DeKALB — For most of his tenure as NIU’s head football coach, Thomas Hammock didn’t enjoy wins. Not even Notre Dame. But after the Huskies’ latest victory, Hammock said he plans to appreciate them a lot more.
NIU survived a season-opening scare Saturday after narrowly escaping Huskie Stadium with a 19-17 win against FCS foe Holy Cross that featured two missed field goals, a blocked punt and two kickoff return touchdowns. The victory marked No. 33 for the NIU boss and moved him into a tie for fifth on the school’s all-time wins list.
“It’s good to be 1-0,” said Hammock. “It’s hard to win. I told our players for six years I didn’t enjoy wins. But from this point forward, I’m going to enjoy every one of them.”
Just an hour before Hammock made that assertion, the Huskies were in danger of suffering their second FCS upset in two years. NIU had fallen behind 10-6 with 10:34 left to play after Holy Cross finished a 77-yard drive in just four plays with a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cal Swanson to wide receiver Blake Youngblood.
However, the Crusaders’ lead would stand for only 13 seconds.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Dev’ion Reynolds returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to restore NIU’s lead. It was the longest kick return touchdown by an NIU player since Trayvon Rudolph housed a 100-yard return against Bowling Green in 2021.
For an offense that hadn’t cracked the end zone to that point and a defense that had just given up a demoralizing score, it was just the spark both sides needed.
“You just feel the confidence through the whole team, the whole stadium, everything,” said redshirt senior safety Muhammed Jammeh. “I knew that our defense was ready to play; offense was going to make the plays when they had to. It was just a matter of, when the play comes, are you going to make it? Yes or no? And we did.”
The Huskies limited the Crusader offense to 3-of-12 on third-down conversions and recorded an early interception when Jammeh corralled a pass tipped by redshirt sophomore linebacker Filip Maciorowski — making his first college start. Redshirt senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler led the Huskies with 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss.
Meanwhile, NIU’s new-look offense struggled to keep momentum for much of the game. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Holst completed 12 of 18 passes for 101 yards with one interception before exiting in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury — though he later returned in the late stages. Holst’s replacement, redshirt junior Jackson Proctor, went 2-for-6 for 8 yards.
Redshirt sophomore punter Danny Vuckovic went out to punt seven times throughout the day, but he only attempted five successfully. Vuckovic had a snap sail over his head in the second quarter to put Holy Cross deep into NIU territory. His blocked punt in Quarter 3 had similar results.
Despite the team’s multiple miscues, Hammock’s faith in his team hadn’t wavered.
“At no point during the game was I stressed,” Hammock said. “I believe in what they’re doing, how they’re doing it.”
The defense went on to force a three-and-out, which the offense chased with their only touchdown of the game off a 2-yard run by Charleston transfer running back Chavon Wright in his NIU debut. Wright finished with a team-best 77 yards — most coming from a 45-yard rush in the first quarter. Sophomore Telly Johnson Jr. added 67 yards in support.
Wright’s scoring cushion was as short-lived as Holy Cross’ one-time lead, however. Crusader sophomore wide receiver Alijah Cason returned the kickoff 97 yards — one yard longer than Reynolds’ — to make it a 2-point affair. The Proctor-led offense promptly posted a three-and-out, giving Holy Cross another chance to climb back in front.
The Crusaders didn’t get very far, as the defense forced them in a 21-second effort finished off by Jammeh’s breakup of Swanson’s fourth-down pass to favorite target Max Mosey. Wright then iced the game with runs of 4 and 7 yards to move the sticks, allowing Holst to kneel out the final minute and change.
“Every time we win, I’m going to enjoy it until the end of my career,” Hammock said. “Because you know what? Life is too short. This game is too hard. We put too much into it not to enjoy it.”
