MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan Football team will be back on the road this weekend, taking a trip to the west side of Wisconsin for a Saturday afternoon game at UW-La Crosse. 

The Wildcats will look to bounce back after a 34-3 defeat to the Eagles a year ago. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET from Veterans Memorial Stadium. 


Follow The Action
Follow @NMU_Football and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the game. 

Saturday, September 14 - at UW-La Crosse at 2 p.m. ET
Watch  |  Live Stats  |  Listen (Casey Ford)


A Word from Shane Richardson
"We have to make sure we are improving week-to-week. Our team is going where we are leading them, they are willing to take on our messages, and there is a ton of buy in. For almost half of the team being first year guys, that's a really good sign."


Last Week
Despite an impressive 96-yard effort on the ground from freshman Jahi Wood, NMU fell 33-13 last Thursday night at Kentucky Wesleyan, falling to 0-2 on the season. 

Northern got a first-career touchdown from Nico Lukkarinen and a pair of field goals from Michael Karlen, but 310 passing yards from the Panthers was too much to overcome. The Wildcats held a 123-72 advantage on the ground, in large part thanks to Wood's breakthrough performance. 


Wildcats to Watch
Junior linebacker Mitch Larkin will guide the defense after leading the conference last season in total tackles with 118. That marked a near 100 tackle increase from his freshman campaign where he recorded 22. He finished tied for third in Division II in total tackles (118) and fifth in tackles/game (10.7). Also in the linebacker room, sophomore Jax Hertel will look to take a leap in his second year after recording 65 tackles and a pair of interceptions as a true freshman. Both Larkin and Hertel earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention last season. 

After being forced into action as a true freshman following an injury to starter Mariano Valenti, quarterback Aidan Hoard appeared in eight games, throwing for 1,059 yards and five TD's. The 6'4" Frankenmuth native completed 101 of 196 (51.5%) of his passing attempts. Wideouts Michael Love and Sam Peiffer will look to play roles as top targets through the air, as they combined for 680 receiving yards and 5 TD's last season. Freshman Kaleb Isom and Jahi Wood will also look to make an impact at skill positions.

In the secondary, Ricky Lancaster, Tim Shannon Jr., and Jeremiah Gossett will each play a big role after seeing significant time last season. 


Cat Nips

• Northern's 11-game schedule includes bouts in three different states in the first three games (Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin). The final eight games will all take place in the Great Lakes State. 
• The Green and Gold will field one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 42 of 96 (43.8%) of the roster consisting of first-year players. Underclassmen will make up 68 of the 96 (70.8%) roster spots.
• The Wildcats were the least penalized team in the GLIAC in 2023, totaling 54 over 11 games for an average of 4.9/game. At 2/game thus far, NMU is tied for third in the country in fewest penalties.
• Owen Halverson is third in the GLIAC and 22nd in the country averaging 43.1 yards/punt
• Michael Karlen is 2-2 on his FG attempts this season, converting from 18-yards twice against Kentucky Wesleyan.

Notes on UW-La Crosse
The No. 6 nationally DIII ranked Eagles defeated RPI in its season-opener 35-0. QB Zach Weir threw for 279 yards and 3 TD's while Braedon Ott rushed six times for 99 yards. Receiving, both Jack Studer (173) and Wyatt LeMoine (102) broke the century mark. 

La Crosse finished 11-2 last season, making it to the DIII NCAA Quarterfinals where they fell to North Central College 55-42. In 2023, the Eagles averaged 39.3 points/game while allowing 23.2 points/game. Through the air, the Eagles averaged 283.3 yards/game and on the ground, La Crosse ran for an average of 190.6 yards/game.

The two teams matched up last year in Marquette, a 34-3 victory for the Eagles. 
 

Shane Richardson and Company
Head coach Shane Richardson, along with Associate head coach Billy Lindquist and assistant's Mike DuFrane, Michael Kaiser, DeAndre Riddick, and Ezekiel Combs all enter their second season on the Wildcat staff. New to the sidelines will be Joe Gatz guiding the offensive line and Kadalls Siner working with tight ends.