Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 7, 2024 33 GAME PREVIEW: NORTHERN ILLINOIS summer on "The Pivot Podcast" with former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. "'We lost a tough one. We're good. We know we're going to beat Marshall. We know it. It's going to be my first win.'" The Irish took a breath. The Thun- dering Herd made them pay. Coming off another intense, pivotal season opener on the road, this time against Texas A&M, Freeman and com- pany find themselves in a similar situ- ation. The Irish are more talented than they were two years ago. They're more expe- rienced. Freeman himself is in his third season as head coach, and he's made a conscious effort over the past two years to become a better leader. He spent time this offseason with five NFL teams and even the USS Abraham Lincoln Naval Battleship in the Pacific Ocean. Freeman embarked on a self-guided hunt for, in his words, "different per- spectives, different ideas of how to pre- pare better." At 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 7, Notre Dame will put those ideas to the test against Northern Illinois in South Bend. Like Marshall in 2021, NIU went 7-6 last season. And like that pesky Thundering Herd, the Huskies can pose a challenge if the Irish think they can sleepwalk through Week 2. "I like where this team is at," North- ern Illinois head coach Thomas Ham- mock told niuhuskies.com. "They've put in the work collectively, checked every box and done all that we asked of them." Entering Notre Dame Stadium and giving the Irish a fight is a tough ask for any Group of Five team. On paper, the Huskies are outmatched. But they have the pieces for a closer-than-expected game if the Irish are not careful. DEFENSIVE MINDS Northern Illinois posted the 12th- best pass defense in terms of yards per attempt in 2023, so even the most con- fident fans must have braced for the worst in the offseason. Like vultures at the feast, power-con- ference coaches and general managers circle successful Group of Five units and pluck contributors from their rosters. No one can blame them; they — includ- ing Notre Dame — are doing what they have to in order to win at the highest level. But that doesn't make it hurt any less for the teams who see their stars poached. The Huskies, though, weathered the storm. Only one NIU defensive player trans- ferred to a Power Four school after the 2023 season: veteran edge rusher George Gumbs Jr., who posted 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles for the Huskies but opted to finish his college career at Florida. Nearly everyone else stayed. Northern Illinois returns nine start- ers from its successful defense a year ago. That's rare continuity, particularly for a Mid-American Conference school in the portal era, and it's why the pre- season coaches poll selected NIU to fin- ish tied for third in the MAC. The Huskies' foundation starts up front. "The defensive line, in theory, should run your program because they es- tablish a level of physicality in the trenches," Hammock said. "They allow the offensive line to get better. They al- low the guys behind them on defense to get better by being disruptive. "If there is one position you want to be a strong unit, it's the defensive line." Despite losing Gumbs to the SEC and three-time All-MAC honoree James Ester to the NFL, they expect their de- fensive line to be even better than it was last season. Senior defensive end Raishein Thomas is the heart and soul of this group, finishing the 2023 season with the most tackles (74) of any de- fensive lineman in the country. He was an easy preseason first-team All-MAC selection. No other Husky defensive lineman has led their team in tackles through- out the program's history, and Thomas was the only one in the FBS to do so last season. With the return of Thomas and expe- rienced depth across the board, Ham- mock knows the front four should be NIU's bread and butter. The Huskies have also seen multiple youngsters emerge as potential breakout players up front. "I believe our defensive line will be stronger than it was a year ago," Ham- mock said. "You take a young guy like [defensive tackle] Mark Hensley, a red- shirt freshman, who is working himself into being a big contributor for us. We just continue to get deeper and deeper with more guys who can rotate in and do different things. [True freshman de- fensive end] Lance Ingold has done a phenomenal job this summer. "You continue to add depth like that, and you can keep fresh bodies out there and attack an offense." That combination of returning up- p e rc l a ss m a n s ta r te rs a n d u n d e r- Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS Date: Sept. 7, 2024 Site: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC/Peacock Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates Series facts: This is the first meeting between Notre Dame and NIU. Head coaches: Northern Illinois — Thomas Hammock (25-33, sixth season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (20-8, third season). Noting Northern Illinois: Fourteen starters return from last year's Huskies, who went 7-6 (5-3 Mid- American Conference) and beat Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl … Turnovers on both sides of the ball prevented NIU from being better; the Huskies finished 88th in the nation with a minus-0.23 turnover margin per game … Operated the 79th-best scoring offense in college football, but tied with Kansas State and South Alabama for the 26th-best scoring defense at 21.0 points allowed per game … No. 22 team in FBS last year in rushing yards per carry at 5.0 … Transfer additions expected to make an impact include linebacker Christian Fuhrman (Southeast Missouri State), wide receiver Kenji Lewis (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and quarterback Jalen Macon (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) … Hammock did not name a starting quarterback between Macon, redshirt junior Ethan Hampton and redshirt freshman Josh Holst before NIU's season opener against Western Illinois.