MARQUETTE, Mich. – After picking up a 45-12 victory at Wayne State last weekend, the Wildcats will once again hit the road and travel to Allendale to take on the No. 23 Grand Valley State Lakers. The game will take place on Saturday, November 7, at 1 p.m. as the Wildcats will look to continue their two-game win streak. 

Saturday's game against the Lakers can be watched on FloCollege or heard 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
"We are going to an environment that tries to overwhelm visitors. We are focused on what we need to do on our execution vs. a really talented offense and a really talented defense."



Last Time Out
The team picked up its second consecutive victory last Saturday afternoon, rolling past the Wayne State Warriors 45-12.

Quarterback Matt Stevens started the game 20-of-20, setting a new program record for consecutive completions in a game. His 21st pass attempt landed just wide, which would have tied the NCAA Division II all-time record of 21 (Jonn McLain, Chadron State, 2012).

It was still one of the best passing performances in program history for the freshman in just his third career start. Stevens finished 26-of-27 for 405 yards and three touchdowns, connecting all over the field. His longest completion was a 65-yard connection with Wilson Ptacek in the first quarter. After building a 45-0 lead through three quarters, Stevens sat out the fourth. That was the most the Wildcats had scored through three quarters since 2018 against Lawrence Tech. 

Freshman Wilson Ptacek continued to establish himself as a favorite target of Stevens, building an impressive connection with his quarterback. He hauled in seven catches for 169 yards. Another freshman, Jacob Halicek, added six receptions for 62 yards and a score; Chris Battley had four catches for 53 yards, and Lachlin Acker added two receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Kyle McGowan also found the end zone. The Wildcats showed depth, as the team had three different players catch touchdowns and 10 players record a reception in the contest. 

On the ground, Noah Dobert again led the effort with 15 carries for 125 yards and three touchdowns.

The Northern offense totaled 602 yards, greatly outgaining the 167 put up by the Warriors. The defense was equally impressive, holding Wayne State off the scoreboard through three quarters. Murphy Monreal added the game's only takeaway with an interception, while Nathan Pralle contributed a team-high six tackles and two sacks. Pralle was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.


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 1045 rushing yards through nine games, ranking second in the GLIAC. His 116.1 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 tenth with 55 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.

Stevens has provided a spark quarterbacking the offense since his first career start against Michigan Tech. In those three games, the Wildcats are averaging 35 points per game. On the season, Stevens is 74-for-99 (74.6%) for 1,016 yards, six touchdown passes, and zero interceptions. In conference contests, he leads the GLIAC with 253.8 passing yards per game. 


A Look at Grand Valley State
GVSU was ranked second in the GLIAC Preseason Poll, receiving one first-place vote and finishing six votes behind Ferris State. The Lakers opened the season with dominant victories over Charleston (38-10) and West Texas A&M (56-14), before earning a 20-10 defensive win against Ashland. They closed nonconference play with a 96-0 victory over Judson, totaling 746 yards of offense while completing all 18 pass attempts.

Andrew Schuster led the way throughout the opening stretch, throwing for 1,031 yards and 14 touchdowns over the first four games. The Lakers continued their dominant start in the GLIAC opener, defeating Wayne State 69-3 behind four touchdown passes from Schuster and 177 receiving yards and five touchdowns from Kellen Reed.

However, the season took a turn against Michigan Tech, as GVSU began a three-game losing streak with a 41-35 overtime loss in Houghton. The Lakers followed with a 41-34 loss to Ferris State after jumping out to a 17-0 lead, then fell 27-20 at Saginaw Valley State despite Schuster throwing for 343 yards. GVSU bounced back most recently with a 45-22 road victory over Roosevelt, led by 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Zak Olejniczak.

Schuster ranks first in the GLIAC with 2,133 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes. Reed has been his top target, leading the conference with 1,172 receiving yards and 19 touchdown receptions. Russell-Dixon ranks fifth in the GLIAC in rushing yards and 11th in rushing touchdowns, rounding out a prolific Lakers offense.


Series History
The Wildcats are 17-29-1 all-time vs. Grand Valley State. Since 2001, the Lakers hold a commanding 21-1 advantage. NMU's lone win came in 2012 during that stretch, when a prolific 244-yard rushing attack led them to a 38-10 upset of the Lakers. Last season, the Wildcats fell 35-7. The team rushed for 140 yards, led by Noah Dobert's 61 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Murphy Monreal had an interception, and Jax Hertel had 3 tackles for loss.