2024 Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame football game

Last updated
Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame, 2024
Non-conference game
NotreDameStadiumNight.jpg
Notre Dame Stadium in 2021, the venue of the game
Northern Illinois Huskies Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(1–0)(1–0)
MAC Independent
1614
Head coach: 
Thomas Hammock 		Head coach: 
Marcus Freeman
AP Coaches
NRNR
AP Coaches
57
1234Total
Northern Illinois1030316
Notre Dame707014
DateSeptember 7, 2024
Season 2024
Stadium Notre Dame Stadium
Location South Bend, Indiana
Favorite Notre Dame by 28.5
Referee Tim Hedgepeth (ACC)
Attendance77,622
United States TV coverage
Network NBC
Announcers Dan Hicks and Jason Garrett

The 2024 Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame game was a regular season college football game between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on September 7, 2024. Going into the game, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame both held 1–0 records, with the Huskies defeating Western Illinois at home and the Fighting Irish defeating No. 20 Texas A&M on the road. Ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, Notre Dame was widely expected to win the game, with the spread favoring Notre Dame by 28.5. [1] Northern Illinois ultimately achieved an upset victory, however, defeating the Fighting Irish 16–14 after scoring a game-winning field goal with 31 seconds left. [2]

Contents

While only occurring in the second week of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the upset was significant because it marked the first time Northern Illinois had defeated a team ranked in the AP poll's top 10. [3] The Huskies were rewarded for their victory by being granted No. 25 in the subsequent AP poll, marking the first time Northern Illinois had been ranked since the 2013 season. [4] The victory also siginifcantly improved the reputation of the Huskies' head coach Thomas Hammock among Northern Illinois fans. [5]

Upon the game's completition, the upset was called "historic" by several outlets and commentators. [6] [7] Sports Illustrated called it "unquestionably the biggest win in program history." [8] The game's commentators on NBC called it the "biggest upset" in the history of Northern Illinois University. [9]

Background

This was the first ever college football matchup between Northern Illinois and Notre Dame.

Northern Illinois

The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies, led by sixth-year head coach Thomas Hammock, were picked to finish tied for third in the conference in the MAC. [10] [11] The Huskies began the season facing off against FCS team Western Illinois in their home field, Huskie Stadium, in which they won 54–15. [12] Northern Illinois was looking for its second-straight bowl appearance after winning the Camellia Bowl last year. [13]

Notre Dame

The 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, led by third-year head coach Marcus Freeman, were ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP poll. [14] Notre Dame opened the season on the road against No. 20 Texas A&M, in which they won 23–13. [15] Notre Dame rose to No. 5 in the following weekly AP poll, prior to the matchup against Northern Illinois. [16]

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP Northern IllinoisNotre Dame
18:2813756:25Notre DameRiley Leonard 11-yard touchdown run, Mitch Jeter kick good07
15:355982:51Northern IllinoisAntario Brown 83-yard touchdown reception from Ethan Hampton, Kanon Woodill kick good77
12:135301:27Northern Illinois42-yard field goal by Kanon Woodill107
213:395512:08Northern Illinois21-yard field goal by Kanon Woodill137
38:346642:43Notre DameJeremiyah Love 34-yard touchdown run, Mitch Jeter kick good1314
40:3111315:24Northern Illinois35-yard field goal by Kanon Woodill1614
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.1614

Source: [17]

Statistical summary

Northern IllinoisNotre Dame
1st Downs1617
3rd down Efficiency6–163–10
4th down Efficiency1–20–0
Total Yards388286
Passing Yards198163
Completions/Attempts10/2020/33
Yards per pass9.94.9
Rushing Yards190163
Rushing Attempts4528
Penalties/Yards3–353–35
Turnovers02
Interceptions00
Fumbles lost00
Time of Possession34:3825:22

Source: [18]

