Newsstand: NIU coach Thomas Hammock offers to help Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman

Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock is helping Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman out just a few days after the 28.5-point underdog Huskies upset the Fighting Irish in South Bend. No, seriously. That’s actually happening.

Hammock told Pardon My Take he’s been in contact with Freeman about what NIU saw on film that allowed the Huskies to go into Notre Dame Stadium and exit with a shocking 16-14 victory.

Here’s everything Hammock said on PMT.

“He has taken me up on it,” Hammock said. “We’ve talked on the phone a couple times, exchanged text messages. It was my first time meeting him. Obviously I have a lot of respect for him as a head coach. I want him to do well, for obvious reasons. Just because we competed doesn’t mean we can’t help each other or try to assist each other to make each other better.

“Sometimes when you become a head coach, you don’t have many people you can really rely upon because nobody is going through what you’re going through. I don’t understand what he’s going through but I have an idea of some of the things he’s going through. And if I can help him and help him achieve the type of things he wants to achieve, that’s what it’s about. Paying it forward.

“They’re never going to play us again, we will never be a common opponent, and I want to see him win the national championship. He’s at a program that can win the national championship.”

PMT’s Big Cat told Hammock there is the possibility of NIU and the Irish squaring off in the College Football Playoff. Never say never. You never know.

“We’ll go over that bridge when it happens,” Hammock said with a smile.

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Four carries for Jadarian Price against NIU seemed a little low.

Boubacar Traore is coming on strong.

Jordan Clark has been great for the Irish so far.

Fighting Irish quote of the day

“There are too many times where we may’ve been playing the way they wanted to, or this and that. If we just play our football, we’re a good-*** team. When we go away from that, that’s where you see different results.”

— Graduate student defensive tackle Rylie Mills

Blue & Gold headlines of the day

• The Notre Dame 3-2-1: 3 numbers, 2 questions (QB, what’s next), 1 prediction (Angeli matters)
• Notre Dame’s Chad Bowden to hit road recruiting this week to see big 2025 targets
• Inside Notre Dame football’s latest pitch to four-star CB Jordan Thomas
• Tale of the tape: Notre Dame offense vs. NIU
• On paper: Who has the edge in every facet of Notre Dame at Purdue?
• Notre Dame football: Three things to know about the Purdue Boilermakers
• ‘That’s football’: How Marcus Freeman, Al Golden reacted similarly to Notre Dame loss to NIU
• New Notre Dame 2025 WR target Isaiah Mizell breaks down offer, upcoming official visit
• Point/counterpoint: What is most to blame for Notre Dame’s loss to NIU?
• Lucky Charms: Father of Notre Dame commit Dallas Golden gives the latest

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