Northern Illinois University Huskies head coach Thomas Hammock had a wholesome post-game speech after his team upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.
Thomas Hammock’s group stunned No. 5-ranked Notre Dame with a 16-14 victory. Kanon Woodill kicked the go-ahead field goal with 31 seconds remaining, and Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter had a game-winning 62-yard kick blocked on the final play.
The stunning upset was a milestone victory for the Huskies, too: It marked their first-ever win against a top-10 team, as noted by the FOX College Football X/Twitter account. And the loss already jeopardizes Notre Dame’s chances of qualifying for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
After the game, an emotional Hammock delivered the most wholesome post-game speech that will make your day. You gotta love it, even if you’re a Notre Dame fan:
“I’m so proud of our kids, the coaches…they believed. They believed. And we came here and got it done…They listened to what I said. I told them all week, ‘We don’t need luck. We just gotta be our best’…and we were able to get it done.”
“THEY BELIEVED.”
Northern Illinois HC Thomas Hammock spoke from the heart after an incredible upset over Notre Dame. @NIU_Football pic.twitter.com/pFrS5ok5U7
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024
Thomas Hammock is in his sixth season as head coach of the NIU Huskies, taking over the position in 2019. After finishing below .500 in three of his first four years at the helm, Hammock’s group made significant progress and finished 7-6, ending the season with a Camellia Bowl victory over Arkansas State.
Notre Dame paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million to play them in South Bend today.
Northern Illinois just won 16-14.pic.twitter.com/plADc2lYF3
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 7, 2024
Thomas Hammock’s coaching career began at Georgia in 2003, where he spent two years as a graduate assistant. He then served two seasons as head the RB coach of the Huskies before joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
After four seasons there, Hammock spent the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons at Wisconsin before getting his first NFL gig. He was the Baltimore Ravens’ running back coach for five seasons from 2014 to 2018.
NIU Delivers Huge Blow To Notre Dame
It bodes well for the Fighting Irish that the NCAA expanded the postseason to 12 teams, beginning this year. Still, a home loss to an unranked team is a bitter pill to swallow, and it already puts their chances of making the postseason on ice.
