Northern Illinois football is the talk of college sports after upsetting No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-14, in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday. Following the game, Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock got emotional and teared up after his team's historic win.
“I'm so proud of our kids, the coaches, everybody,” Hammock said as tears fell from his eyes, clearly emotional. “They believed, they believed and we came here and got it done.”
The full interview from Northern Illinois HC Thomas Hammock will have you tearing up while wanting to run through a brick wall
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 7, 2024
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After one of the biggest wins in Northern Illinois football history, the Huskies are currently on cloud nine. They are tied for first in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) along with Toledo University. No other MAC team has faced a Top-5 opponent this season. Funny enough, the MAC had a 0-51 record against Top-5 teams before Saturday's victory.
For his part, Hammock later revealed part of the reason why the Northern Illinois football program made history.
“They listened to what I said,” Hammock said. “I told them all week, ‘We don't need luck. We just gotta be our best and they were their best today and we were able to get it done.”
How did Northern Illinois football pull the Top-5 upset against Notre Dame?
The Huskies played with more emotion than Notre Dame in the upset win. However, it wasn't only the passion and exuberance on full display. It was their literal game plan. Northern Illinois out-gained Notre Dame in total yards, 388-286. Quarterback Ethan Hampton outplayed Riley Leonard, by throwing 10-for-19, with 198 yards and a touchdown. Leonard threw 20-for-32 with 163 yards and two interceptions.
The redshirt junior is one of many upperclassmen for this Northern Illinois football program. Hammock described how sticking with the program makes this victory even sweeter.
“All these guys that have been with our program been through the ups and downs and, and they continue to fight,” Hammock said. “It's like they're my kids. I'm happy for the adversity to push through. No matter the situation, I just couldn't be more proud.”
In an atmosphere now with the transfer portal, name, image, and likeness, among other things, smaller teams have a harder time finding success. That isn't the case for the Huskies though, as they accomplished a historic feat.
“We got a veteran team, a bunch of guys that have been through a lot of different things and they work together,” Hammock said. “We still are in college football. I know with a whole bunch of other things; with the transfer portal, or NIL, we still have a family and, they believe in that family, in doing things the right way and I couldn't be more proud of them.”
Northern Illinois will face Buffalo in their first taste of MAC competition in Week 3.
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