Northern Illinois kicker Kanon Woodill’s 35-yard field goal in the final minute proved to be the difference maker in the Huskies’ matchup with the fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.Notre Dame tried to pull off a last-second comeback, but a 62-yard field goal was no good. Northern Illinois would go on to celebrate an improbable 16-14 victory in South Bend, Indiana.The upset marked the Huskies first nonconference victory against a ranked opponent since a 19-16 win over the 21st Alabama Crimson Tide in 2003. It also gave Northern Illinois its first win in program history against a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNotre Dame, on the heels of an impressive road win over Texas A&M, looked like it was in position to get some separation from Northern Illinois as it clung to a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter. The Fighting Irish gained possession after a punt with 7:49 left and drove from their 25 to the Northern Illinois 49.OKLAHOMA STATE HANGS ON IN DOUBLE OVERTIME TO AVOID ARKANSAS UPSETFighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard launched a pass deep up the middle intended for Kris Mitchell, but Amariyun Knighten made the interception and returned it 33 yards to the 50-yard line with 5:55 to play.Knighten’s interception set up the winning field goal from Woodill, his third of the day.Notre Dame struck first as quarterback Riley Leonard side-stepped the Huskies defense for an 11-yard touchdown run with 8:28 left in the first quarter.Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock was emotional after the game and said he was « proud » of what his team accomplished on Saturday. »I’m so proud of our kids, the coaches, everybody, » Hammock said during a postgame television interview as he wiped tears from his eyes. « They believed. They believed, and we came in and got it done. »Notre Dame is likely to plunge in next week’s rankings before traveling to West Lafayette for a game against Purdue on Sept. 14. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois enjoys a bye week before hosting Buffalo on Sept. 21.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 00:33:24
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Notre Dame suffers stunning upset to Northern Illinois; Huskies record first-ever win over top-10 opponent
