2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football
2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	2–2 (0–1 MAC)
Head coach	Thomas Hammock (6th season);
Offensive coordinator	Wesley Beschorner (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Nick Benedetto (3rd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Huskie Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Michigan	1	–	0	4	–	1
Buffalo	1	–	0	3	–	2
Central Michigan	1	–	0	3	–	2
Ohio	1	–	0	3	–	2
Toledo	0	–	0	3	–	1
Bowling Green	0	–	0	1	–	3
Miami (OH)	0	–	0	1	–	3
Western Michigan	0	–	0	1	–	3
Northern Illinois	0	–	1	2	–	2
Ball State	0	–	1	1	–	3
Akron	0	–	1	1	–	4
Kent State	0	–	1	0	–	5
Championship: December 7, 2024
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of September 29, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represents Northern Illinois University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies are led by Thomas Hammock in his sixth year as the head coach. The Huskies play home games at Huskie Stadium, located in DeKalb, Illinois.^[1]

On September 7, the Huskies notched their first-ever win over a top-10 ranked team, beating No. 5 Notre Dame 16–14 in South Bend, Indiana.^[2] As a result, the Huskies were ranked No. 25 in the AP poll released on September 9, the first time an NIU team had been ranked since December of 2013.^[3]

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish tied for third in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.^[4]^[5]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
MAC Coaches poll
1	Miami	119 (9)
2	Toledo	109 (3)
T3	Bowling Green	92
T3	Northern Illinois	92
5	Ohio	81
6	Eastern Michigan	64
7	Western Michigan	60
8	Central Michigan	59
9	Ball State	42
10	Buffalo	37
11	Akron	24
12	Kent State	13

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
1	Miami	10
2	Toledo	2

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	2:30 p.m.	Western Illinois*		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	W 54–15	10,828
September 7	2:30 p.m.	at No. 5 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 16–14	77,622
September 21	2:30 p.m.	Buffalo	No. 23	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	L 20–23 ^OT	18,688
September 28	11:00 a.m.	at NC State*		Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	The CW	L 17–24	56,919
October 5	11:00 a.m.	UMass*		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	CBSSN
October 12		at Bowling Green		Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH
October 19		Toledo		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL
October 26		at Ball State		Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy)
November 6	6:00 p.m.	at Western Michigan		Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN2/ESPNU
November 13	6:00 p.m.	Akron		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 19		at Miami (OH)		Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 30		Central Michigan		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[6]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	25	23	—
Coaches	—	—	RV	RV	—
CFP	Not released																Not released

Game summaries

Western Illinois

Western Illinois Leathernecks at Northern Illinois Huskies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	3	0	5	7	15
Huskies	6	28	13	7	54

at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois

Date: August 31
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
Game attendance: 10,828
Referee: Amanda Sauer
TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper and Ryan Cavanaugh
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

NIU – Dane Pardridge 23-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (kick failed), 12:21. Huskies 6–0. Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:25.
WIU – Antonio Chadha 44-yard field goal, 0:51. Huskies 6–3. Drive: 11 plays, 61, yards, 4:35.

Second quarter

NIU – Cam Thompson 11-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 12:36. Huskies 13–3. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:15.
NIU – Trayvon Rudolph 60-yard run (Kanon Woodill kick), 8:47. Huskies 20–3. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards, 0:08.
NIU – Keyshaun Pipkin 11-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 1:55. Huskies 27–3. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 5:05.
NIU – Trayvon Rudolph 43-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 0:40. Huskies 34–3. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 0:44.

Third quarter

NIU – Grayson Barnes 60-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 13:28. Huskies 41–3. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:32.
NIU – Jaylen Poe 7-yard run (kick blocked), 4:22. Huskies 47–3. Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 7:06.
WIU – Fredrik Greenhoward defensive PAT conversion, 4:22. Huskies 47–5.
WIU – Antonio Chadha 46-yard field goal, 1:39. Huskies 47–8. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:36.

Fourth quarter

NIU – Jalen Macon 5-yard run (Kanon Woodill kick), 8:00. Huskies 54–8. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:31.
WIU – Torrance Farmer Jr. 27-yard pass from Nathan Lamb (Antonio Chadha kick), 2:59. Huskies 54–15. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 4:56.

Statistics	WIU	NIU
First downs	17	30
Total yards	298	706
Rushing yards	94	312
Passing yards	204	394
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	28:26	31:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Illinois	Passing	Nathan Lamb	17/29, 204 yards, TD
	Rushing	Cameren Smith	14 rushes, 51 yards
	Receiving	Tristin Duncan	5 receptions, 68 yards
Northern Illinois	Passing	Ethan Hampton	18/20, 328 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Antario Brown	8 rushes, 69 yards
	Receiving	Trayvon Rudolph	4 receptions, 104 yards, TD

At No. 5 Notre Dame

Northern Illinois Huskies at No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	10	3	0	3	16
No. 5 Fighting Irish	7	0	7	0	14

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: September 7
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
Game attendance: 77,622
Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett, and Zora Stephenson
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

ND – Riley Leonard 1-yard run (Mitch Jeter kick), 8:28. Fighting Irish 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:25.
NIU – Antario Brown 83-yard pass from Ethan Hampton (Kanon Woodill kick), 5:35. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 98 yards, 2:51.
NIU – Kanon Woodill 42-yard field goal, 2:13. Huskies 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 30 yards, 1:27.

