No. 23 Northern Illinois enjoys moment, stays focused after beating Notre Dame
Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton (2) celebrates with fans after defeating Notre Dame in an NCAA college football game Saturday Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Michael Caterina]
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — No. 23 Northern Illinois is having a moment after beating then-No. 5 Notre Dame two weeks ago. The win over the Fighting Irish vaulted the Huskies into the AP poll for the first time in 11 years at No. 25. They moved up to 23rd following a bye last week, and will try to build on their big win when they host Buffalo in their MAC opener on Saturday. Northern Illinois is no stranger to winning football. But the victory in South Bend, Ind., was unlike any other for NIU. The Huskies had never beaten a top-10 team let alone one ranked in the top five. It had been nine years since they took out a ranked opponent, when they beat No. 20 Toledo 32-27 on Nov. 3, 2015.
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