MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University football team heads to Grand Rapids to face Davenport University in a non-conference game on Saturday, November 8, at 12 p.m..
The Wildcats are coming off a 70-35 loss to the nation's top team, Ferris State. Despite the scoreboard, NMU's 35 points were the most allowed by Ferris State's defense this season. Quarterback
Trevor Theuerkauf completed eight passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Running back
Noah Dobert rushed for 117 yards, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Dobert is the first player since Jake Mayon (1,505) in 2018 to reach this milestone. Dobert currently ranks first in the GLIAC and eighth nationally in rushing yards.
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Last Time Out
The Wildcats put up an impressive 355 total yards of offense last week at Ferris State, but fell 70-35. Theuerkauf had his best performance of the season, passing for 131 yards and rushing for 42 more. He accounted for four of NMU's five touchdowns, running two in himself and connecting with
Sebastian Boyea and
Jake Heemstra for two more through the air.
Tucker Welch was the only other Wildcat to find the endzone.
What to Expect
Northern Michigan will lean heavily on its rushing attack, much like its first matchup with Davenport earlier this season.
Noah Dobert leads the ground game, averaging 5.1 yards per carry with seven touchdowns this season. Theuerkauf has managed the passing game effectively, completing 31 of 64 passes and four touchdowns and adding 242 rushing yards.
Defensively, NMU will need strong play from linebackers
Jax Hertel and
Mitch Larkin. Hertel leads the team with 79 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss, while Larkin has 67 tackles. In the secondary,
Murphy Monreal is coming off a 14-tackle performance at Ferris State, as he continues to anchor the secondary for the Wildcats' defense.
Davenport presents a balanced offensive game plan. Running back Cephus Harris has 868 rushing yards and an impressive 16 rushing touchdowns. Harris rushed for 171 yards and three scores in the last meeting with NMU. Wide Receiver Keonta Nixon averages 56 yards per game and is the team's primary receiving threat. Quarterback D'Wan Mathis is a dual-threat, totaling nearly 1,400 all-purpose yards, despite missing a game and a half due to injury.
Defensively, Davenport allows the third-fewest points in the GLIAC (20.4 per game). Linebacker Latrell Scott leads the team with 62 tackles, while senior lineman Kennedy Nelson anchors a pass rush that ranks fourth in the conference, recording four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
