Notre Dame were heavy favorites at home against Northern Illinois on Saturday.
So, naturally, the Huskies went into South Bend and got the 16-14 win in dramatic fashion (Rudy style). It was the program’s first-ever win over a Top 10 opponent.
The win clearly meant the world to the players, the fans and especially head coach Thomas Hammock. After the game, he gave teary-eyed interview with NBC Sports that could’ve been straight out of a movie.
This is what it’s all about.
NIU’s @NIUCoachHammock is overcome with emotion after leading his team to the win at Notre Dame! @NIU_Football | @NIUAthletics | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/K7oS9tsrTC
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 7, 2024
I’m so proud of kids, the coaches, just everybody,” Hammock said. “They believed. They believed and we came here and got it done… I told them all week we don’t need luck. We just got to be our best and they was they best today.”
Hammock, who played at NIU, went on to emphasize how his team is like a family to him.
“It’s like they my kids,” Hammock continued. “I just couldn’t be more proud.”
Northern Illinois made just over $22 million in sports revenue in 2022, according to USA Today. That’s about the same amount of money Power Conference schools will be receiving from the NCAA for NIL.
Hammock said he was proud of his team and the adversity it has endured, especially in the transfer portal and NIL era.
“We still are a college football [team],” Hammock continued. “I know it’s a whole bunch of different things with the transfer portal and NIL, but we still have a family, and they believe in that family and doing things the right way.”
More power to Hammock and his boys. College football lives and breathes on upsets like these. It’s why fans watch every weekend. Without them there wouldn’t be any point in playing the games.
It’s as the old adage goes, “on any given day, any team can beat any other team.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 18:49:00
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