NIU Football 2024 - Thomas Hammock Postgame Press Conference vs Notre Dame

proud of our players um our theme this week was we didn't need luck um that was our theme I didn't think we needed luck we just need to play our best and it wasn't the cleanest for us but we played hard uh for four quarters we stayed together uh they worked together they believed uh and they made enough plays to win a game and I couldn't be more proud of our coaches um the staff everybody involved what a tremendous opportunity uh this is you know a program changing type win no different than when they beat Alabama a while ago so you know we we want to continue to move forward as a program uh in the changes of college football and hopefully uh with a win like this um you know our supporters will really uh start to you know um you know back our program in a major major way so we can continue to find ways uh to move forward uh coach this is the first team in industory to ever be a top five team what does that mean for the musics here yeah no I mean I think it means we built it the right way um you know we develop we recruit we find the right type of kids that want to work uh and want to grind uh and not um affected by outside things uh we built a great culture here uh a family atmosphere guys love coming into the building you love being around them and uh you do a step by step along the way you don't take any shortcuts uh things like this become possible coach Antonio Brown had 199 yards in the first half really uh yeah and and I'm wondering two things did you think that he could pull that off and if you do um how did you game plan to allow him to do that D's got a pretty good line yeah I think he's one of the best backs in the country uh bar I know people talk about the kid from boy State and all that he's one of the best backs in the country if he wants to be and did I believe he can have a game like this I did uh and we were going to plan it that way now he didn't you know he was cramping up in the second half we used them a lot but I said hey you did you did more than enough to help us be in position to win the game uh so you know we're not going to play you if you're not 100% uh he wasn't but uh I told Mike Turner before the game I need a Mike Turner performance in this game uh and and he showed up in a big way big big way especially with the slant um early you know catching the ball doing a bunch of different things I think he showed why I believe he's one of the best kept secrets in America and uh I'm proud of him proud of his growth uh young man been through a lot and uh he continues to persevere that last Drive you're without brown without Rudolph what was it like seeing you know you drive down the field for a game when drive with two of your best offensive yeah I mean we have a deep football team uh I had no concern we got guys that can go in there and make plays uh I told I told you guys all all preseason we got 80 guys that we can go win with and so you may look at Rudolph being R got went down the first half you may look at but we got guys stepping up Dane Partridge Gavin Williams um you know we got a bunch of different guys stepping up in moments and they believed and they work together and there a nextmen up mentality uh and so we've done a great job uh building the roster in the way that we can withstand and they did today going to a Catholic High School in Fort Wayne um and all my buddies are no Dame loyalist uh but they support NIU today and uh I I I certainly appreciate that uh coach Kate hman has a two I say makes a difference not one but two plays just what's like to have a guy like that who you know make such a difference yeah no we we knew we had to sell out um you know we had to sell out at the end of the first half and at the end of the game and uh those guys I mean wow just you know unbelievable uh effort uh tenacity uh to get in there and and block the kick was there something you saw change defensively up for you guys from that first drive of the game pretty much for the rest of the game no we just settled in um we settled in they made some plays in the first drive they got into manageable situations on third down they got you know got the Run game going early um but then you know when it became a you got to make plays on third down um and they were longer situations you know they they tried to scream they we knew okay they they not going try to push it down the field uh so we got to play good coverage we did and when they pushed it down the field we made plays on the ball I know it's probably hard to process without watching the film but if all the big plays in the entire 60 Minutes any the third or fourth down even second any any particular plays that really stood out that you felt may have been a turning point for you you know obviously that last fourth down but anything else that really stood out where oh so we really need worst way I think I think the slant in the first quarter to anio Brown to me once that happened there was like a belief and a confidence to say game on uh and I thought that that was the changing Point uh Ethan made a great throw he made a great catch and uh then at that point we were we were in attack mode after that one Mar coach would you would you define this win as you know the biggest win in program history yeah you know that's hard for me to do right because you know I wasn't around for every win it's certainly the biggest win in my six years you know I'll let everybody else talk I don't want I don't want to take away from any team that played a tremendous game when they played uh I I I just don't want to do that um but it's certainly the biggest win in my ten year and uh a top five win and I'm happy for our players CU you talked about what I ain't going nowhere I'm not going nowhere you talk about what the win means for your players and your staff but what does it mean personally for you at your Al yeah no I mean I I was I was flushed with emotion after the game um just because uh you know to do things the right way it takes a tremendous amount of discipline right and it don't always look the way like these players would tell you all week I was like get your study tables in if you don't get your study tables you are not getting on the bus and you just have to be diligent right football can't be the end all be we are trying to create men uh that's going to be productive in society and and take that very very seriously that's why I came back to college to help grow these guys the win is great but we still got to handle our responsibilities as a student athlete and uh I believe in that that's how I I was brought up that's that's changed my life when I was in college and I want to try to change these guys lives uh long term and uh that's just really really important to me we don't we don't take shortcuts we don't we don't cut corns Skyler uh coach during Tuesday pressors you said you told your players that you don't need them Superman you just need to play their best but they play their best to live the results whatever they may be we won how do you feel like look up to that yeah I mean we won the game so they they believed they did it and uh they got the they got the they got the reward and U what what a great atmosphere coach I think when uh when people think about NIU the football program they think about like Jordan Lynch and and Orange Bowl maybe the Casual fan thinks that like how much could maybe this win change I don't know not the narrative around the program but like almost ushering a new era maybe of NIU football yeah I I hope this one bring support you know financial support um you know it's a new era of college football n and all these different things right and so if we want to continue to build the program my whole vision for this program was to play so well we can increase student attendance increase exposure that was all because this is home for me um I love NIU I I was raised here and that's what I want to continue to do for for generations to coach what what could be this is a good question Donna what possibly could be the biggest story nationally in college football was what transpired today Y what all Ethan can answer too if he wants either one of you what does that mean no I think it's huge I think it's even more huge that we have a by week next week right so makeing the biggest story today and tomorrow I'm good with that we got enough time to get ready for our next opponent but if we had another game can you imagine trying to get the guys brought down and hey you got to execute and b boom uh so we got some time uh to get them back let them enjoy this have some fun and uh but as far as the exposure you know I can't wait to watch expn when I get home big question that everyone ask you guys in the play pict I don't know we got we got to win one week at a time our goals it to be one and0 every week um and I'm not naive to this process so we need to continue to win and stack wins and then at the end of the season we we not even going to go there it's week too so choice choice of Beverage tonight uh water all right thank you how thanks coach appreciate it