Northern Illinois stuns Notre Dame with last-minute field goal - ESPN

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kanon Woodill hit a 35-yard field goal with 31 seconds to play, Cade Haberman blocked a 62-yard try as time expired and Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 on Saturday.

Haberman blocked the 62-yard attempt by Notre Dame's Mitch Jeter, allowing the jubilant Huskies to claim their first nonconference victory against a ranked opponent since a 19-16 upset of No. 21 Alabama in 2003.

It was also the Huskies' first victory over a top-10 opponent and the first by a Mid-American Conference team against an AP top-five team; the MAC was previously 0-51 against such opponents.

Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock was emotional after the dramatic victory.

«We didn't need luck,» Hammock said. «That was our theme. I didn't think we needed luck. We just need to play our best. It wasn't the cleanest for us, but we played hard for four quarters and stayed together. They worked together, they believed, and they made enough plays to win a game.

»This is a program-changing type win, no different than when we beat Alabama a while ago (in 2003)."

Hammond said his Huskies measured up to Notre Dame.

«I think we were bigger than what they thought,» Hammock said. «We're not a normal MAC team, in my opinion. We're big on the offensive and defensive lines and we're physical. I didn't look at it as a mismatch in that capacity.»

The Fighting Irish fell as a 28.5-point favorite, according to ESPN BET. After entering the day at 16-1 to win the national championship, they dropped to 75-1 after the loss.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said the loss was disappointing, especially on the heels of an impressive road win over then-No. 20 Texas A&M

«You know, it's our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to