Despite being considered an underdog and having to play on the road at the notoriously hostile Kyle Field, Notre Dame still managed to beat Texas A&M in convincing fashion 23-13. Mike Denbrock returned to the Notre Dame sidelines to run the offense after stops in Cincinnati and LSU, while Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard had some ups and downs in his first start for the Irish, going 18-for-30 for 158 yards and a 74.0 NFL Passer rating. Fortunately, the Irish secondary was suffocating, holding Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman to 100 passing yards and 246 total yards on the day.
Northern Illinois is known for a stout defense that allowed 21 points and 320 total yards per game last year and returns eight starters. The Huskies should be one of the best defenses in the Group of Five once again and are also very strong on the offensive line with four starters back from a mauling unit that cleared the way from 5.0 yards per carry in 2023. Head coach Thomas Hammock is a former NIU running back and has awarded the starting quarterback job to Ethan Hampton, who lit up Western Illinois for 328 passing yards and five touchdowns last week.
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Game details & how to watch Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois Saturday
- Date: Saturday, September 7th, 2024
- Time: 3:30 PM EST
- Site: Notre Dame Stadium
- City: South Bend, IN
- TV/Streaming: NBC/Peaco*ck
Game odds for Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois
The latest odds as of Friday morning:
- Moneyline: Unavailable
- Spread: Notre Dame -28 (-110)
- Total: 45 points
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
The huge game line makes the first half spread of Notre Dame -17 with a game total of 24.5 points potentially more appealing.
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Eric Froton (@CFFroton) has a healthy respect for the size and depth of the Huskies.
“I think Northern Illinois is experienced and strong enough in the trenches to keep the game within 28.5 points, so I’m riding with the Huskies.”
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Names to know for Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois
- Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard takes over for fellow ACC transfer QB Sam Hartman who helped the Irish average 8.4 yards per dropback (9th in FBS) with 23.5% of the teams passes going for 20+ yards (13th). A true dual-threat signal caller, Leonard ran for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns for Duke in 2022 before sustaining a debilitating ankle injury last year that sapped his effectiveness and shortened his season to just seven games. Pairing him with new OC Mike Denbrock who was the architect of LSU’s #1 rated scoring offense is a potentially explosive combination.
- Northern Illinois: The Huskies were tasked with replacing veteran blond-bomber QB Rocky Lombardi this offseason, with Arkansas Pine-Bluff transfer Jalen Macon drawing significant spring buzz. However, it was 2023 backup QB Ethan Hampton who won the job and earned another start by completing 18-of-20 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns to go with a pristine 158.3 passer rating against FCS Western Illinois. He will have a much harder time this week against a Notre Dame secondary that may be the best in the nation.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of the Huskies vs. Fighting Irish
- Notre Dame has been searching for a legitimate downfield threat since Kevin Austin Jr. moved onto the NFL three years ago. They may have finally done that with Clemson transfer Beaux Collins who secured 5-of-7 targets for 62 yards against a tough Texas A&M pass defense.
- Notre Dame’s offensive line gelled quickly following the losses of NFL Draft selections LT Joe Alt and RT Blake Fisher. They cleared the way for 198 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns vs. the Aggies and will be looking to establish dominance in the trenches again this week.
- Northern Illinois returns eight starters from a stout defense that allowed just 21 points and 171 passing yards per game last year. They once again look like an upper echelon MAC defense.
- Their offense will be led by a veteran offensive line that returns 113 FBS line starts and first team All-MAC running back Antario Brown. Versatile playmaking WR Trayvon Rudolph also received 21 carries last season and can dial up a chunk play from anywhere on the formation.
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