MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan football team is set to play its first road conference game of the season, traveling to No. 11 Davenport for a Saturday matinee.

The game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 10th, and will be Davenport's Homecoming game. The game will also be the second meeting of the two teams this season, though this one will be counted as the GLIAC conference game. The Panthers won 42-7 at the Superior Dome on September 19. 

Saturday's game against the Panthers can be watched on FloSports or 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 
"The last two weeks, for us both offensively and defensively, we've had to make some adjustments as coaches based on what we've seen. The physicality in the run game in this conference will always be there, but with the physicality from Ferris and Davenport of the receivers and their blocking on the edge, and with their schemes getting the ball to the perimeter, we've had to change and adjust. From a physicality standpoint, our players continue to step up here and continue to adjust as we've played this schedule, and they're continuing to learn and grow."



Last Time Out 
The Wildcats hosted the No. 1 Ferris State Bulldogs last weekend at the Superior Dome, falling 42-0. 

Northern's defense opened the afternoon by forcing a fourth-down stop. Ferris State, however, quickly found its rhythm with a quick 39-yard pass and added three touchdowns to build a 21-0 lead after the opening quarter.

The Bulldogs continued to control the first half, accumulating 367 yards and 20 first downs compared to 20 yards and one first down for Northern. Ferris added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, taking a 35-0 advantage into the break.

Thanks to a strong second-half defensive performance, the Bulldogs would add just seven points in the second half. The Wildcats put together their longest and most sustained offensive possession of the afternoon in the fourth quarter, driving 84 yards on 14 plays. Northern moved into position to get on the scoreboard, but the drive ended when Noah Dobert fumbled into the end zone.

Dobert would lead the Wildcats with 109 rushing yards on 24 carries, while Duke Shovald completed 10-of-21 passes for 63 yards. Ferris State finished with 508 total yards to Northern's 176, with six different Bulldogs scoring touchdowns.

Notably, after emphasizing the need for turnovers in practice, Northern's defense produced a pair of takeaways in the game. Carter Schmitt recorded an interception early in the second quarter, while Jax Hertel added another in the third. 

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 516 rushing yards through five games and ranks second in the conference with 103.2 rushing yards/game. 

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 sixth in the GLIAC with 19 solo tackles and 11th with 30 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).


A Look at Davenport 
Davenport was picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll, just behind Michigan Tech. They are currently ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Poll after a 5-0 start to their season. 

The Panthers opened their season against Gannon, where they won 32-20 in a game that remained close throughout. Davenport's Cephus Harris had 356 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the way.

In their second game, also at home, Davenport relied on their rushing attack again. Harris ran for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Jonathan Palmer ran for 99 yards, and Landon Tungate ran for 52 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the team forced two fumbles. 

Next, Davenport pulled an upset over ranked UIndy, 19-12. They jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first half and were able to hold on to win a thriller. Once again, the rushing attack reigned supreme as the team ran for 327 yards. Harris had 120 and a touchdown, Mac VandenHout had 72, and Palmer ran for 84. The team averaged over 6 yards per carry with a devastating rushing attack. Defensively, the team recorded two sacks and an interception.  

Two weeks ago, Davenport recorded a 42-7 non-conference win against Northern and then followed that up this past week with a win in their opening GLIAC game against SVSU 37-27 on the road. Harris exploded for 278 yards and three touchdowns, and Jonathan Palmer added another 103 rushing yards. Defensively, the Panthers forced an interception and recorded five sacks. 
Harris is second in the NCAA in rushing yards, with 999. With their strong start to the season, the Panthers will look towards competing for the conference title against heavyweights Ferris State and Grand Valley State. 


Series History
Davenport leads the series 9-3, but Northern won last season's game in a quadruple-overtime thriller 47-45. That win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Wildcats in the series. Earlier this season, Davenport defeated Northern 42-7 to secure their ninth win of the series and claim the most recent victory in the series.