After the Northern Illinois stunned Notre Dame, everyone wanted to congratulate Huskies coach Thomas Hammock – even NY Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
‘Don’t need luck’ to beat Notre Dame. Northern Illinois Huskies embrace coach’s rally cry.
NIU coach has clairvoyant dream night before game against Notre Dame.

The Northern Illinois coach received hundreds of text messages from well-wishers after his Huskies upset Notre Dame, 16-14, on Saturday.

Several Mid-American Conference coaches pinged him with kind words after the biggest upset in conference history. Tucked amid the texts was a message from a number Hammock didn’t recognize.

It was New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, chiming in to say congratulations. Hammock, from Jersey City, New Jersey, is a lifelong Yankees fan.

“For Aaron Boone to send that message, trust me, I was like, ‘OK, this is awesome,’” Hammock told me Monday.

Hammock figures Northern Illinois alumnus Rick Cerrone shared his number with Boone. Cerrone, Baseball Digest’s editor in chief, previously worked for the Yankees.

The Yankees are the best team in the American League. If they win the World Series, might Hammock return the favor and text Boone a congrats?

“Hell yeah!” he exclaimed. “You know I saved that message. I saved that number. I hope that comes to fruition.”

I would say it will happen, with any luck, but Hammock and his Huskies proved last week they don’t need luck.

NIU Huskies embrace ‘don’t need luck’ mantra against Notre Dame

The Huskies erupted the first time Hammock used the line.

“We don’t need luck,” he said in a team meeting. His rally cry played off their opponent, the lucky leprechauns.

Hammock’s four-word sentence became NIU’s driving force. No need to be superheroes. Just play your best, and trust your best will be good enough. No luck necessary.

“It struck a chord with the whole team,” senior linebacker Jaden Dolphin said. “As the week went on, we continued to harp on it: We don’t need luck.”

Northern Illinois’ veterans knew they could beat Power Four opponents. The Huskies won at Boston College last season and at Georgia Tech in 2021. Hammock, a former running back, starred in the the team’s 2002 win at Wake Forest.

Those programs don’t enjoy Notre Dame’s pedigree, but Hammock believed his Huskies matched up well with an opponent ranked No. 7 in the US LBM coaches poll.

“To me, the game played out the way I thought it would play out,” Hammock said. “We stayed in the fight long enough to give ourselves a chance to win.”

The Huskies are an experienced team. Many of their top performers Saturday were in the program when NIU won the MAC in 2021.

That includes senior running back Antario Brown. He rushed for 99 yards against the Irish, added 126 more receiving and scored the team’s only touchdown.

The transfer portal becomes a siren’s call for Group of Five stars, and Brown evaluated his options after his standout junior season. He met with Hammock last winter and said he wanted to enter the portal. Then, Brown called Hammock that night. He’d had a change of heart. He decided to stay.

Hammock counts Brown’s decision as a case of personal relationships outweighing a chance at a transactional relationship with a bigger program.

“He’s committed to NIU,” Hammock said. “He doesn’t always let people in his circle, but I’m in his circle, and I’ve been there from Day 1. I think he trusts me, and that means a lot.”

Notre Dame scored on its opening possession before the Huskies stiffened. They tied the game in the first quarter when Brown caught a slant pass from Ethan Hampton and took it for a score.

Kanon Woodill took care of the rest.

NIU kicker on winning field goal: ‘It’s what we live for.’

Woodill had an idea while the second half unfolded that the game would be decided with a kick.

Northern Illinois intercepted Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard in the fourth quarter, while trailing by a single point. As NIU’s offense marched the field, Woodill put on the headset to discuss field positioning with special teams coordinator Adam Breske.

What yard line did the Huskies need to reach for Woodill to be comfortable trying a game-winning field goal?

Woodill told Breske the 30-yard line might be doable. The 25 would be better.

So, faced with fourth-and-2 from the 31, offensive coordinator Wesley Beschorner called a play-action bootleg pass. The Irish covered Hampton’s receivers, so he ran for the first-down marker.

“I put my foot in the ground and got upfield,” said Hampton, a fifth-generation Northern Illinois student who grew up watching Huskies games.

Hampton needed 2 yards. He gained 3. First down.

“I knew in that moment that we had the game,” Hampton said.

NIU reached the 18 before sending out Woodill for a 35-yard attempt.

Woodill delivers in big moments. As a freshman in 2021, his 26-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining lifted the Huskies past Central Michigan. He scored a touchdown on a fake field goal in NIU’s bowl victory last season against Arkansas State.

“When the game is on the line, that kid brings it,” Dolphin said.

And he brought it again. Woodill’s kick split the uprights.

“It’s what we live for,” Woodill said. “It’s such a privilege to have that responsibility and that pressure to go out and execute for the team. Yeah, it’s a little nerve-racking, but in the moment, you’re not necessarily focused on that.”

