Notre Dame's streak of happy weeks ends at one
Northern Illinois finishes the upset, but other underdogs have a surprisingly strong day
Money can buy other people’s quarterbacks. Money can’t always buy execution, judgment and composure.
That, along with the impression that penalty flags have developed an ability to fly on their own, seems to be the overture to this Season of Change in college football.
There was one major jolt to the senses in Week 2, and that was Northern Illinois’ 16-14 win at Notre Dame the week after the Irish had won at Texas A&M. But there were plenty of wins that required more sweat equity than anyone foresaw. Alabama led South Florida 14-13 after three quarters before Nick Saban cleared his throat and asked the Tide to quit desecrating the field that Alabama had just named after him. Message delivered; Alabama won, 42-16, but came away thankful that the College Football Playoff had been inflated from four teams to 12.
Penn State had similar trouble with Bowling Green, trailing 24-20 at halftime. It took 100-yard rushing games from Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to make the Valley Happy again, or at least relieved, with a 34-27 win.
Oregon, which took its sweet time disposing of FCS neighbor Idaho last week, was staggered repeatedly by Boise State, which was the last non-conference opponent to win in Autzen Stadium, 16 years ago. Ashton Jeanty continued to look like a Group of Five challenger for the Heisman Trophy as he rambled for 192 yards and three touchdowns against the Ducks. Eventually the Ducks leaned on their God-given and NIL-fueled gifts. Tez Johnson had an 85-yard punt return touchdown, and Jordan Whittington took a kickoff back 99 yards and set up another score. Oregon did win, 37-34, but it was an 18 ½-point favorite, just as Notre Dame was favored by 28 ½, Alabama by 30 ½ and Penn State by 34 ½.
This was a fairly typical Week Two, but it wasn’t supposed to be a typical season. With all the boundaries gone, the upper crust was supposed to plunder the villages and take any able-bodied player it wanted. But you don’t just throw an offensive line together and expect sweet music from the beginning, and quarterbacks need time to figure out their receivers, too.
Plus, some of the high-end players have run into disappointment or injury at their schools of choice and have stepped down a level to rediscover themselves. And the Group of Fives are getting richer, too. South Florida coach Alex Golesh pulled his club together at Alabama and said, “We are not playing against a logo.”
That was Northern Illinois’ theme, too. The coach, Thomas Hammock, is a graduate, although a heart ailment cut short his play. Hammock was an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens when he decided to come back home. At one point NIU had played in eight consecutive bowls, including the Orange, when Dave Doeren parlayed his success with the Huskies into the North Carolina State job. (The Huskies play N.C. State on Sept. 28.) So there was a bit of tradition, although NIU was 0-6 during the Covid season of 2020.
“We don’t need luck,” Hammock told his troops during the week. But the Huskies would certainly take it. They seemed rather helpless when trying to tackle Jeremiyah Love, who had the big runs at Texas A&M, but Notre Dame made it easier by giving him only 11 carries (for 78 yards and a touchdown). Northern Illinois took care of the other part of the equation by running the ball 45 times. That made for a nine-minute edge in possession time, which transferred the anxiety to Notre Dame transfer quarterback Riley Leonard.
The Irish got the first touchdown and the stadium expected Northern Illinois to ask for peace negotiations. Instead, Antario Brown tied it with an 83-yard pass play from quarterback Ethan Hampton. Brown also ran 20 times for 99 yards. He’s an example of how the off-track schools can survive. He’s a Savannah, Ga. native who committed to South Carolina, but Northern Illinois had contacted him first and he remembered. He also has seen tougher things to surmount than an 8-man box. His mother Hannah was gunned down in her car outside the family’s apartment when Antario was 13.
Notre Dame led 14-13 and was driving in the fourth quarter. Leonard tried to throw down the middle, but didn’t see Amariyun Knighten, who made the interception and hoofed it back 33 yards the other way. Hampton converted a fourth-and-two, the Huskies kicked the go-ahead field goal, and then they blocked Notre Dame’s 62-yard prayer. For the first time, a Mid-American Conference school had beaten a Top Five opponent.
Although Marcus Freeman, the Notre Dame coach, did not sugarcoat things, he also acknowledged that the upset does not eliminate the Irish from the postseason. Unfortunately, that’s true. It’s possible for a 10-2 or even a 9-3 team to argue its case with a 12-team format, and if you thought the squawking was loud when a fifth team got left out, wait until the confluence of grievance this December.
It appears that many teams who have already proven they can’t win a national championship will be allowed to get in the way of those who can. That’s not luck, that’s privilege. But Northern Illinois earned a mind’s-eye trophy on Saturday that will gleam as brightly as any glass football.
Other confetti from Saturday:
– It’s hard to tell about Michigan, because of severe personnel and coaching-staff losses from the championship year, but there’s nothing confusing about Texas. The Longhorns looked ready for the throne room with an uncomplicated, 31-12 win in the Big House. Quarterback Quinn Ewers was slick, with three touchdown passes, and Texas cashed 10 of 16 third downs and won the takeaway battle, 3-0.
– Dylan Raiola also looked credentialed in Nebraska’s 28-10 squashing of Colorado. The freshman QB was 23 for 30 and hasn’t had a turnover in his first two games. Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes are now 5-12 since he brought the circus to Boulder, and Deion’s son Shedeur threw a ridiculous pick-six to Nebraska’s Tommi Hill, who stepped in front of a receiver at the 7-yard-line and walked in for a 14-0 lead. Colorado actually rushed for only 46 yards in 14 attempts aside from Sanders, who was sacked six times.
– The Atlantic Coast Conference has reached across three time zones for its latest contender. Cal went to Auburn and took a 21-14 no-doubt victory. In its first season in this geographically nonsensical conference, Cal roughed up the SEC hosts by keeping the ball for over 35 minutes and converting 10 of 19 third downs. Fernando Mendoza threw two touchdown passes and Teddye Buchanan had 11 tackles, two for loss. Five Auburn turnovers tilted the scales, including four interceptions of quarterback Payton Thorne. The Bears are 2-0 and face trips to Florida State, Pittsburgh, SMU and Wake Forest in conference play, but they’re playing with confidence after winning three of their last four in 2023.