Northern Illinois stuns Notre Dame with a last-minute field goal

In the course of a “program-changing” win, Northern Illinois beat the No. 5 Irish by scoring a go-ahead 35-yard field goal with just 31 seconds remaining on Saturday, in a win of 16-14.

Sep 07, 2024 11:31 PM

 

Sep 7, 2024, 07:31 PM ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kanon Woodill scored a 35-yard field shot with just 31 seconds remaining, Cade Haberman stopped a 62-yard attempt before time ran out as Northern Illinois stunned the No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 on Saturday.

Haberman stopped the 62-yard strike made by Notre Dame’s Mitch Jeter and allowed the exuberant Huskies to secure their first win in non-conference play against a team ranked following a 19-16 win over No. 21 Alabama in 2003.

The game was also the Huskies winning their first game against an opponent that was ranked in the top-10 and the first time an Mid-American Conference team against an AP top five team. The MAC was previously 0-50 against top-ranked teams.

Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock was overcome after the dramatic win.

“We didn’t need luck,” Hammock stated. “That was our game plan. I don’t believe we required luck. It’s just a matter of trying to perform at our best. This wasn’t the best game of games, however we worked well for four quarters and played with each other. They worked as a team with a belief that they had and made the right plays to win games.

“This is a program-changing type win, no different than when we beat Alabama a while ago [in 2003].”

Hammond stated that his Huskies did not measure up in comparison to Notre Dame.

“I think we were bigger than what they thought,” Hammock declared. “We’re not a normal MAC team, in my opinion. We’re big on the offensive and defensive lines and we’re physical. I didn’t look at it as a mismatch in that capacity.”

The Fighting Irish dropped as 28.5-point odds-on favorites as per ESPN BET. When they started the day as 16-1 to take home the national title They fell to 75-1 following the loss.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged that the loss was disappointing especially in the wake of a thrilling road win over No. 20 Texas A&M.

“You know that it’s our job as coaches ensure that the players are in good shape. It’s a journey from the top levels of the highs, to lows that are lowest over just about two weeks. However, we have to be able to accept this,” Freeman said. “As coaches and players, we have to accept it and have to make it right.”

Notre Dame (1-1) looked as if it was poised to gain some advantage over Northern Illinois (2-0) as it held on to a 14-13 advantage during the 4th quarter. Northern Illinois (2-0) was able to hold a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter. Fighting Irish gained possession after an attempt to punt with 7:49 remaining and drove from their 25, towards the Northern Illinois 49.

The Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard launched an attack deep in the middle, aiming for Kris Mitchell, however, Amariyun Knighten caught the ball and returned the ball 33 yards before the 50 yard line with 5 minutes and 55 seconds to play.

“It was a completely bad read,” Leonard declared about the intercept. “That single high safety was attached to the inside post. I thought he wouldn’t attach again. Bad eyes, bad feet, bad ball. That resulted in a pick. Can’t happen. Completely my fault.”

The Huskies pushed the clock as they drove towards the Notre Dame 19, setting the foundation for Woodill’s field-goal. One of the most important plays on the drive was turning the fourth-and-2 into a three-yard sprint from the quarterback Ethan Hampton to the Notre Dame 28.

The first-down conversion by Hampton who completed 10-of-19 with 198 yards and scored a touchdown, led to the winning field goal by Woodill who scored his third kick of the game.

“It’s amazing,” Hampton stated of the win. “It’s something I’ll remember forever. I grew up a Huskie fan. Playing here has been a dream for me.”

Notre Dame struck first as Leonard crossed the line to gain an 11-yard touchdown with 8:28 remaining in the opening quarter.

It took just five minutes to get Northern Illinois to answer as Antario Brown ran free among two defensive backs and scored an 83-yard touchdown catch with the pass of Hampton.

Two field goals made by Woodill from 21 and 42 yards give the Huskies a lead of 13-7 at the halftime. Notre Dame had the chance to score 13-10 just before the break but Haberman prevented a 48-yard goal by Jeter.

Woodill missed a field goal attempt of 53 yards on the first play in the second half as Notre Dame took advantage.

Jeremiyah Love ran free for the 34-yard touchdown after throwing a defender in his way to goal zone. Jeter’s added point gave Notre Dame a 14-13 lead with just 8:34 remaining at the end of third quarter.

Leonard was 20-of-32 with 263 yards with two interceptions.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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