Notre Dame had just enough time left for a final chance of escape. Hail Mary, or desperately long field-goal try? Hammock could hardly believe the Irish attempted the 62-yarder.

“I’m on the sideline trying to count, how long is this field goal?” Hammock said. “Sixty-two yards?”

Woodill normally feels uncomfortable pulling for a kicker to miss, but the stakes were too high to play nice this time. 

“I really never try to wish for a kicker to miss,” Woodill said, “but, I gotta tell the truth. I was hoping a little bit that the ball did not go through the uprights.”

The ball never made it to the uprights.

Cade Haberman recorded his second blocked field goal of the game.

Forget luck. NIU simply outplayed the Irish.

The Huskies cued up Waka Flocka Flame’s “Grove St. Party” in the locker room. The song came out in 2010, and it’s served as the team’s victory music for many years.

Time to update the playlist? No way. Tradition is tradition.

‘That win will go down in the record books,’ Hampton said, ‘and we’ll be talking about it 20 years down the line when we’re old and fat.’

Northern Illinois upset of Notre Dame football a dream come true

Hammock dreamed of this moment. Literally.

Visions of NIU’s game against Notre Dame invaded Hammock’s sleep the night before game day. In Hammock’s dream, his team had a chance to beat the Irish on a last-minute field goal.

Hammock woke up before the kick.

“I don’t know what happened,” Hammock said. “I wasn’t sure which way it ended.”

He found out the next day. Woodill made the field goal, and the Huskies made history that resonated all the way to New York.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

Subscribe to read all of his columns. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.

More information is being revealed by police after Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was pulled over Sunday, thrown to the ground and handcuffed on his way to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade Police Department released the name of the officer put on administrative duties after the incident. In an email to USA TODAY Sports, MDPD said: ‘Officer Danny Torres, 27 year tenure, remains in administrative duties, as the Internal Affairs investigation is still ongoing.’

The department also released the two citations issued to Hill: one for careless driving, citing ‘high rate of speed visual estimation 60 mph.’ Hill was also cited for not wearing a seat belt. Both citations were signed by Ofc. M. Batista.

Sunday’s confrontation, as recorded on an officer’s body camera that was released by police on Monday, showed Hill, 30, being forcibly removed from his car, thrown to the ground and handcuffed.

The MDPD later launched an internal affairs investigation, announcing an officer was placed on administrative duties following the incident.

All things Dolphins: Latest Miami Dolphins news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

OPINION: Officers in Tyreek Hill incident should be fired, Dolphins owner must speak out

How fast was Tyreek Hill going when he was pulled over?

Hill was pulled over by a police officer on a motorcycle just outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 8 and informed that he was speeding.

Who is officer put on administrative duties by MDPD?

On Tuesday, in a release emailed to USA TODAY Sports, MDPD identified Danny Torres as the officer on administrative duties while the ‘Internal Affairs investigation is still ongoing.’

An attorney for Torres issued a statement earlier Tuesday requesting that he be reinstated immediately. Meanwhile, a number of critics – including Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus – have said they believe the officers involved in the traffic stop should be fired.

Why did Tyreek Hill get detained by police?

The incident began as a routine traffic stop, with police asking Hill for his driver’s license.

According to body-camera footage released by police, Hill told the officer, ‘Don’t knock on my window like that,’ repeating the phrase at least seven times. ‘Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. Do what you have to do,’ he said.

After Hill turned over his license, he rolled his window up again. The officer knocked on the window twice more.

‘Keep your window down or I’m going to get you out of the car,’ the officer said. ‘As a matter of fact, get out of the car. … Get out of the car right now. We’re not playing this game. Get out. Get out!”

On the body-cam video, at least three officers are seen pulling Hill out of the car and onto the ground.

What kind of car does Tyreek Hill drive?

When he was pulled over on his way to Sunday’s game, Hill was driving a McLaren 720S coupe.

The 2024 base model has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499,000.

Who does Tyreek Hill play for?

Tyreek Hill is in his third season as a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. Before that, he played six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He is a five-time All-Pro, a Super Bowl champion with the 2019 Chiefs, and he led the NFL last year with 1,799 receiving yards.

Where did Tyreek Hill go to college?

Hill was drafted by the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Division II West Alabama.

He also played one season at Oklahoma State and two seasons at Garden City (Kansas) Community College.

The epicenter of college football’s Week 2 was South Bend, Indiana, where Northern Illinois stunned Notre Dame in a huge victory for the Huskies and a loss that created major concerns for the Fighting Irish.

Also among the notable results was Colorado’s loss at Nebraska that saw the Buffaloes get down early and raised larger concerns about whether they are good enough to make it through their Big 12 schedule. Michigan, Auburn and Arkansas suffered difficult defeats as well, causing concern about each program’s trajectory early in this season.

