Fresh off a statement victory last week at Texas A&M, Notre Dame kicks off its home schedule on Saturday as the Fighting Irish host Northern Illinois University. The 1-0 Huskies also enjoyed a most impressive opening game. They gained 706 yards of offense in a 54-15 romp over Western Illinois. Coach Tom Hammock will bring a veteran team with 18 returning starters into South Bend. The game will be nationally televised on NBC beginning at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Northern Illinois has a history of upset road wins over Power Four programs during the past two decades. Its victims include Purdue, Iowa, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, and even mighty Alabama. This season, the Huskies have a capable quarterback in Ethan Hampton, a dangerous runner in Antario Brown, and a game-breaking wide receiver in Trayvon Rudolph. Brown rushed for 1300 yards last season while Rudolph had 51 receptions.

Hammock, an NIU alumnus, is in his sixth season with the Huskies. His record is 25-33, which includes a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in 2021 following a winless campaign during the abbreviated 2020 season. Hammock has also been an assistant at multiple Big-10 schools and spent five years at Baltimore in the NFL. He was asked about the challenge of playing at fifth-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday and responded as follows:

“We just want to play our best football, right? Don’t let the moment be too big. Don’t let the environment be too big. Don’t let the opponent be too big. They put their pants on just like we put our pants on. Just handle it early and settle into the game then play the way we know how to play. Like I tell our players all the time, I don’t need you to be Superman. I just need you to be your best. If we play our best, then we’ll live with the results whatever they may be.”

Despite his team’s designation as a heavy favorite, Irish Coach Marcus Freeman is far from complacent after the successful road trip. He revealed that his college coach, Jim Tressell, provided sage advice when they spoke on Monday. “He said the greatest danger is the illusion that all is well when indeed all isn’t well. That’s the reminder that I needed more than anything is that it was a big win for our program versus a good opponent, but we have so much work to really improve on, and that’s kind of the focus now.”

Notre Dame slot receiver Jordan Faison remains out with an ankle injury suffered last week. Also, defensive lineman Gabe Rubio probably won’t return from a broken bone in his foot until October. The Huskies will be without their best defensive player in end Raishein Thomas, whose injury has not been disclosed. Thomas did not play in last week’s opener and is not listed on the depth chart the school released for this game.  In 2023, Thomas led the Huskies in tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits.

NOTRE DAME’S OFFENSE vs. NIU’S DEFENSE

Aside from Thomas, the best players in the Huskie defensive front are tackle Devonte O’Malley and end Roy Williams. NIU typically plays a 4-2-5 scheme, where the linebacker slots are manned by the talented Jaden Dolphin on the outside with graduate transfer Christian Fuhrman on the inside. Although this group is very competitive within the Mid-American Conference, the young Irish offensive line should enable Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock to open up the playbook much more than last week.

Fans can expect downfield passes from Riley Leonard that take a bit longer to develop but are needed to send a message to future opponents. Leonard should also run the ball less frequently than last week and allow the two-headed monster of Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price to carry the load.

The Huskie secondary will provide a legitimate challenge to the Irish receiving corps. Free safety Nate Valcarcel is a quality player and leader of this group. Senior corners JaVaughn Byrd (field) and Jashon Prophete (nickel) can compete at a high level.

Success for Notre Dame is much more a function of limiting mental mistakes and penalties than a dependency on talent alone to win. The Irish must demonstrate significant improvement in poise and execution to perform well. Leonard must also be able to silence the critics who claim he is not a very accurate passer.

Beaux Collins has emerged as a favorite target while Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse are sure-handed veterans. The deep threats are KK Smith, Jayden Harrison, and Kris Mitchell. Tight end Mitchell Evans would complement this group quite well but he is still building up his stamina after a year of rehab from ACL surgery. Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon are quality backups but Evans is a difference-maker when he is fully healthy. Evans is also a better run blocker.

NIU’S OFFENSE vs. NOTRE DAME’S DEFENSE

Quarterback Ethan Hampton, a 6’3” junior, completed 18 of 20 passes for a career high 328 yards and five touchdowns in the opener. Each scoring throw went to a different player. Rudolph had over 100 yards receiving and added a 60-yard scoring run. Brown had only eight carries but made them count with 69 yards to lead a 312-yard NIU ground attack. He also caught a pair of passes for 45 yards.

The Huskies boast a senior dominated offensive line except for sophomore left tackle Evan Malcore, who became a starter in the middle of last season. Guards JJ Lippe and John Champe anchor the unit. The Huskies are well diversified in their approach. At times, they use a fullback for I-formation runs. In other situations they will run with three or even four receivers. Besides Rudolph, the most utilized targets are Cam Thompson, Dane Partridge, and Andrew McElroy. Tight end Grayson Barnes is utilized extensively in this offense. He had five receptions on Saturday for 95 yards, including a 60-yard score.