Aftermath

Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois improved to 2–0 following their victory against Notre Dame, and was ranked No. 25 on the AP poll the day after. This marked the first time that they were ranked in the poll since 2013. [19] [20] The Huskies were on a bye the next week, and they rose to No. 23 in the next AP poll. [21] The week following the bye, Northern Illinois would face the Buffalo Bulls in conference play. Although they tied up the game with a field goal with 24 seconds left in regulation, the Huskies ultimately lost to Buffalo in overtime, 23–20, handing them the first loss of the season. [22] Northern Illinois then went on to lose four more games throughout the season, finishing the season with a 7–5 record (4–4 in MAC play), and therefore earning the Huskies a bowl game for the second straight season. [23]

Notre Dame

Following the loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame fell all the way down to No. 18 in the next AP poll. [20] This would be the only loss of the regular season for the Fighting Irish, as they went on a 10-game winning streak, including 3 victories against ranked opponents. After defeating USC on the road in the last week of the regular season, Notre Dame finished the season with an 11–1 record, and are guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff. [24]

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The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represents Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies are led by Thomas Hammock in his sixth year as the head coach. The Huskies play home games at Huskie Stadium, located in DeKalb, Illinois.

References

  1. ↑ "Northern Illinois 16-14 Notre Dame (Sep 7, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  2. ↑ "Huskies Stun Fifth-Ranked Notre Dame in South Bend". NIU Athletics. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  3. ↑ "Northern Illinois stuns No. 5 Notre Dame for first-ever win over a top-10 team". Yahoo Sports. 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  4. ↑ "How Northern Illinois pulled off an incredible upset and added Notre Dame to its 'Boneyard'". ESPN.com. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  5. ↑ "Forde-Yard Dash: Northern Illinois's Upset of Notre Dame Rallied the Base for Coach Thomas Hammock". SI. 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  6. ↑ Williams, James H. "Notre Dame upset by NIU: Instant reactions to historic Northern Illinois win". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  7. ↑ "Northern Illinois Makes All Kinds of History in Stunning Upset of No. 5 Notre Dame". SI. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  8. ↑ "Notre Dame STUNNED at home by Northern Illinois". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  9. ↑ Morse, Ben (2024-09-08). "Northern Illinois shocks No. 5 Notre Dame in 'biggest upset' in school's history". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ↑ "Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 19, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 19, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Huskies Overwhelm Western Illinois in Opener". Northern Illinois Huskies. August 31, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "NIU Defeats Arkansas State 21-19 for Camellia Bowl Win". Northern Illinois Huskies. December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Georgia No. 1, Ohio State No. 2 in preseason AP Top 25". ESPN. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  15. ↑ "Clutch Drive Earns Hard-Fought Win At Texas A&M". Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI. August 31, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  16. ↑ Russo, Ralph (2024-09-03). "Florida State drops out of AP Top 25 after 0-2 start. Texas up to No. 3 behind Georgia, Ohio State". AP. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  17. ↑ "Northern Illinois 16–14 Notre Dame (Sep 7, 2024) Play-by-Play". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  18. ↑ "Northern Illinois 16–14 Notre Dame (Sep 7, 2024) Team Stats". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  19. ↑ Wiles, Ethan (2024-09-09). "No. 25 Ranked NIU Named Cheez-It Team of the Week". 13 WREX. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  20. 1 2 Russo, Ralph (2024-09-08). "AP Top 25: SEC grabs six of the first seven spots in rankings as Notre Dame tumbles to No. 18". AP. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  21. ↑ "Texas leapfrogs Georgia for No. 1 spot in AP Top 25". ESPN. 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  22. ↑ "Huskies Fall to Buffalo in Overtime, 23-20". Northern Illinois Huskies. September 21, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Quick Start Leads Huskies to 24-16 Senior Day Victory". Northern Illinois Huskies. November 30, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  24. ↑ "No. 5 Notre Dame punches CFP ticket with 2 late interception return TDs to beat USC 49-35". ESPN. 2024-10-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
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