Second quarter

NIU – Kanon Woodill 21-yard field goal, 13:39. Huskies 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:08.

Third quarter

ND – Jeremiyah Love 34-yard run (Mitch Jeter kick), 8:34. Fighting Irish 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:43.

Fourth quarter

NIU – Kanon Woodill 35-yard field goal, 0:31. Huskies 16–14. Drive: 11 plays, 31 yards, 5:24.

Statistics	NIU	ND
First downs	16	17
Total yards	388	286
Rushing yards	190	123
Passing yards	198	163
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	34:38	25:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Ethan Hampton	10/19, 198 yards, TD
	Rushing	Antario Brown	20 rushes, 99 yards
	Receiving	Antario Brown	2 receptions, 126 yards, TD
Notre Dame	Passing	Riley Leonard	20/32, 163 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jeremiyah Love	11 rushes, 79 yards, TD
	Receiving	Beaux Collins	5 receptions, 45 yards

This was the Huskies' first win over an AP top-10 team in program history.^[7]

Buffalo

Buffalo Bulls at No. 23 Northern Illinois Huskies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bulls	0	3	7	10	3	23
No. 23 Huskies	7	7	0	6	0	20

at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois

Date: September 21
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: N 9 mph
Game attendance: 18,688
Referee: David Siegle
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. and Tyoka Jackson
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

(5:14) NIU – Antario Brown 5-yard run, Kanon Woodill kick (Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 6:36; Northern Illinois 7-0)

Second quarter

(7:18) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 42-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:26; Northern Illinois 7-3)
(1:55) NIU – Antario Brown 14-yard run, Kanon Woodill kick (Drive: 2 plays, 36 yards, 0:16; Northern Illinois 14-3)

Third quarter

(10:59) BUF – Victor Snow 46-yard pass from C. J. Ogbonna, Upton Bellenfant kick (Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:32; Northern Illinois 14-10)

Fourth quarter

(14:51) NIU – Kanon Woodill 30-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:44; Northern Illinois 17-10)
(12:02) BUF – Al-Jay Henderson 36-yard run, Upton Bellenfant kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:49; Tied 17-17)
(3:28) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 42-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -4 yards, 2:11; Buffalo 20-17)
(0:24) NIU – Kanon Woodill 27-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 3:04; Tied 20-20)

Overtime

(0:00) BUF – Upton Bellenfant 37-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:00; Buffalo 23-20)

Statistics	BUF	NIU
First downs	9	24
Total yards	184	359
Rushing yards	77	165
Passing yards	107	194
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	23:47	36:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing	C. J. Ogbonna	10/17, 107 yards, TD
	Rushing	Al-Jay Henderson	11 carries, 56 yards, TD
	Receiving	Victor Snow	3 receptions, 72 yards, TD
Northern Illinois	Passing	Ethan Hampton	23/43, 194 yards, INT
	Rushing	Antario Brown	24 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Cam Thompson	3 receptions, 49 yards

At NC State

Northern Illinois Huskies at NC State Wolfpack – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	0	0	0	0
Wolfpack	0	0	0	0	0

at Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina

Date: September 28
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
TV announcers (The CW): Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Carla Gebhart (sideline)

Statistics	NIU	NCSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
NC State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "2024 Football Coaching Staff". NIU Athletics. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
^ Williams, James H. "Notre Dame upset by NIU: Instant reactions to historic Northern Illinois win". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
^ Wiles, Ethan (September 9, 2024). "No. 25 Ranked NIU Named Cheez-It Team of the Week". 13 WREX. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
^ "Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
^ "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
^ "2024 Northern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
^ Bromberg, Nick (September 8, 2024). "Northern Illinois stuns No. 5 Notre Dame for first-ever win over a top-10 team". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2024.

[1] "2024 Football Coaching Staff". NIU Athletics. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

[2] Williams, James H. "Notre Dame upset by NIU: Instant reactions to historic Northern Illinois win". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 11, 2024.

[3] Wiles, Ethan (September 9, 2024). "No. 25 Ranked NIU Named Cheez-It Team of the Week". 13 WREX. Retrieved September 11, 2024.

[4] "Miami Selected as Favorites in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.

[5] "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked 2nd, BGSU 3rd". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.

[6] "2024 Northern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

[7] Bromberg, Nick (September 8, 2024). "Northern Illinois stuns No. 5 Notre Dame for first-ever win over a top-10 team". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2024.

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v t e Northern Illinois Huskies football
Venues	Glidden Field (1903–1948, 1951–1965) Dekalb Township High School football field (1949–1950) Huskie Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Ball State: Bronze Stalk Trophy
Culture & lore	"Huskie Fight Song" Huskie Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold