NBC Sports’ college football weekend games promos mentioned Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, and Boise State. When it came to Notre Dame, the voice simply said “home opener.”
NBC Sports and the college football world know who Northern Illinois is now. The Huskies stunned the Fighting Irish, 16-14, in South Bend on Saturday. They were paid $1.4 million to be a cupcake, which they proved ot be anything but.
That would be Northern Illinois from the MAC shocked a Notre Dame team ranked fifth after a season-opening victory over Texas A&M.The hype
Add this one to the Fighting Irish being beaten by Marshall and Louisville in the past two years. Hype over reality?
Notre Dame scored on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead. It got one more touchdown the rest of the game.
Northern Illinois scored 10 straight points in the first quarter to take the lead.
It got another field goal in the second quarter to go up 13-7.
Jeremiah Love gave the Irish the lead in the third quarter with a 34-yard TD run.
The Huskies’ Kanon Woods kicked his third field goal of the game with 31 seconds left to cap an 11-play, 31-yard drive that gave the Huskies the upset.
Notre Dame paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million to play them in South Bend today.
Northern Illinois just won 16-14.pic.twitter.com/plADc2lYF3
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 7, 2024
Ethan Hampton threw for 198 yards for NIU while Antario Brown rushed for 99. The Huskies outgained the Irish, 388-286 in total offense.
Notre Dame came into the game as a 27.5-point favorite. There may be 12 teams in the College Football Playoff but this is a loss that will not be erased.