Looking ahead to Week 3, there are several matchups to keep an eye on, led by Alabama making a rare trip north to face Wisconsin. Florida State will look to rebound after two losses to open its season, but faces a dangerous opponent in No. 25 Memphis. And there’s several big rivalry games on tap with Oregon State hosting Oregon in the Civil War, Washington and Washington State meeting in the Apple Cup and West Virginia traveling to Pittsburgh for the Backyard Brawl. It all shapes up for a potentially intriguing Saturday of action.

Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports discuss these topics and more in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.

CALM DOWN: Five biggest overreactions after Week 2

MISERY INDEX: Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman under pressure

FOUR DOWNS: Northern Illinois is feel-good story of Week 2

REPORT CARD: Handing out Week 2 letter grades

NFL power rankings entering Week 2 of the 2024 season (previous rank in parentheses):

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

7. Dallas Cowboys (18): Let’s give them their flowers after handling QB Dak Prescott’s contract at the 11th hour. But the real story Sunday was the defense, a unit now run by Mike Zimmer and one that generated 25 pressures on Cleveland’s 56 dropbacks.

10. Los Angeles Rams (10): WR Puka Nacua’s knee injury, which will keep him out at least a month, is only the most notable test to a depth chart already under serious duress.

12. New York Jets (6): A rocky debut rendered them the only winless team in the AFC East. But QB Aaron Rodgers survived the night, the schedule seems poised to ease up significantly and – who knows? – maybe LB Haason Reddick will even show up rather than continue to miss game checks. Panic would be premature.

13. Miami Dolphins (16): They were fortunate to beat the self-sabotaging Jags. But the Fins certainly weren’t fortunate to be dealing with the off-the-field circumstances surrounding All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill and others before kickoff. Understandable why they’d come out flat given the troubling details that continue to emerge regarding Hill’s treatment by local police Sunday morning.

16. Green Bay Packers (3): New QB2 Malik Willis’ brief track record in the league isn’t especially encouraging as he prepares to stand in for injured Jordan Love (MCL). But at least Willis had a few extra days to prepare for a Colts team he’s already familiar with.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (21): OC Arthur Smith got his revenge in Atlanta on Sunday. Will QB Russell Wilson get his pound of flesh this weekend in Denver? Should he even be granted the chance?

18. Los Angeles Chargers (19): Suffocating defense, relentless run game, physical fronts. HC Jim Harbaugh’s new team debuted as advertised. (And just wait until QB Justin Herbert gets to be a bigger part of the attack after passing for a meager 144 yards Sunday.)

20. Chicago Bears (17): Their 148 yards of total offense were the fewest by a winning team in the league in the past four years. Seems like a glass half full situation.

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22. Cleveland Browns (15): Bad day to be without both starting offensive tackles, to say nothing of RB Nick Chubb’s continued absence. But that hardly explains just another bad day from QB Deshaun Watson.

32. New York Giants (32): They got to spend Friday night watching Barkley and S Xavier McKinney thrive in new uniforms. They got to spend Sunday afternoon watching QB Daniel Jones flounder in a new uniform – the Giants’ hideous alternates unveiled to celebrate their 100th season … and that celebration may already be over as HC Brian Daboll is already being asked about Jones’ status as QB1.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever (19-17) are back in action Wednesday as they face the WNBA defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces (22-13), at home. 

The Fever has struggled against the Aces this season, falling by double digits in their previous meetings on May 25 and July 2. However, Indiana has looked like a different team in the second half of the season, winning eight of its last 10 games since the Olympic break, with its two losses coming against the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx. 

The Fever enter the matchup on a high note following a comeback win in overtime against the Dream. Meanwhile, the Aces will be looking to bounce back after a narrow 71-75 defeat at the hands of the top-of-the-table New York Liberty. Aces star A’ja Wilson sat out that game with an ankle injury and was seen in a walking boot. Wilson’s injury status is still to be determined for the Fever game, but her absence would be a significant blow to the Aces squad. 

Clark is also closing in on the WNBA rookie scoring record. With her 26 points against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, the Rookie of the Year favorite is now second on the all-time list, just 52 points behind Seimone Augustus’ record-setting 744 points. With four more games this regular season, the record seems well within Clark’s reach.

Both teams have already secured a spot in the playoffs, with the Aces currently holding the No.4 seed and the Fever sitting at No. 6. 

The teams will also face off again later this week, playing a Friday evening rematch in Indianapolis.

When is Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces?

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 11
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

The Fever look to defend home court against the Aces on Wednesday night. It’s the first of a three-game homestand, the final three games at home for Indiana this season.

How to watch Caitlin Clark and Fever vs. Aces

TV: NBA TV (National); WALV (Local)

The Fever-Aces game will also be available on demand upon its conclusion on WNBA League Pass. Fans can get the WNBA League Pass by downloading the WNBA app.

