There’s a reason why we all love sitting down to watch college football on fall Saturdays and moments like these are why.
Thomas Hammock and the Northern Illinois Huskies entered Notre Dame Stadium 28.5-point underdogs in this afternoon’s matchup and left it with a 16-14 upset win.
NIU’s victory was its first ever over a top-10 ranked opponent. And watching Hammock’s interview, you could tell how much it meant to deliver this kind of W to his alma mater.
I’m so proud of our kids [and] the coaches. They believed. They believed and we came here and got it done. … All these guys that been program through the ups and downs and continue to fight. They’re my kids. I’m happy for the adversity to push through matter the situation. I just could not be more proud.
Fans were loving the raw emotion from the Huskies coach.
“This win meant EVERYTHING for Northern Illinois HC and former player Thomas Hammock College Football is special,” Barstool Sports said.
“Coach Thomas Hammock is a real man and REAL MEN CRY,” RGIII posted. “He has worked so hard to get Northern Illinois to this point. You can feel all that hard work pouring out of him throughout his post game interview after knocking off #5 Notre Dame IN THEIR HOUSE. It’s worth 2 min of your time.”
“It’s not just that Northern Illinois beat Notre Dame 16-14 in South Bend. It’s that the Irish paid $1.4 million for the privilege,” RJ Young pointed out. “NIU put the shimmy in the shag. Notre Dame, put the money in the bag!”
This is one that folks in Dekalb won’t soon forget. What an awesome way to kick off the year!
Related: The Spun’s Most Annoying People In Football Media: Championship