DeKALB – Fresh off a resounding win in its season opener, NIU football is gearing up for its next big test: A road game against a top-five ranked opponent at one of the most iconic venues in college football in front of a national audience.
This weekend, the Huskies will make the 160-mile trek to Notre Dame, Indiana, where they’ll meet the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the first time ever at Notre Dame Stadium. The Huskies will play in front of a national network television audience as the game airs at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday on NBC and Peacock.
After defeating then-20th-ranked Texas A&M University on Saturday night, Notre Dame sits at No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25 poll released Tuesday. The upcoming contest will be NIU’s first brush with a top-five opponent since Sept. 15, 2015, when the Huskies battled No. 1 Ohio State University within a touchdown in Columbus, Ohio.
NIU head football coach Thomas Hammock, who enters his third clash with an AP Top 25 opponent since taking the reins in 2019, understands the level of difficulty that comes with playing a college blue blood in opposing territory.
“For us, it’s a tremendous challenge,” Hammock said. “We obviously know it’s going to be a hostile environment … We know it’s going to be physical. Notre Dame is going to stand in the middle of the ring, and we’ve got to walk to the middle of the ring and match their level of intensity.”
SAME GAME, DIFFERENT FOE
Notre Dame looms as one of the most powerful opponents NIU will face in this era of the program. The Fighting Irish brand is synonymous with a storied history of success – immortalized in picture by “Rudy” in 1993. It dwarves NIU in just about every category from funding to popularity.
But from the perspective of the players, it’ll be business as usual, just on a bigger stage.
“Honestly, it’s just another game,” said senior defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley. “I don’t think any major Power Five team that we play is crazy … At the end of the day, we put our shoes on just the way that they do.”
At the same time, the significance of a potential upset of a storied team like the Irish isn’t lost on the players.
“We’re not going to sit up here and act like ‘if we win, OK, we just win,’” O’Malley said. “We know Notre Dame is a good team – we’re just going to state the obvious – but coming out with a win would be awesome, definitely.”
BEATING THE ODDS
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor for the game currently gives NIU a 3.9% chance to beat Notre Dame. That is the lowest probability NIU has been given to win a game since their last ranked matchup against the University of Kentucky in 2022 – also 3.9%. For the Huskies to overcome the overwhelming odds against them, they’ll need to limit the Notre Dame playmakers that plagued Texas A&M on opening night.
In the 23-13 win over the Aggies, the Fighting Irish had 356 yards of total offense as senior quarterback Riley Leonard went 18-of-30 passing for 158 yards in his first game in blue and gold. The dual-threat Duke University transfer also ran for 63 yards on 12 carries.
Both of Notre Dame’s touchdowns came from running backs, with junior Jadarian Price scoring the team’s first TD of 2024 on a 47-yard run. Sophomore Jeremiyah Love later scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:54 left in regulation.
Graduate student wide receiver Beaux Collins led the Irish with five receptions for 62 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse corralled three catches for 26 yards.
BALANCED OFFENSE
In the Week 1 blowout of Western Illinois University, the Huskies ran 29 passing plays for 394 yards and 41 running plays for 319 yards. Redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Hampton had a career game with 18-of-20 passing for 328 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, nine Huskies carried the ball and combined for three touchdowns.
Now set to face a Notre Dame defense that features graduate student defensive lineman Howard Cross III, as well as two of the nation’s top defensive backs in junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison and graduate student safety Xavier Watts, Hammock emphasized the need to continue that balance on offense.
”When you have the opportunity to be balanced, you can keep a defense off schedule; you can attack them in multiple areas,” Hammock said. “They have a tremendous secondary. We understand that, and we respect them. But at the same time, we have to find ways to create space, to create separation where our guys can make a play.”
TURNING UP THE VOLUME
In addition to planning for what Notre Dame might put on the field, the Huskies have also been preparing for the intense noise levels expected at Notre Dame Stadium, which has a seating capacity of about 81,000.
During practices this week, the coaching staff has been cranking up the volume on the speakers within Huskie Stadium.
“Coach Juney (Barnett) has that speaker blaring LOUD non-stop during practice.” O’Malley said. “And there’s not a lot of errors during practice with calls (or) with communication, at that.”
NIU plans to use the helmet radio communication technology approved by the NCAA in the offseason that allows coaches to communicate with one player on the field until 15 seconds remain on the play clock. If that system fails, they’ll resort to hand signals with a numbering system. Anything to avoid burning an unnecessary timeout on gameday.
But when all is said and done, Hammock’s bottom line is seeing his team play its best football. The message to his players is simple: “Play the way we know how to play.”
“I don’t need you to be Superman, I just need you to be your best,” Hammock said. “And if we play our best, then we’ll live with the results, whatever they may be.”