Caitlin Clark stats last game

Clark recorded 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds Sunday to set a franchise record of 14 double-doubles in a single season and help the Fever overcome a 16-point deficit against the Dream. However, the Rookie of the Year favorite contributed nine turnovers – the most since her debut game. 

Clark’s 26 points moved her to second on the WNBA rookie all-time scoring list, with 692 points this season. After surpassing Wilson’s 682 points, Clark is now just 52 points behind Seimone Augustus’ 744 points, a record set in 2006.

Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in two runs to go along with spectacular defense in center field and the visiting Chicago Cubs took advantage of three Los Angeles Dodgers errors in the eighth inning to rally for a 6-3 victory on Tuesday.

The Cubs scored five times in the eighth when the Dodgers had throwing errors from catcher Austin Barnes and center fielder Tommy Edman as well as a fielding error from Enrique Hernandez.

Shota Imanaga (13-3) kept Chicago in the game, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk.

As in Imanaga’s previous start, a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 4, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge followed him with one scoreless inning apiece. Hodge registered his fifth save with help from a clutch catch by Crow-Armstrong.

Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki each had three hits and an RBI for the Cubs (75-70), who are four games behind the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets in the chase for the final National League wild-card spot.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Tommy Edman hit two home runs and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto had eight strikeouts in his return from a shoulder injury as the National League West-leading Dodgers lost for the fourth time in their past six games.

Max Muncy also hit a home run for the Dodgers, whose lead over the second-place San Diego Padres fell to 4 1/2 games.

Leading 3-1 in the eighth inning, the Dodgers lost their way on defense. Barnes’ throwing error on a Dansby Swanson ball in front of the plate put a second runner aboard with no outs. Suzuki singled to center for a run, and Swanson scored as well on Edman’s errant throw back to the infield, tying the score 3-all.

Chicago took a 4-3 lead on a Michael Busch fielder’s choice, with Hernandez making an error on the play. Hoerner then hit an RBI double, and Crow-Armstrong’s groundout drove in the final run.

Edman hit home runs in the second and fourth innings to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. They were Edman’s first home runs in a Los Angeles uniform after a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals in late July.

Muncy gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning with his 13th of the season.

The Dodgers had a runner on third with two outs in the ninth when Crow-Armstrong ended the game by taking a home run away from Muncy. Crow-Armstrong made two other sliding catches in right-center.

Evan Phillips (3-1) gave up four runs, all unearned, in the eighth inning to take the loss.

Yamamoto, in his first major league start since June 15, allowed one run on four hits and no walks in four innings.

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, more commonly known as B-Girl Raygun, has ascended to the top of the sport’s World Ranking List.

The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) announced Raygun as the world’s No. 1 B-Girl on Monday, followed by Japan’s B-Girl Riko and Ukraine’s B-Girl Stefani. Raygun became a viral sensation this summer after her unique performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics’ breaking competition raised some eyebrows.

The new world ranking list did the same.

On Tuesday, the WDSF released a statement to ‘provide clarity on the ranking methodology and address the concerns raised’ after ‘the recent rankings of B-Girl Raygun and B-Girl Riko have drawn particular attention.’

The WDSF explained that both Raygun and Riko earned 1,000 ranking points following their first-place finishes at the Oceania Continental Championships in October 2023 and the Breaking for Gold World Series in December 2023, respectively. Despite the tie, the WDSF said Raygun earned the top spot because her Oceania Continental Championship ‘takes precedence’ over Riko’s win, according to the Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual.

2024 Paris Olympics: Follow USA TODAY’s coverage of the biggest names and stories of the Games.

Each athlete’s top four performances within a 12-month period count toward the ranking. Points earned by each breaker expire 52 weeks after the event date. (The Olympics was not counted as a ranking event.)

The WDSF explained that the world ranking list is skewed as a result of the Olympic cycle. Ranking events were not held from January through the 2024 Paris Games, and as a result, some athletes are ranked based on one event.

‘By the end of the Olympic Games, many of the competition results included in the ranking had expired, leading to the current situation where many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking,’ the WDSF said in a statement. ‘WDSF ranking events recommence later this year, therefore, the world rankings as they currently stand should be interpreted in conjunction with results from recent global Breaking competitions for a more accurate reflection of the global competitive landscape.’

The next WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series will be held in October in Shanghai.

Raygun, a 37-year-old college professor, gained notoriety at the Paris Games after she lost all three of her group-stage breaking battles and failed to score a single point. 

‘I really appreciate the positivity, and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped,’ Gunn said in a video posted to Instagram in August following the Games. ‘I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has, frankly, been pretty devastating.’

‘I went out there, and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all. Truly,” Gunn added.