20 SEPT. 14, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY TYLER HORKA
N
otre Dame's home opener never
should have been decided by
Riley Leonard's arm, good or
bad. But in the end, it was, and
the Fighting Irish are 1-1 with a two-
point loss to four-touchdown underdog
Northern Illinois because of it.
For the second straight week to start
the 2024 season, Notre Dame didn't
have much of a passing game with
its senior transfer from Duke. But on
second-and-1 from their own 49 and
around six minutes remaining, the Irish
let Leonard take a deep shot anyway.
It was well underthrown and easily
intercepted.
The Northern Illinois Huskies of the
Mid-American Conference worked
their way into scoring position to kick a
game-winning 35-yard field goal in the
final minute and stun the No. 5-ranked
Fighting Irish with a 16-14 upset.
The Huskies did turf angels on the in-
terlocking "ND" logo at midfield. They
cart-wheeled into the visitor's tunnel.
The Irish exited their home field with
showers of boos from their, er, faithful
and even a few "you suck!" shouts from
a particularly angered, er, supporter.
All of this just one week after the
exhilaration of a 23-13 win over then-
DROPPING THE BALL
Northern Illinois stuns Notre Dame 16-14 in massive upset
