KALAMAZOO, Mich.- After leading 21-10 at halftime, Western Michigan was held scoreless in the second half, falling to visiting Northern Illinois, 31-21, Friday at Waldo Stadium. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Broncos, who finish the regular season with an 8-4 overall, 6-2 Mid-American Conference record.

The eight victories is the most for the Broncos since posting nine in 2008, a feat WMU could still match in 2014 with a bowl win.

The bowl-eligible Broncos will await the announcement of the selection committees in the upcoming week on a possible post-season destination.

Western Michigan was plagued by six turnovers in Friday's loss to Northern Illinois, fumbling the ball away four times along with two picks on WMU quarterback Zach Terrell.

The Bronco defense and special teams however did their part to keep the offense alive. WMU recovered two NIU fumbles, blocked a field goal and recorded a safety. The Huskies also missed a field goal off of the left upright late in the fourth quarter.

NIU opened the game with a 7-0 lead when quarterback Drew Hare hit Aregero Turner with a screen and Turner raced 65 yards for a touchdown. Western Michigan responded with a 29-yard field goal by Andrew Haldeman and proceeded to rattle off 21-unanswered points to build a 21-7 advantage.

On WMU's next drive, Terrell found running back Jarvion Franklin for a 19-yard reception and Daniel Braverman for a 27-yard catch & run. That set the Broncos up for a 13-yard touchdown, Terrell through the air to Corey Davis, who made a spectacular grab to pull down the catch and get a foot down in bounds.

A botched Northern Illinois snap and a fumble recovery by WMU's Andre Turner gave Western Michigan excellent field position at NIU's 30. Franklin punched in a 2-yard run for his 24th rushing touchdown of the season. Haldeman missed the point after attempt and WMU led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Broncos forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Haldeman booted a 44-yard field goal to start the second quarter.

The second quarter was just as sloppy as the first however, with the two sides combining for five turnovers in the first 19 minutes of the game. Braverman muffed a fair catch on a punt and WMU was fortunate to avoid damage with a blocked Huskie field goal by Richard Ash.

WMU had a chance to really put distance between themselves and Northern Illinois in the second quarter, driving down to the 1-yard line but instead of coming away with a touchdown, Franklin had the ball stripped away. The Broncos again avoided the worst and managed to record a safety after NIU was flagged for a chop block in the end zone. That put the score at 21-7 in WMU's favor with 4:45 left in the second quarter. It would be the last Bronco score of the game. Northern Illinois kicked a field goal before the half to make it 21-10 WMU at the break.

Western Michigan still clung to a 21-17 lead at the end of the third quarter but Huskies scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth to complete the comeback.

Northern Illinois kept the pressure on Terrell in the second half, sacking WMU's quarterback three times in the fourth quarter. The last sack sealed the win for NIU as Western Michigan was only trailing 24-21 at that point and had an opportunity to put together a possible game-winning drive. The sack however resulted in a fumble and NIU converted the turnover into seven points, pushing its lead to 31-21 with under a minute remaining.

Western Michigan was held to just 91 yards of offense and completed just five passes in the second half.

Terrell finished 23-for-33 in passing for 256 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Braverman caught five balls for 88 yards and Davis hauled in five catches for 59 yards and one touchdown. Franklin had 94 yards on the ground rushing with one TD and caught a career-high five passes for an additional 45 yards receiving.

Senior safety Justin Currie led the Bronco defense with 11 tackles, followed by Ash who made six stops and had the blocked field goal. It was the final home game for WMU's 12 seniors, who were honored prior to the game.