Northern Illinois football knocked off Notre Dame football on Saturday by a final score of 16-14 in South Bend, Indiana, a game that vaulted the Huskies back into the psyche of college football fans for the first time in years.

Afterward, Northern Illinois football coach Thomas Hammock shared his heartfelt response to the upset victory as told by reporter Nick Baumgardner. “This is still college football. I know there's a lot of other stuff now…But we have a family,” Hammock said.

Baumgardner added his own two cents to the message as well. “That's what it's supposed to be about, folks. Pretty great.”

Huskies outgain Irish en route to big win

Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock gets doused after the Huskies defeated Arkansas State.
© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Huskies outgained the Irish by a final total of 388-286 yards on the afternoon, led by 99 yards on the ground from running back Antario Brown and 198 yards through the air from quarterback Ethan Hampton, including a passing touchdown.

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Hampton outdueled highly decorated Notre Dame football quarterback Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke football. Leonard threw two interceptions on the day and passed for just over 160 yards.

Northern Illinois football, Notre Dame football's seasons continue

Northern Illinois football doesn't have a whole lot of time to savor this big, program-defining win. The Huskies will face the Buffalo Bulls next weekend in DeKalb, Illinois before heading to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the NC State Wolfpack, who are currently ranked number 24 in the nation.

Notre Dame football's schedule, thought to be fairly easy before the season started, suddenly looks a lot more daunting. Coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish will hit the road next week to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana before facing Miami (OH), Louisville and Stanford afterward.

The Huskies have thrilled college football fans at various times with players like Garrett Wolfe and LeShon Johnson. Now, they have one of the biggest team wins in program history over Marcus Freeman and the Irish. Coach Thomas Hammock's bunch will almost certainly be celebrating tonight in some way, shape or form. The time is now to take this win and use it to push toward bigger and better things.