Notre Dame’s football season took a shocking turn much earlier than expected, as the No. 5 Fighting Irish suffered a stunning 16-14 defeat to Northern Illinois in South Bend. The Huskies secured the biggest win in their program’s history, pulling off an upset that few saw coming in Week 2.
After a solid start to the season with a 23-13 victory over Texas A&M, Notre Dame appeared to be on track for an easy win this weekend. As 28-point favorites against Northern Illinois, the Fighting Irish were expected to cruise through this game. However, the Huskies had different plans.
Notre Dame opened strong with a touchdown on their first possession but failed to score any more points in the first half. Northern Illinois managed to block Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal attempt just before halftime, preserving a 13-7 lead. Although Notre Dame made adjustments in the second half, including a remarkable touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love in the third quarter, quarterback Riley Leonard struggled, culminating in a critical interception by Amariyun Knighten with six minutes left. The Huskies capitalized on the turnover, leading to Kanon Woodill’s game-winning 35-yard field goal with just 31 seconds remaining. Jeter’s last-second 62-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Cade Haberman, sealing Notre Dame’s stunning loss.
While the defeat is a low point for Notre Dame, it’s a moment of triumph for Northern Illinois and their head coach, Thomas Hammock. Since taking over in 2019, Hammock has seen his share of challenges, but this victory stands out as the biggest in the program’s history. In a postgame interview, an emotional Hammock praised his team, saying, “I told them all week, ‘We don’t need luck. We just need to be our best.’ And today, they were their best.”
For their part in this upset, Northern Illinois will receive $1.4 million—a payout for what was supposed to be an easy win for Notre Dame. Instead, the Fighting Irish now face early-season scrutiny after being outplayed by a Mid-American Conference team on their home turf, leaving fans disappointed and wondering what went wrong.
