Brown, O’Malley and Haberman Recognized For Efforts In Upset Win At Notre Dame

Seniors Antario Brown (Savannah, Ga./Beach), Devonte O’Malley (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen) and Cade Haberman (Blair, Neb./Westside) were named Mid-American Conference Players of the Week on Monday for their play in the Northern Illinois University football team’s 16-14 upset win at then-#5 Notre Dame on Saturday. It was NIU’s first win over a top-10 ranked opponent and the first for a MAC team against an AP-Top Five team.

Brown was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week after racking up 225 all-purpose yards against the Fighting Irish. He scored NIU’s lone touchdown Saturday on an 83-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Hampton (Elburn, Ill./Aurora Christian), a career-long reception for the senior running back. Brown had 126 receiving yards, making him the first NIU running back to have a 100-yard receiving game since Garrett Wolfe in 2006 at Ohio State. He also had 99 rushing yards. This is Brown’s second MAC Offensive Player of the Week award in his career.

O’Malley earned Defensive Player of Week accolades for his career day at Notre Dame. The senior defensive tackle had four tackles, setting a career-high with three tackles for loss which included two sacks. The Huskies held the Fighting Irish to 286 yards of total offense and only 163 passing yards.

Haberman was named MAC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his two blocked field goals in Saturday’s win. His block of Notre Dame’s 48-yard attempt at the end of the first half preserved NIU’s 13-7 halftime advantage. He also blocked the Fighting Irish’s 62-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Huskies’ the historic win. Haberman is the only player in the country this season with two blocked field goals in the same game.

Also on Monday, Ethan Hampton was named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 for Week 2. Hampton was 10-for-19 for 198 passing yards and a touchdown in the Huskies’ win over Notre Dame. He also rushed for 21 yards and converted a fourth down on the drive that put NIU up 16-14 late in the fourth quarter. Through two games this season, Hampton has thrown for 526 yards with six touchdowns and no turnovers.

NIU (2-0) is next in action at Huskie Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, as the Huskies host Buffalo in their Mid-American Conference opener. Check out all of the ticket options and buy tickets anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies. To request more information and connect with a member of the NIU ticket staff, call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Calls received outside of business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm CT) will be returned the next business day.