MARQUETTE, Mich. – After earning the first victory of the Matt Janus era with a 27-10 win over Roosevelt, the Wildcats head back on the road to take on Wayne State in Detroit, Michigan. The game will take place at 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, as the Wildcats look to put together a winning streak and build on their victory over the Warriors last season.

Saturday's game against the Warriors can be watched on FloCollege or heard on 100.3 The Point, with Garrett Searight 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
"With our group, where we've started to make the biggest change over the last two to three weeks is we're finally practicing to the standard I want to practice at. Obviously, getting to that point took time because of the turnover in staff and players over the last six or so months. For example, there are certain tempos we need to take in practice, and we're starting to learn how to hit those and practice the way we want. For us, it's all about putting in good weeks, and that's what we're going to continue to do this week before we even begin worrying about beating Wayne State."



Last Time Out
It was an electric victory in the Superior Dome against Roosevelt as the Wildcats collected their first win of the Matt Janus era. The 'Cats won 27-10 behind an effective offensive performance and a defense that shut out the Lakers over the final three quarters while forcing three interceptions. Much like last season when the team gained momentum late in the year, the Wildcats will look to string together a winning streak after a dominant all-around performance against the Lakers.

The teams traded scoring drives in the first quarter, with Noah Dobert finding the end zone for the Wildcats as NMU trailed 10-6 after the opening 15 minutes. Neither team scored in the second quarter, as Northern's defense limited the Lakers to just 38 yards.

A Jace Miller pass deflection and a Kayden Meverden interception in the third quarter flipped the momentum, setting up the Wildcats at the Roosevelt 3-yard line. Noah Hofmann then scampered into the end zone to give NMU the lead. From there, Luc Damiani and Carter Schmitt added interceptions, while Matt Stevens connected with Jake Heemstra and Isaac Olson for fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.

The turnaround started on defense. After allowing 10 points and 131 yards in the first quarter, the Wildcats forced three interceptions and limited the Lakers to just 124 yards over the final three quarters, keeping Roosevelt off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. It was the defense's best performance of the season, as the Wildcats shut down a Lakers passing attack that ranks second in the GLIAC.

The defensive performance was complemented by an efficient offensive attack. In his second career start, Stevens finished 21-of-31 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson Ptacek was his leading target, hauling in eight receptions for 109 yards. On the ground, Dobert dominated once again, rushing 32 times for 131 yards and a touchdown. Despite a slow start on offense, which included a fumble and a turnover on downs and left NMU with six first-half points, the Wildcats came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. They scored three unanswered touchdowns by effectively combining the run and pass games, keeping the Roosevelt defense guessing.


Leading the Way
Linebacker Jax Hertel and running back Noah Dobert were both named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 watchlist for this season. Both earned First-Team All-GLIAC honors last season, while Dobert set NMU rushing records and was named a D2CCA Second-Team All-American.

Dobert, a sophomore from Dearborn, Michigan, has 904 rushing yards through eight games, ranking second in the GLIAC. His 113 rushing yards per game also rank second in the conference.

Dobert 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. His 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 earned GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year and D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First-Team honors.

Hertel, a senior from Walworth, Wisconsin, ranks sixth in the GLIAC with 31 solo tackles and eighth with 54 total tackles. He returns after leading the Wildcats with 101 tackles in 2025, which ranked third in the conference. His 14.5 tackles for loss led the GLIAC, and 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.


A Look at Wayne State
It's been a difficult start to the season for the Warriors, who enter the matchup at 0-8 after being picked to finish last in the GLIAC. Coming off an 0-11 season last year, Wayne State has a new head coach in Terrance Isaac Senior, who previously spent four winning seasons at Rochester (MN) Community and Technical College, leading the Yellowjackets to an 18-6 MCAC record and two conference titles in 2023 and 2025.

The Warriors have struggled offensively, being shut out three times this season, including twice in GLIAC play. They have faced injuries at quarterback and used multiple players at the position, including four different quarterbacks in their most recent game against Davenport. Despite those struggles, Wayne State has shown some promise on the ground, highlighted by a 182-yard, four-touchdown performance from Bentley D'Vaun in the loss to Quincy.

D'Vaun and Gary Jefferson Jr. lead the Warriors' rushing attack, ranking seventh and 11th in the GLIAC with 442 and 304 yards, respectively. Jefferson Jr. has also scored twice on the ground, while Jordan Bell leads the team's receiving corps with 247 yards. Defensively, Luke Johnson ranks fifth in the GLIAC with 33 solo tackles and fourth with 67 total tackles, while Max Edwards has recorded 27 solo tackles. 


Series History
The series against Wayne State stands at 9-7 in favor of the Warriors. The Wildcats won the most recent matchup last season at the Superior Dome, 45-11, in a game in which they made history. Redshirt freshman Noah Dobert shattered records and bulldozed his way into the NMU history books with a 406-yard rushing performance. Dobert's day was more than dominant; it was historic. He broke NMU's single-game rushing record, surpassing the previous mark of 317 yards set by Mark Bossuah in 2007. He also toppled two more major benchmarks: the program's single-season rushing record of 1,656 yards and its single-season rushing touchdown record of 15, both previously held by Jake Mayon's standout 2018 campaign. Dobert finished just 19 yards shy of the all-time Division II record that day.