarter and led 28-10 at halftime. Dickens' fourth TD pass - 10 yards to Patrick Boyd Jr. - made it 35-10 early in the third quarter. David Hulbert, Brayden Blackmon and Marcus Striggles also caught scoring passes from Dickens, who completed 26 of 40 passes. Wide receiver James Tyre threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Painter Richards-Baker for the Catamounts' final score and a 42-28 lead. Tyre caught six passes for 101 yards and Richards-Baker grabbed five for 99 yards for the Catamounts (2-3). Kamden Sixkiller threw for 205 yards and led the Fighting Camels (1-4) in rushing with 55 yards. Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox caught five passes for 124 yards. - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  WEEK 4 SOCON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taron Dickens, R-So., QB, Western Carolina, Miami, Fla.,...Dickens had one of the best passing games in SoCon history during Western Carolina's 50-35 victory over Samford. The redshirt sophomore went 35-for-46 through the air, finishing with 582 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes. His 582 passing yards, which were the second-most in conference history, and six passing scores set Whitmore Stadium records. The native of Miami, Florida, also ran for 42 yards, giving him a program-record 624 yards of total offense. Dickens' six touchdown passes also matched a Catamount record for one game. Other nominees: Ephraim Floyd (ETSU), Braden Atkinson (Mercer), Quincy Crittendon (Samford), Ryan Merklinger (Chattanooga), and Owen Sweeney (VMI). - SoCon Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: SoCon Football
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  WEEK 3 PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORABLE MENTION: Avery Jones, Lafayette, Jr., S, Philadelphia, Pa./Mount St. Joseph,...Jones recorded a career-high nine tackles to lead the Leopards' defense in a 42-37 victory over Georgetown. He helped Lafayette hold the Hoyas to 90 rushing yards. - Patriot League Football

(DS#999 SS) Sr/2027 SS Avery Jones, Northern Illinois
News Source: Patriot League Football
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  Taron Dickens had career highs with 582 yards passing and six touchdowns and Western Carolina pulled away from Samford in the third quarter for a 50-35 victory on Saturday night. Dickens was 35-of-46 passing and connected with 10 receivers. Camury Reid caught three touchdown passes and finished with four receptions for 107 yards, and he added 39 yards rushing and a short-yardage touchdown run.

Western Carolina (1-3, 1-0 Southern Conference) built a 21-20 halftime lead before Dickens threw three touchdown passes, including his 62-yarder to Reid, that capped a 29-point third quarter and stretched the Catamounts' lead to 50-26. Painter Richards-Baker, Josiah Thomas and James Tyre each had a touchdown catch and combined for 16 receptions for 191 yards for the Catamounts. Quincy Crittendon was 35-of-54 passing for 456 yards and threw each of his three touchdown passes to Calvin Jones, who finished with seven catches for 108 yards. C.J. Evans had a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Samford (0-4, 0-2). Jaden Gibson had nine receptions for 122 yards. - AP College Football

(DS#27 QB) rJr/2028 QB Taron Dickens, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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  Dev'ion Reynolds returned a fourth-quarter kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown and Northern Illinois defeated Holy Cross 19-17 on Saturday in a season opener for both teams. Reynolds' return gave NIU a lead that Cavon Wright extended to 19-10 with a 2-yard touchdown run. Holy Cross' Alijah Cason closed the gap with a 97-yard kickoff return late in the game.

Northern Illinois' Josh Holst finished 12 of 18 with 101 yards passing and an interception before Jackson Porter replaced him after Holst had to be helped off the field due to injury. NIU's Andrew Glass kicked field goals of 39 and 36 yards in the first half. Wright picked up 45 yards on his first touch in a Huskies uniform and finished with 77 yards on 11 carries. Cal Swanson went 17 of 29 with 155 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception for Holy Cross. Luis Palenzuela kicked a 33-yard field goal but missed from 41 in the third. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#999 CB) rSo/2029 CB Devion Reynolds, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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