MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan football team picked up right where they left off against St. Thomas, finding themselves in a back-and-forth game with GLIAC foe Davenport University. Northern jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before Davenport answered, making the score 7-3. NMU briefly reclaimed the lead with
Noah Dobert's first touchdown of the afternoon. Ultimately, Davenport's explosive second half proved to be too much for the Wildcats, as the Panthers won 35-16.
Northern played to its strengths, running the ball 59 times for 278 yards. The Wildcats threw the ball only five times with zero completions, as their main passer,
Duke Shovald, went down with an injury in the second quarter.
Running back
Noah Dobert was Northern's sole touchdown scorer (2), while leading the team with 156 rushing yards.
Contrary to NMU, Davenport wasn't hesitant to throw the ball. Quarterback D'Wan Mathis completed 12 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown. Alongside Mathis, running back Cephus Harris led the Panthers in rushing with 171 of their team's 181 rushing yards. Harris also added three more touchdowns to his season total of eight.
How it Happened
Davenport won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. The Panthers opened the drive flat, handing it off to Harris for minimal gain. Just two plays later, the NMU defense forced a punt. Wildcat junior defensive back
Markiss Nelson blocked the kick, giving the Northern offense the ball at Davenport's 44-yard line.
The Wildcats opened their first drive with a 14-yard run by Dobert, setting up a
Michael Karlen 44-yard field goal to give the 'Cats a 3-0 lead.
Davenport responded, starting with a 31-yard reception from Keonta Nixon. The Panthers kept the ball moving, driving deep into Wildcat territory, when defensive back
Jeremiah Gossett had two crucial pass breakups, one coming in the end zone.
The Wildcat defense held strong, with
Jhermari Mabry and
Jax Hertel combining for three tackles for loss and one sack, forcing a fourth-down field goal attempt. Davenport had trouble with the snap and never got a kick away. NMU regained possession, but the drive ultimately stalled, resulting in a punt.
It wasn't until Davenport wide receiver Evan Brown broke away from the defense for a 40-yard completion, immediately followed by a 48-yard touchdown catch, that the Panthers took their first lead of the day, 7-3, in the early stages of the second quarter.
Backed up on third down, Shovald scrambled for 24 yards to move the chains. After the play, he was slow to get up and did not return to the game. Dobert followed his QB's lead with three explosive plays of his own, finishing the drive with a 32-yard touchdown run to put NMU back ahead 10-7.
Davenport answered with a 57-yard rushing touchdown by Harris, reclaiming the lead at 14-10 with 8:47 left in the first half.
Northern responded with a few early first downs, but a fumble by running back
Tucker Welch set up a nine-yard Harris touchdown in the closing minutes of the half. The Panthers carried a 21-10 lead into the break thanks to a three-touchdown second quarter.
NMU started the second half slowly, punting the ball away to the Panthers. Davenport also struggled, going three-and-out. A bad snap on the punt gave the Wildcats possession just outside the red zone.
On the first play of the drive, Dobert rushed for a 22-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-16.
Things then turned south for the 'Cats when Davenport's Kevin Underwood ran through the line untouched to block a punt and scoop it up for a score, extending the lead to 28-16. Davenport got the ball back with 11:55 to play, and Harris broke free yet again for an 80-yard touchdown run.
A couple of fourth-quarter interceptions thrown by
Austin Ridl helped Davenport run out the clock.
What's Next
The Wildcats enter their bye week and will now look ahead to play Saginaw Valley State University on Saturday, October 4, at 2 p.m.
