Northern Illinois (2-0) sprung the biggest upset in its program history on Saturday, defeating the No. 5 Fighting Irish 16-14 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Huskies spoiled Notre Dame’s home opener, pushing around the hosts on both sides of the ball. The win marked Northern Illinois’ first-ever victory over a Top 10 opponent in the program’s 57-season history. The massive upset—Northern Illinois was a 28.5 underdog—was Notre Dame’s first-ever loss to a Mid-American Conference school.
“I’m so proud of our kids, the coaches, just everybody,” said a tearful Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock on NBC immediately following the emotional win. “They believed, and we came here and got it done. They listened to what I said. I told them all week that we don’t need luck. We’ve just got to be our best. And that was their best today. All these guys have been with the program, lived through the ups and downs, and have continued to fight. It’s like they are my kids. I just couldn’t be more proud.”
Huskies Outplay the Irish to Make History
Led by quarterback Ethan Hampton and running back Antario Brown, the Huskies outplayed the Irish from start to finish. NIU’s offensive was explosive. It extended drives all day. And the Huskies controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The outcome: their first nonconference victory against a ranked opponent since a 19-16 upset of No. 21 Alabama in 2003.
The standout player of the game was Brown. The Irish did not have an answer for the dynamic running back. Brown rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries (5.0 average). He caught two passes for 126 yards, accounting for 225 yards of total offense for the Huskies. Brown was injured late in the game and was helped off the field.
On the game-winning drive, Northern Illinois drove down the field to get in field goal position with time running out. Kicker Kanon Woodill nailed a 35-yard field goal with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game to put the Huskies up 16-14.
Love in the Air
The lone bright spot for Notre Dame on Saturday came courtesy of running back Jeremiyah Love. After scoring a touchdown in last week’s win over Texas A&M, Love broke loose for a 34-yard score against Northern Illinois in the third quarter. It was a thing of beauty. The offensive line created a gaping hole for Love. He darted through the right side, hurdled a defender, and scampered to the end zone for an epic score. A Mitch Jeter extra point gave Notre Dame a 14-13 lead with a little over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Irish, however, failed to capitalize. All told, Love carried 11 times for 79 yards on Saturday (7.2 average). He added a pair of receptions for 10 yards.
The Irish attempted a potential game-winning 62-yard field goal by Jeter with time expiring but Cade Haberman of the Huskies blocked the attempt. It was the Huskies’ second blocked field goal of the game.
Irish Must Regroup After Stunning Loss to Northern Illinois
Saturday afternoon started splendidly for the Irish in front of an energetic crowd. Notre Dame marched down the field for a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive following the opening kickoff. Quarterback Riley Leonard capped off the successful and time-eating drive with a short touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead. After that drive, the Irish offense was stagnant, and Leonard struggled. For the game, he connected on 20 of 32 pass attempts for 163 yards. Additionally, he rushed for an additional 16 yards on 11 carries. Even worse than the poor decision-making and a couple of missed throws, Leonard threw a pair of costly interceptions.
“It’s disappointing,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said in his post-game press conference “It’s our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to go. And we’ve got to go back and evaluate the way we prepare and figure out exactly where the mishaps occurred in preparation.
“I’ve always said that performance is a reflection of preparation,” Freeman continued. “We have to figure out where we failed in preparation. It’s disappointing when you go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in two weeks. We have to own this thing as players and coaches. We’ve got to fix it. We’ve been here before. Now it’s time to get it fixed.”
Instant Reaction
Following the dramatic Week 1 victory over Texas A&M in College Station, Notre Dame came back to earth on Saturday. After looking like a College Football Playoff contender in a tough win a week ago, the team did not resemble a post-season contender against Northern Illinois. It was a dismal effort on all fronts—the offense, defense, and special teams struggled. In the end, it’s on Freeman, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, and running backs coach Deland McCullough to figure out the offense if the Irish are going to be competitive the rest of the way.
Notre Dame’s stunning upset at the hands of Northern Illinois is a humbling reminder to stay grounded, even after a significant victory. By all accounts, Notre Dame should have been able to take care of business and put the Huskies away. Instead, it was the Huskies taking care of business and making history at Notre Dame’s expense. And it was expensive in more ways than one. According to Front Office Sports, Notre Dame paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million to play the game in South Bend. Despite the unexpected loss, the Irish now face a crucial juncture in their season. They must regroup and return next week against Purdue with a renewed determination to salvage their 2024 campaign.
