NIU: Antario Brown’s touchdown key in shocking win over 5th-ranked Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – After a Notre Dame touchdown and a scary kickoff that left Northern Illinois starting its first drive at its own 2-yard line, things could have gone very bad, very quickly for the Huskies.

Antario Brown made sure everyone knew it was game on.

The senior running back took a slant from quarterback Ethan Hampton 83 yards for a tying touchdown, and the Huskies held on for a 16-14 win against the Irish, the first win by a MAC school against a team ranked in the top 5 in the conference’s history.

Brown said he was glad offensive coordinator Wes Beschorner gave him the chance to show off his pass-catching skills.

“Coach Beschorner, he drew that one up, like, for me,” Brown said. “I was like, no way, I don’t do that much. When I ran the route, I got hit. And Ethan got hit, too. But I caught it, and I was like, gosh, this is really happening right now. The longest catch of my career. It was a huge play early in the game for us, took some of the wind out of the crowd.”

After Notre Dame went on a 6 minute, 25-second drive to take a 7-0 lead to start the game, Jaylen Poe let the kick bounce into the end zone. Except the ball landed at the 1-inch line and bounced forward. Gavin Williams scramble to recover it at the 2 and keep Notre Dame from potentially scoring a special teams touchdown.

Still in danger of a safety, Brown got five yards on his first carry for some breathing room. Hampton converted a third-and-3 on a scramble, then two plays later Hampton found Brown for the game-changer.

“To go out there and have a 98-yard drive, it was like, okay, game on,” Hammock said. “It’s not going to get away from us. Gavin Williams made a tremendous play on the kickoff with it hitting the 1-inch line. It gave us a chance because it could have been 14-0. That gave us a chance to get in rhythm.”

Brown had 199 all-purpose yards in the first half but was cramping in the second half, limiting his use. He finished with 126 receiving yards on two catches and ran 20 times for 99 yards.

But the slant was the play that changed everything in the upset. The Irish’s next five drives didn’t amount to points, while the Huskies got a couple field goals to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

“It’s the response that honestly probably propelled the game in the direction that it went,” Hampton said.

Brown said there was a lot of physical play on the line, but once he got past the scrum he was open. Or at least, that’s what he thought.

“I didn’t even know until I watched the replay. I didn’t know that guy was right there,” Brown said. “Once I got hit, I went up the field a little bit because the ball took me there. I thought nobody was there, it was just me. But when I watched, I was like, dang, he was really close to me.”

Still, he managed to speed past the defense for the score.

NIU head coach Thomas Hammock said Brown proved he’s one of the best running backs in the country.

“And we were going to plan it that way. He was cramping up in the second half, we used him a lot, but I said, ‘Hey, you did more than enough to help us be in a position to win the game.’ ... I think he showed why I believe he’s one of the best kept secrets in America, and I’m proud of him.”

Notre Dame scored on the first play of the second half and led 14-13 going into the fourth quarter. On NIU’s final drive, which ended with a 35-yard field goal by Kanon Woodill, Hampton had a big run like he did on the first drive.

The Huskies faced a fourth-and-2 on the Notre Dame 31. Going into the wind, Hammock said he wanted to get closer for Woodill. Again, Hampton ended up scrambling and picking up the first.

“There we probably three receivers [as options on the play] and they were all covered well,” Hampton said. “They were covering rollouts pretty well all day. So they didn’t account for me. You know, the joke is e-mobile because I’m really slow. But no, it was good to have an open lane, and it was a fairly easy first-down conversion.”

The Huskies have a bye week this week before hosting Buffalo on Sept. 21 at Huskie Stadium.

“It’s probably the most special win,” Brown said. “We beat the No. 5 team in the country. ... This one is really special.”