MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan Football team is back at home this weekend and is set to host Alma College on Homecoming Weekend. The teams will take the gridiron on Saturday, September 21 at 1 p.m.

The Wildcats (0-3) will look to pick up its first win of the season, while the Scots (1-1) come in as the No. 16 ranked team in the latest d3football.com national poll.


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 21 - vs. Alma 1 p.m. ET
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A Word from Shane Richardson
"I think the expectations of our team is that we don't lose heart. We have to be able to move forward and push the reset button. If we're able to compare ourselves to improvement and what we can do better, we will come out with great energy and with the hopes that this is going to come to fruition."



Last Week
NMU was on the road last weekend at UW-La Crosse, falling 35-21.

Aidan Hoard and Michael Love connected for two scores, the first multi-touchdown performance for each of them in their careers. Elizin Rouse led the 269-yard ground attack with 137 yards, including a 77-yard scamper to the endzone on the third run of his career. Jahi Wood added another 91. It was the most yards the team gained on the ground since the 2018 season.

The Eagles made their mark throwing for 340 yards and three TD's while adding two more scores on the ground. 


Wildcats to Watch
Junior linebacker Mitch Larkin guides 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). He currently sits atop the GLIAC tackled leaderboard this year with 27. 
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.


Cat Nips

• The Green and Gold field one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 42 of 96 (43.8%) of the roster consisting of first-year players. Underclassmen makeup 68 of the 96 (70.8%) roster spots.
• NMU's 269 yards on the ground at UW-La Crosse marked its best ground effort since the 2018 season. 
• Freshman Jahi Wood (209) is second in the conference in rushing while freshman Elizin Rouse (137) is also in the top-10. 
• Mitch Larkin currently leads the GLIAC with 27 tackles. Larkin paced the conference last season with 118. 
• Michael Love's two touchdown catches marked the first time a Wildcat receiver found the endzone twice in a game since September 24, 2022 when Wyatt Davis went for two scores on Homecoming in a 42-14 win over Post. He is third in the GLIAC this year with three TD's.
• Michael Karlen is 2-2 on FG's and 5-5 on PAT's so far this season. 
• The Wildcats were the least penalized team in the GLIAC in 2023, totaling 54 over 11 games for an average of 4.9/game. 

Notes on Alma
The No. 16 nationally DIII ranked Scots are 1-1, most recently defeating Denison 38-30. Through two games, QB Carter St. John has thrown for 537 yards and 7 TD's. Zach Poff (142 yards, 1 TD), Ty Lotterman (129 yards, 2 TD's), Devon Frenchko (109 yards, 2 TD's) and Jordan Willis (77 yards, 1 TD) present a quad-threat at wideout for Alma.

As a team, the Scots average 36.5 points/game and 431.5 yards/game. Defensively, they are allowing 489 yards/game, 357.0 through the air and 132.0 on the ground. 
 

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 this year is Joe Gatz guiding the offensive line and Kadalls Siner working with tight ends.