MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan University football team welcomes U.P. rival Michigan Tech to the Superior Dome on Saturday, Oct. 25, at noon in the battle for the Miner's Cup.
The Wildcats secured a long-awaited win after a historic day for the offense, defeating Roosevelt 42-21 last weekend. This weekend's matchup features the 5-2 Michigan Tech Huskies and the 1-6 Wildcats. Coming in with a chip on their shoulder, Northern will look to regain possession of the Miner's Cup with its home crowd behind them.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on TV6, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call.
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From the Coach
"It's time for us to be able to understand that we've gotta go out there, we gotta play with an edge, and we're not gonna be the little brother anymore."
Last Time Out
Northern made history last weekend in a dominant 42-21 victory over Roosevelt. The Wildcats rushed for a single-game school record 538 yards, with backs
Jahi Wood and
Noah Dobert combining for 467 yards and five touchdowns. The performance marked just the seventh time in Division II history that two teammates have rushed for 200-plus yards in the same game.
Quarterback
Austin Ridl added a score of his own with a breakout 67-yard touchdown run. The Wildcats dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 38 minutes.
Dobert was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week following his 243-yard, three-touchdown performance.
Defensively, the Wildcats held Roosevelt to just 115 rushing yards, adding two sacks and forcing a pair of fumbles.
Murphy Monreal led the defense with nine total tackles, while
Jax Hertel added two tackles for loss and continues to lead the GLIAC with 12 on the season.
Northern Michigan Outlook
Offensively, the 'Cats will look to keep the rushing attack rolling, leaning on the one-two punch of Wood and Dobert. Expect Northern to stick with its physical, run-heavy approach behind a confident offensive line that paved the way for 538 rushing yards last week. The unit ranks second in the GLIAC and seventh nationally with 259.9 rushing yards per game. Dobert's 113.9 yards per game and 797 total yards also rank seventh in the country.
Northern will look to keep the Huskies honest through its option run game and short passing attack on Saturday.
Defensively, the Wildcats will rely on their playmakers after a strong showing at the line of scrimmage and two forced turnovers last week. The defensive front has shown improvement in limiting big plays, an X-factor in keeping the dynamic Huskies offense off the field. NMU's defense is allowing 364.7 yards per game, with opponents averaging 117.3 on the ground.
The defensive unit will continue to lean on linebacker
Jax Hertel. With 9.3 tackles per game and a season-total of 65, he is ranked second in both across the conference. He is the only one in the GLIAC's top-10 tackle list to also have at least a pair of sacks. To go along with his early season pick-six, Hertel has made a strong case for one of the GLIAC's elite defenders and will look to continue to prove his case on Saturday.
A Look at Michigan Tech
The Huskies are averaging 29.1 points per game this season and rank fifth in the GLIAC in total offense. Quarterback Alex Bueno has passed for 1,216 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 258 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
The receiving group features playmakers Nic Nora and Ethan Champney, with Nora leading the team in both receiving yards (411) and touchdowns (5).
Defensively, Michigan Tech ranks second in the GLIAC and 11th nationally, allowing just 271.6 yards per game and 20.6 points. Linebacker Chase Koch leads the team with 60 tackles, two interceptions, and four tackles for loss. The Huskies' defense is anchored by a strong run-stopping unit that allows only 97.7 rushing yards per game.
