MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University Football team returns home this Saturday to close out the 2025 season inside the Superior Dome, hosting Wayne State (0-10) for the season finale on Saturday, November 15, at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats are riding high after a thrilling four-overtime victory over Davenport, a game that showcased one of the most explosive rushing performances in program history. Northerns' ground game was unstoppable, piling up 344 total rushing yards.
With some momentum after an emotional win, the Wildcats (2-8) will look to end their season on a high note in front of their home fans.
Northern will honor seniors
Chris Bornhoeft,
Chance Bridgers,
Jacquille Brown,
Jeremiah Gossett,
Jaylen Houston,
Michael Karlen,
Thomas Kellen,
Mitch Larkin,
Trevor Leigh,
Jhermari Mabry,
Max Mouranie,
Brady Redmer, and
Tim Shannon Jr. as part of Senior Day.
Follow The Action
Follow @NMU_Football and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the game.
Hear From the Coach
"We gotta go out and do our process Monday through Friday, and worry about ourselves, do what we need to do to get better, to make the corrections from last week, and go out there and just play our football. It's how we play, not who we play, and I think our guys have really bought into that."
Last Time Out
The Wildcats delivered an instant classic last weekend, outlasting Davenport 47-45 in four overtimes to give interim head coach
Billy Lindquist a memorable debut victory.
Noah Dobert stole the show, rushing for 243 yards while adding another four touchdowns, also sealing the victory with a 2-point conversion in 4OT. Dobert was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Noah Hoffman and
Trevor Theuerkauf were the other two scorers for Northern, with each picking up a rushing touchdown. A crucial interception from
Murphy Monreal led to an 80-yard Wildcat touchdown in the third quarter, and a Davenport fumble in overtime gave the Wildcats the edge over the Panthers.
What to Expect
Riding the emotion of a thrilling victory, the Wildcats will look to come out hot. The rushing attack has been relentless throughout this season; the Wildcats rank eighth nationally, averaging 265.7 yards per game on the ground.
Noah Dobert is at the forefront of the Wildcats' offense and currently ranks fourth in Division II in total rushing yards (1,250) and fifth in rushing yards per game (125.0).
Coming off a defensively sound game, Northern will need to continue relying on its playmakers and stick to its game plan. In the victory a weekend ago, the Cats had five players record 5+ tackles and six different players record 0.5 or higher tackles for loss.
Mitch Larkin led the team with 11 tackles, with fellow linebacker
Jax Hertel recording 10. Northern Michigan is allowing 396.4 yards to opponents per game this season, and will match up well against a Wayne State offense that gains just 217.9 yards a game.
Wayne State has struggled throughout this season, averaging just 12 points per game offensively. The Warriors have rotated quarterbacks this season, with freshman Dylan Kress getting the most recent start. Wayne State averages just above 65 rushing yards per game and 152 yards per game passing.
It has been the same struggle defensively; the Warriors are allowing opponents to gain well above 400 yards per game, and have allowed the third most touchdowns in the GLIAC all season. Linebackers Martell Williams and Logan McGraw run the Warriors' defense, with both players ranking inside the GLIAC top 10 in tackles, Williams with 89 and McGraw with 67.
