It was an amazing moment for Northern Illinois football and an absolute shocker for Notre Dame, and Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock was understandably overcome with emotion.
His Northern Illinois team went to South Bend to take on the No. 5 Fighting Irish in their home opener, blocked two field goals — including what would have been the go-ahead score as the fourth-quarter clock ran out — and came away with a stunning 16-14 victory.
It’s the first time Northern Illinois beat a top-10 opponent in program history.
Following a Notre Dame interception midway through the fourth quarter, Northern Illinois kicked a 35-yard field goal to give his team a two-point lead with just 31 seconds left. The Fighting Irish had to move quickly but were ultimately forced to kick a field goal to try and win.
But it was a long field goal — a 62-yarder with five seconds left on the clock. But Huskies’ Cade Haberman blocked his second field goal of the day to secure the win. His earlier block was on a 48-yard Notre Dame attempt as the second quarter clock ran out.
Northern Illinois BLOCKS THE FIELD GOAL as time expires to seal a historic upset at Notre Dame Stadium! 👏 @NIU_Football pic.twitter.com/0BRpfTPwXa
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024
After the victory, Hammock delivered a wonderfully emotional interview. Fighting through tears, he said: “I’m so proud of our kids, the coaches, just everybody. They believed. They believed. And we came here and got it done.”
“All these guys have been with our program, lived through the ups and downs and have continued to fight. It’s like they’re my kids…I just couldn’t be more proud.”
An emotional NIU coach Thomas Hammock moments after the Huskies beat Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/3nSI7Sm7MY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 7, 2024
Hammock continued:
“I told them all week: We don’t need luck. We just gotta be our best, and they was their best today, and we were able to get it done. …
“All these guys have been with our program, lived through the ups and downs and they continue to fight. 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. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Definitely no reason to be sorry.
