MARQUETTE, Mich. – It's rivalry week as the Northern Michigan football team is set to hit the road once again to play in the Miner's Cup against the Michigan Tech Huskies. The game is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 17th, in Houghton. 

The Wildcats will look to regain the trophy for the first time since 2009. 

Saturday's game against the Panthers can be watched on TV6, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call. The game can also be listened to on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call. 


Follow The Action
Follow @NMU_Football on Instagram and X for updates leading up to and during the game.


A Word from Coach Janus 
"It's exciting for me to go through this rivalry for the first time. There's a tremendous amount of pride on both sides, and I think it is what makes the rivalry so special."



Last Time Out 
Northern fell 30-0 to No. 11 Davenport last weekend on the road. 

The Panthers controlled the first half before the Wildcats showed improvement after the break. Freshman QB Matt Stevens saw his first collegiate action and led NMU to the doorstep of the end zone on the final drive, but NMU was stopped twice from the 1-yard line on the final two plays. He looked strong, converting a fourth down with his legs and efficiently moving the offense.

Davenport opened the game with a 75-yard scoring drive, taking a 7-0 lead on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brody Thompson. The Panthers continued to control the game throughout the first, outgaining NMU 182-20. They would add a field goal and two Cephus Harris rushing touchdowns to lead 23-0 at halftime.

Northern put together its best drive of the game to open the second half, leaning on running back Noah Dobert to move into the red zone, but an interception by Duke Shovald kept them scoreless. Carter Schmitt recorded a fourth-quarter interception as the defense looked strong in the second half. Davenport scored their final touchdown to make it 30-0 on another Harris run. While NMU drove to the 1-yard line with Stevens, it ultimately could not put points on the board, adding to their struggles in the red zone this season.

Dobert led the Wildcats with 147 rushing yards on 30 carries. The team played arguably its best half of defensive football in the second half, holding Davenport to just seven points.


Leading the Pack
Linebacker Jax Hertel and running back Noah Dobert were both named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 watchlist for this season. Both were also First-Team All-GLIAC last season, while Dobert rewrote the record books for NMU on the ground and was named a D2CCA Second Team All-American.

Dobert, a sophomore from Dearborn, Michigan, has 663 rushing yards through six games, ranking him second in the GLIAC. His 110.5 rushing yards per game also rank him second in the GLIAC. 

He put together one of the best rushing seasons in program history in 2025, finishing with 1,656 yards and 15 touchdowns. Both totals established new NMU single-season records, while his 150.5 rushing yards per game ranked third nationally. He also averaged 6.3 yards per carry and finished among the national leaders in total rushing yards. Dobert's record-setting season included a 406-yard, four-touchdown performance against Wayne State, setting a new NMU single-game rushing record. He was named D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week following the performance and also earned GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year and D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team honors.

Hertel, a senior from Walworth, Wisconsin, ranks fifth in the GLIAC with 23 solo tackles and 13th with 37 total tackles. He returns after leading the Wildcats with 101 tackles in 2025, a total that ranked third in the GLIAC. His 14.5 tackles for loss led the conference, while he also recorded three quarterback hits, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a pick-six. Hertel started all 11 games and earned D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team honors after anchoring the Northern Michigan defense throughout the season.

NMU also returned multiple second-teamers and honorable mentions, including fifth-year offensive lineman Daniel Babcock (Second-Team All-GLIAC), fifth-year defensive lineman Jake Price (Honorable Mention All-GLIAC), and sophomore defensive back Murphy Monreal (Honorable Mention All-GLIAC).

Four different quarterbacks have seen action this season, with the room accounting for 731 yards, four touchdown passes, and six interceptions. 


A Look at Michigan Tech 
The Huskies are currently ranked No. 14 in the AFCA Poll after a 5-1 start to their season. They have been steadily moving up the polls the past few weeks, most recently upsetting No. 6 Grand Valley State 41-36 in overtime last week.  

Michigan Tech opened the season with back-to-back wins over Bemidji State (31-29) and Midwestern State (48-27) before suffering its lone loss, a 34-20 defeat to No. 24 Emporia State. The Huskies bounced back with consecutive GLIAC victories over Upper Iowa and Roosevelt, using a strong rushing attack led by quarterback Elliot Larner and Jake Rueff. Against Roosevelt, Alex Bueno took over at quarterback for much of the game, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown as Tech continued its winning ways.

Last weekend, the Huskies picked up their biggest win of the season, upsetting top-10 Grand Valley State 41-35 in overtime during their Football Reunion game. Bueno threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another 55 yards, while Larner added two rushing touchdowns. The Huskies sealed the upset with a crucial defensive stop in overtime, extending their winning streak to three games.

The Huskies have shown their versatility throughout the season, running a multiple-quarterback system effectively and mixing the run and the pass for consistent offensive success. Larner has thrown for six touchdown passes while running in 11, the second most in the GLIAC, all while committing just two interceptions as a sophomore.  

Senior linebacker Chase Koch leads the GLIAC with 65 total tackles, a top-10 mark across Division II. 


Series History
 The Miners Cup has been around since 1920, but the trophy for the competition originated in 2002. The overall series since 2002 is 20-3 in favor of the Huskies, with Northern last winning the trophy in 2009 in Houghton. Last season, the Wildcats fell 56-17, with Trevor Theuerkauf leading the way with 75 yards and a touchdown through the air and 106 yards on the ground. Noah Dobert added 93 yards.