The challenge for the Notre Dame defense is to account for so many different threats. Rudolph and Brown are arguably more explosive players than they faced last week in College Station. While the Huskies won’t come close to 700 yards of offense, the best way for the Irish to contain them is to dominate the line of scrimmage. This will require improved performances from defensive linemen such as Riley Mills, RJ Oben, and Jason Onye, who did not have much of an impact against A&M.

The matchup between Rudolph and Irish cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray will be worth watching, as will the effort by Notre Dame’s linebackers to contain Brown’s versatile game as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. Even more importantly, the Irish must make Hampton uncomfortable in the pocket and force him to move his feet. If he can stand back without pressure and survey the field, he has proven to be an outstanding passer.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Huskie punter Tom Foley had one attempt for 32 yards last week although he averaged 40 yards last season. Kicker Kanon Woodill did not have an opportunity to try a field goal but misfired on two of eight extra points. One of those was blocked and returned for a two-point score. Woodill made 11 of 17 field goals in 2023 but managed to hit only two of five from 40+ yards.

Partridge is the primary punt returner while the ever-dangerous Rudolph is back to receive kickoffs.

Mitch Jeter was solid in his Notre Dame debut as he drilled three field goals. His two extra point attempts were shaky but made it through the uprights. Punter James Rendell also performed well despite the preseason hype that raised expectations to unrealistic levels.

Jordan Faison’s ankle sprain means that Jaden Greathouse will field punts for Notre Dame. Once Faison went down last week, the coaches ordered Greathouse to run away from Aggie punts rather than attempt to catch them. This cost Notre Dame several yards of field position. I would like to see a more confident approach this week.

Regarding kick returns, Harrison is the first option for the Irish with Love and Price in reserve. The Huskies did not record a touchback in nine kickoffs against Western Illinois, so there may be opportunities for Harrison to break off a long one.

SUMMARY

Northern Illinois is a well-coached, mature team and will likely not be overwhelmed by the environment on Saturday. They have sufficient talent on offense to challenge Notre Dame and remain competitive through the first half. If the Irish exhibit symptoms of a hangover from last week’s slugfest, the outcome of this game could remain uncertain during the second half.

That said, Coach Freeman understands the dangers of complacency. Given the error-filled performance against the Aggies, he has plenty of ammunition to keep his team focused this week. The Irish running game should produce chunks of yardage while Leonard will get several chances to throw the ball downfield. Slower-developing play-action passes were not available last week but can be executed in this game. Of course, this assumes the offensive line will make a leap forward. The group did improve as battle raged in Texas, and the combination of film study, additional practices, and a less imposing defensive front this week should result in more efficient pass protection.

Here are a few questions that will shed light on the outcome:

• Will Notre Dame be able to put continuous pressure on Hampton?
• Can the Irish offense avoid the negative plays that kill promising drives?
• Which team will have the fewest penalties and turnovers?
• Will the Irish special teams make positive plays and earn favorable field position?
• Can Notre Dame’s secondary contain the dynamic Trayvon Rudolph?
• Will the Irish offensive line give Leonard time to complete passes downfield?
• Can the Irish defensive front control the line of scrimmage?
• Will Notre Dame bring sufficient emotion and energy to this contest?

PREDICTION

Northern Illinois is the first of two MAC opponents that Notre Dame will host this month. Fans have appropriately expressed criticism of this schedule, particularly when two service academies are slated later in the year. Note that the team lost out on one intriguing matchup this season when Miami (Florida) backed out of an agreement to play the Irish. Although these buy games represent a welcome payday for the visitors, the cynical side of me wonders if the hosts are primarily interested in scouting their opponents’ best players as potential graduate transfers for 2025.

The Irish are heavy favorites but this matchup has the feel of a more competitive affair. If it weren’t Notre Dame’s home opener, I might even be on upset watch. It is not as if such a thing is out of the question given Freeman’s history (Marshall, Stanford) and NIU’s historical penchant for dragon slaying. Coach Tressell’s warning to Freeman, whether necessary or not, was timely.

This game will not (and should not) receive significant media attention if Notre Dame handles its business with a convincing victory. That’s fine, but a struggle replete with mistakes and penalties would be noticed and raise doubts about this team. Although that scenario is possible, it remains unlikely. The Irish understand that every game matters in terms of the ultimate playoff ranking for which they are competing. Notre Dame is already at a disadvantage given it is shut out from a top four seed, and as we noted its 2024 schedule is not overly compelling.

What inspires confidence in the hosts this week is the level of leadership at the player level. The key to a game like this is for Notre Dame to get off to a good start and quickly put the kibosh on the hopes and dreams of glory that NIU brings with them. Although the Huskies are likely to make some noise, the talent and depth of the Irish will ultimately prove to be decisive.

NOTRE DAME 34  NIU 13

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