NIU’s late FG falls No
SOUTH BEND, Ind.– Kanon Woodill struck a 35-yard basket with 31 seconds to play, Cade Haberman obstructed a 62-yard try as time expired and Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 on Saturday.Haberman blocked the 62-yard effort by Notre Dame’s Mitch Jeter, enabling the joyous Huskies to declare their very first nonconference success against a ranked opponent given that a 19-16 upset of No. 21 Alabama in 2003. It was likewise the Huskies’ very first success over
a top-10 challenger and the very first by a Mid-American Conference team versus an AP top-five team; the MAC was previously 0-51 versus such opponents.Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock was psychological after
the significant victory.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated”We didn’t require luck,”Hammock said. “That was our style.
I didn’t think we
required luck. We just require to play our finest. It wasn’t the cleanest for us, however we played hard for four quarters and remained together. They interacted, they thought, and they made enough plays to win a game.”This is a program-changing type win, no various than when we beat Alabama a while ago [in 2003]”Hammond stated his Huskies determined up to Notre Dame. “I think we were bigger than what they thought,” Hammock stated.”We’re not a normal MAC group, in my opinion. We approve the offending and defensive lines and we’re physical. I didn’t look at it as an inequality because capability.” The Fighting Irish fell as 28.5-point favorites, according to ESPN BET. After going into the day at 16-1 to win the national championship, they dropped to 75-1 after the loss.Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman stated the loss was frustrating, especially on the heels of an excellent roadway win over then-No.
20 Texas A&M.”You know, it’s our job as coaches to ensure these guys are prepared to go. You go from the highest of highs to the most affordable of lows in a tale of two weeks, however we have actually got to own this thing,”Freeman said. “As coaches and players, we’ve got to own it, and we’ve got to fix it. “< img height ="320"width=" 570" src=" https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/41168403/"
/ > Northern Illinois ‘upset of Notre Dame marked the MAC’s very first win over an AP top-five team. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire
Notre Dame (1-1) appeared like it was in position to get some separation from Northern Illinois (2-0) as it clung to a 14-13 lead in the 4th quarter. The Combating Irish gained belongings after a punt with 7:49 left and drove from their 25 to the Northern Illinois 49.
Combating Irish quarterback Riley Leonard launched a pass deep up the middle intended for Kris Mitchell, however Amariyun Knighten made the interception and returned it 33 yards to the 50-yard line with 5:55 to play.
“It was an entirely bad read,” Leonard stated of the interception. “That single high security was connected to the within post. I thought he would not connect once again. Bad eyes, bad feet, bad ball. That resulted in a pick. Can’t take place. Completely my fault.”
The Huskies worked the clock and drove to the Notre Dame 19, setting the stage for Woodill’s field goal. A crucial play on the drive was transforming a fourth-and-2 with a 3-yard run by quarterback Ethan Hampton to the Notre Dame 28.
The first-down conversion from Hampton, who was 10-of-19 for 198 backyards and a goal, established the winning field goal from Woodill, his 3rd made kick of the day.
“It’s incredible,” Hampton stated of the success. “It’s something I’ll keep in mind forever. I matured a Huskie fan. Playing here has actually been a dream for me.”
Notre Dame struck initially as Leonard sidestepped the defense for an 11-yard touchdown run with 8:28 left in the very first quarter.It took only
five plays for Northern Illinois to answer as Antario Brown broke loose in between 2 protective backs for an 83-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Hampton.A set of basket by Woodill from 42 and 21 backyards gave the Huskies a 13-7 halftime lead. Notre Dame had the possibility to make it 13-10 before the half, but Haberman blocked a 48-yard try from Jeter.Woodill missed a 53-yard field goal attempt on the very first belongings of the 2nd half, and Notre Dame took advantage.Jeremiyah Love broke out for a 34-yard touchdown run, hurdling a protector en route to
completion zone. Jeter’s additional point offered Notre Dame a 14-13 lead with 8:34 left in the 3rd quarter.Leonard ended up 20-of-32 for 163 backyards and 2 interceptions.ESPN Statistics & Info and The Associated Press added to this report.