How Northern Illinois managed an amazing upset and included

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterSep 9, 2024, 08:00 AM ET

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• College football reporter.
• Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
• Graduate of Northwestern University.Thomas Hammock had every feeling rush

through him Saturday, except for one.Hammock, the Northern Illinois coach, had watched his group, representing his university, take down No. 5 Notre Dame in the state where he grew up. His moms and dads existed. So were his wrestling coach and 15-20 teammates from Bishop Luers High in Fort Wayne, Indiana, situated about 95 miles from Notre Dame Stadium. “I couldn’t find them after the game, however they sent out pictures,”Hammock told ESPN on Saturday night, as NIU’s team buses neared the Indiana-Illinois state line.”All of my pals, they’re Notre Dame fans. But for this one day, they supported the Huskies.” What a day it was as Northern Illinois stunned Notre Dame 16-14, taping its first-ever win against an AP top-five challenger and the first such success by a Mid-American Conference group. The upset earned the Huskies the No. 25 ranking in the AP poll– before this week, they hadn’t been ranked since 2013. Because 1983, NIU has actually kept a log of” Boneyard Victories, “wins versus major-conference challengers and other notable foes with larger brands and spending plans. As an NIU running back in 2002, Hammock helped protect one by hurrying for 172 backyards in a 42-41 overtime win against Wake Forest. He would never play again after experiencing signs from what would be diagnosed as a career-ending heart condition.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated The next year, Hammock enjoyed NIU add to the Boneyard with wins over Alabama, Maryland and Iowa State (before Saturday, the Alabama game was NIU’s last win versus a ranked nonleague challenger). After returning as coach in 2019

, he led the Huskies to wins over Georgia Tech in 2021 and Boston College last year. But no win would suggest more than one over Notre Dame, which is why it struck all the chords for Hammock.” When you have actually been with guys a very long time, and you consider all the hard work and sacrifice that they’ve put in, that we have actually all put in, and to collaborate, find a way, the emotions conquered me,”Hammock said.

“It’s substantial. Clearly, I have a lot of pride in NIU.”How much, precisely?”He called his child after a dorm on campus, “stated athletic director Sean Frazier, referring to the middle name of Hammock’s boy, Thomas Douglas. Thomas Sr. fulfilled his better half at Douglas Hall.”This man is a Huskie,” Frazier continued.”He returned home. I’m just so delighted for him and his family. He deserves this minute. Our kids deserve this moment.

“The one feeling Hammock didn’t feel Saturday was surprise. He knew when he studied Notre Dame six days before the game that Northern Illinois would have a genuine possibility to win.

Hammock particularly liked how the Huskies matched up at the line of scrimmage.He frontloaded NIU’s week with more demanding practices on Monday and Tuesday, which gave players ‘bodies time to recover.”The more we watched film, the more we recognized this is a beatable team,”quarterback

Ethan Hampton told ESPN.”I’ll take our O-line over anyone in the nation.” The Huskies outgained Notre Dame 388-286, transformed two times as many third-down possibilities and allowed only 2 plays of longer than 19 lawns. They likewise obstructed 2 field goal efforts, consisting of a 62-yard effort in the last seconds.While Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love had the emphasize of the game, a hurdling touchdown run, NIU running back Antario Brown delivered the leading offending efficiency with 126 receiving lawns and 99 hurrying yards.”It wasn’t a fluke win,”Hammock stated.

“We were great in the trenches, and those guys were the difference in the game. We build our program inside-out, so you need to be able to win there to give yourself an opportunity in games like this.

Those guys played their butts off. “Hammock’s players likewise understand the magnitude of what they accomplished. Hampton said he looks forward to telling his future kids about the win. He also recognized what it implied for his coach.” No one likes NIU more than Coach Ham,”Hampton stated. “He imparts that into us. He played here, he wishes to be here, so when you have a coach that believes in you and that is happy to be part of the NIU program, it makes you play better

.”Northern Illinois still had to mount a drive– and overcome a highly questionable ball spot– to secure the win. Gavin Williams appeared to clear the marker on a third-and-2 run from the Notre Dame 20-yard line, which would have enabled

NIU to get closer for a basket effort and drain more time. But authorities identified the ball short, forcing 4th down and a Notre Dame timeout with 36 seconds left. Hammock asked to challenge the area but was informed an evaluation– which supported the area– had actually currently been initiated. “We were currently in field goal variety, so I wasn’t going to let that a person play determine the result of the game, “Hammock said.”I was confident with our unique groups operation that we could make the kick, and after that we simply needed to go back out there and play defense one more time.

“Kanon Woodill drilled his 3rd basket, and the defense kept Notre Dame out of practical basket range to secure the win. “This is such a substantial declaration for the program and for NIU,”Frazier stated.”There’s a lot of people talking about Group of 5, Power 4, the cash and the resources and NIL. It has to do with the players and it’s about lining up and banging heads and [may] the best male win. You saw that [

Saturday]”Frazier knew Hammock from their time together at Wisconsin– Hammock was a Badgers assistant from 2011 to 2013, while Frazier functioned as the school’s deputy athletic director– and offered him a head-coaching opportunity that likely would not have come anywhere else. NIU went winless in 2020, won the MAC in 2021 and after that went 3-9 the list below year. However Hammock has actually supported the program. NIU won a bowl game last season. The group has tape-recorded a grade-point average of 3.0 or better in 9 consecutive terms, barely a surprise since its coach was a two-time Academic All-America choice when he played.NIU deals with the typical Group of 5 difficulties, consisting of lineup churn and resources. The program’s motto is:”The Hard Method. “But wins like Saturday’s have long-lasting effect.”My vision and goal was always to grow the university back to what it was with registration, fundraising, all those things, “Hammock said.”To do that, you need to win games like this, where your alumni get

delighted. They wish to give back, they wish to belong of a program. I know how big that Alabama game was to assist develop centers and things like that.”Hopefully, this one can do the very same thing.”