Write Team: Goliath meets David in South Bend

I was in the stands when the Northern Illinois University Huskies played their first game ever against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

I was invited by my friend Patrick Dooley who earned two degrees from NIU. His Notre Dame season tickets were handed down to him 40 years ago by his father. With us were my wife, her twin sister, and another sister and her husband. Attending NIU runs in their family as it does for many in the Illinois Valley.

I’d never been to the Notre Dame campus. It’s filled with stately old buildings and new buildings designed to look like the old ones. Everything about Notre Dame, a private Catholic University founded in 1842, smacks of tradition.

The Notre Dame stadium, which seats 80,795, was in full sun as the ND football players took the field. Their gold helmets were blindingly shiny.

“My God Patrick, those helmets.”

Patrick was wearing a NIU shirt and a Notre Dame hat. He was hopelessly conflicted about the game.

“They repaint them each week between games.”

Notre Dame won the coin toss, received the opening kickoff, and drove 75 yards in 13 plays to take the early lead. ND 7-NIU 0.

“This could be a long game, Patrick.”

“I know. I just hope Northern can keep it close.”

The Huskies did more than that. NIU running back Antario Brown finished the game with 225 yards of total offense. NIU led at halftime 13-7. Their offensive and defensive lines outplayed Notre Dame.

The key play of the game happened right in front of us. ND quarterback Riley Leonard launched a deep pass down the middle. NIU cornerback Amariyun Knighten, seeing it was short, turned and took the ball into his arms. Not an acrobatic interception. Had he been an outfielder playing baseball, it would have been a “can of corn.” He returned it 33 yards to the 50 with 5:55 left on the clock.

Notre Dame fans were stunned. They were ranked No. 5 in the nation and favored to win by 28 points, yet their team was leading by only one. Unranked NIU was only on Notre Dame’s schedule for an easy win.

The game was electric. We were on our feet for most of the fourth quarter. I looked back at the nice couple behind us from San Diego who have attended every Notre Dame home game for 30 years. They were sitting down.

“A field goal and NIU wins this thing,” I said to them.

They shook their heads. I don’t think they stood for another down. Couldn’t bear to watch.

NIU then put together their longest possession of the day. They advanced to the 19, where Kanon Woodhill kicked his third field goal of the day, a 35 yarder with 31 seconds to play. NIU 16-ND 14.

NIU’s Cade Haberman, a defensive tackle who blocked Notre Dame’s 48-yard field goal attempt to end the first half also blocked their desperate 62-yard field goal attempt with time running out. NIU recovered the ball and football history was made.

Thomas Hammock, a former NIU running back who graduated twice from NIU and coached in both the Big Ten and the NFL before becoming the Huskies head coach in 2019, told his players before the game “you don’t need luck to beat these guys. You just have to play your best.” They believed their coach. Thomas Hammock earns an annual salary of $550,000.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman attended Ohio State University and was drafted by the NFL but did not appear in an NFL game. He coached at Kent State, Purdue and University of Cincinnati before becoming head coach at Notre Dame in 2021. After the game Freeman said his team “fell victim to the hype and need to handle success the right way.” Marcus Freeman’s compensation totals $6,687,794 per year.

I agree with both coaches. It’s not shiny gold helmets, rich alumni or famous former coaches and their storied teams. Football is played on the field. The best team won despite the odds. I only regret Mike Murphy was not there to see it.

Dave McClure lives in Ottawa. He is a long-retired director of a local private agency. He is also a blogger. You can read more of Dave at Daveintheshack.blogger.com