Soccer | September 7
NIU 16, No. 5 Notre Dame 14
September 7, 2024 – South Bend, Indiana – Notre Dame Stadium
***NIU earned its first win over a Prime 5 ranked group in class historical past with right now’s 16-14 victory over Notre Dame. Beforehand, the very best ranked opponents the Huskies have defeated was No. 15 Maryland on August 28, 2003 at Huskie Stadium, a 20-13 win in extra time.
***NIU defeated a ranked non-conference opponent for the primary time since a win at No. 21 Alabama on Sept. 20, 2003. The Huskies’ final win over a ranked group was a 30-27 victory over No. 20 Toledo on November 3, 2015.
***NIU’s win was the primary by a Mid-American Convention group over a Prime 5 ranked opponent.
***The win was the 19th “Boneyard Win” in class historical past. Boneyard Wins are victories over energy convention, ranked groups and notable independents (ND, BYU). NIU’s final Boneyard Win was final season over Boston Faculty within the season opener. NIU has three Boneyard wins underneath head coach Thomas Hammock since 2021.
***Antario Brown’s 83-yard catch and run tied for the eighth longest go play in class historical past. It was the Huskies’ longest go play since 2008 (Chandler Harnish to Nathan Palmer, 8-30-08 vs. Minnesota) and the second longest reception by a working again ever at NIU.
***Antario Brown recorded the primary 100-yard receiving recreation of his profession (got here into the season with 59 profession receiving yards on 13 catches) and the primary 100-yard receiving recreation by a Huskie working again since NIU nice. Garrett Wolfe had 114 receiving yards at Ohio State (9-2-06).
***Cade Haberman blocked a pair of discipline objectives within the recreation to report the Huskies’ first discipline purpose block for the reason that 2021 season opener versus Georgia Tech (9-4-21). Haberman’s blocks got here on the finish of the primary half on a 48-yard try and on the finish of the sport on a 62-yard strive. They have been the primary blocks of his NIU profession.
***Brown completed the primary half with 199 yards of whole offense (126 receiving, 73 dashing) and completed the sport with 225 after leaving the sport within the fourth quarter.
***Christian Fuhrman’s interception was NIU’s first of the season and his first as a Huskie. Amariyun Knighten’s fourth quarter interception was the primary of his Huskie profession.
***Devonte O’Malley recorded a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss to guide the NIU protection. O’Malley’s solely different two-sack recreation was versus Jap Michigan in 2022.
***NIU had extra yards of whole offense than the Irish (388-286), pressured 5 punts and gained the turnover battle (2-0).
NIU FOOTBALL POST-GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Thomas Hammock
“I am actually happy with our gamers. I did not suppose we want luck; we simply must play our greatest. It wasn’t the cleanest for us however we performed onerous for 4 quarters. They labored collectively and stayed collectively, and believed. They made sufficient performs to win. I could not be prouder of our coaches and employees, all people concerned. What a chance. It is a program-changing kind win. We wish to proceed going ahead as a program. Hopefully with a win like this, our supporters will begin to again our program in a serious, main manner.”
“We develop, we recruit, we discover the proper of youngsters that wish to work and grind. They are not affected by outdoors issues. We constructed an important tradition right here, a household environment. Our guys love coming into the constructing. We love being round them. While you do it step-by-step, and do not take any shortcuts, issues like this are doable.”
on Antario
“I believe he is the most effective backs within the nation. I do know folks discuss concerning the child from Boise State (Ashton Jeanty), however he is the most effective backs within the nation if he needs to be. Did I consider he might have a recreation like this? I did. We used him quite a bit. I advised him he did greater than sufficient to place us ready to win the sport. I advised [Huskie great] Michael Turner [on the sidelines] earlier than the sport that we wanted a Michael Turner-type efficiency, and he did that in a giant, huge manner. That slant early, catching the ball and doing a bunch of various issues. He confirmed why I consider he is one of many best-kept secrets and techniques in America.”
Protection
“We have been larger than they thought. We’re not a standard MAC group in my view. We’re huge on the offensive and defensive position and we’re bodily. I did not have a look at it as a mismatch. Our children went on the market and performed onerous, powerful and bodily. I advised all of them week ‘you may make a mistake however you may’t lack physicality.’ We gained the battle up entrance.”
Particular Groups
“We put a number of emphasis on particular groups. I advised our coaches that I had a dream final evening that the sport would come right down to a discipline purpose. Kanon nailed that game-winner. He’ll have that second engraved in his thoughts for the remainder of his life.”
QB ETHAN HAMPTON
“That is superb. It is my first time experiencing this as a starter. We have had some power-five wins earlier than, however not towards a ranked group a lot much less a top-five group. Identical to Coach mentioned, it is huge for this system. It is a surreal expertise, one thing I am going to bear in mind ceaselessly.”
“We did not need to show it to ourselves that we might win the sport. We knew that within the locker room earlier than we took the sphere. That early landing go was big, to attain and even it up was the response that helped propel the sport within the route it went.”
DT CADE HABERMAN
“We have been prepared for what they do on discipline purpose. When kickers go additional again, the angle is decrease so props to the protection for forcing them into these longer discipline objectives. It gave the inside three an opportunity to get our palms up and make a play. The final one, the kick angle needed to be proper over my head. We knew we had the more-physical gamers within the center and bought good penetration.”
Ok KANON WOODILL
“I simply tried to tuck it away within the second. That is what I do. I’m going on the market and kick footballs, and I went on the market and executed. A 35-yarder is effectively inside my vary, that is makeable. It’s going to take a pair hours to actually course of it. It is unreal. The help from the individuals who got here was nice. I’ve over 300 notifications on my cellphone. It is simply loopy.”
RB ANTARIO BROWN
“That is actually particular to me. [Offensive coordinator] Coach Beschorner discovered a number of methods to get me the ball. This group win means quite a bit. It is probably the most particular, towards a top-five group.”
On 83-yd TD reception
“That one was big. Coach Beschorner drew that up for me. After I ran the route, I bought hit and Ethan bought hit too however he nonetheless threw it. I caught it and I used to be like ‘oh my gosh that is actually taking place’. It is the longest catch of my profession. It was an enormous play early within the recreation for us. It took some wind out of the group.”