MARQUETTE, Mich. – On Thursday night under the lights at Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium, the Northern Michigan football team dropped its season opener 41-19 against the Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons.
Northern reversed last season's tendency as it aired the ball out with quarterbacks
Liam Oczkowski and
Duke Shovald throughout the game. The two accounted for 272 yards through the air. Despite two turnovers, including a red-zone interception, Oczkowski was effective under near-constant pressure, completing 18/29 pass attempts for 216 yards.
Isaac Olson led the way receiving with 91 yards on five catches, including a 46-yard reception on the opening drive, while freshman
Wilson Ptacek added 61 yards. On the ground, star running back
Noah Dobert led the way with 80 yards and a touchdown.
The Dragons put up 265 yards and four touchdown passes through the air to go with 197 yards on the ground. MSUM controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, holding NMU to just one sack on the night.
Despite the scoreline, multiple deep passes and defensive stands midway through the first half showed significant potential for the remainder of the season. In addition, the final two drives of the game showcased how NMU's balanced attack might operate the rest of the way.
How It Happened
NMU started the game hot on offense, as Oczkowski opened with a four-yard completion to
Sebastian Boyea before connecting with
Isaac Olson for a 46-yard strike that pushed the Wildcats into Moorhead territory. NMU drove all the way to first and goal, but Oczkowski's pass into the end zone was intercepted, stalling the promising drive.
Moorhead answered by driving 80 yards in 2:44, capped by a 39-yard rushing touchdown from Tyson Brandt at 8:49 to make it 7-0.
Duke Shovald took over at quarterback for NMU's next drive, and back-to-back 12-yard runs from
Noah Dobert and Shovald pushed the ball into Moorhead territory. NMU continued to move the chains into the red zone before settling for a 35-yard field goal from freshman
Mason Bratonia, his first career kick, cutting the deficit to 7-3 at 5:52.
After the hot start by both teams, the offenses stalled for several drives. NMU's defense forced a Moorhead punt with three minutes left in the first quarter, and a 30-yard completion to Olson kept the ensuing NMU drive alive, but a costly sack backed the Wildcats up, and they punted from their own five. Despite outgaining Moorhead 150-96 in total yards, NMU trailed 7-3 after one.
NMU's defense forced another Moorhead punt from deep in its own territory to open the second quarter, setting up good field position at midfield, but the offense couldn't cash in and punted right back. The special teams delivered on the next series, blocking a punt from
Brock Gauthier to set up good field position again near midfield. NMU drove inside the 10-yard line, and a failed fourth-and-goal conversion was erased by a defensive pass interference penalty, giving the Wildcats new life. The drive stalled again when NMU's field goal attempt was blocked, and Moorhead made the Wildcats pay immediately as Drew Huebner ran for a 73-yard touchdown, making it 14-3 at 5:04.
NMU once again moved the ball to midfield late in the half but was forced to punt. A few plays later, Moorhead answered with a 45-yard completion from Huebner to Kalen Lucas, his second touchdown pass of the half, extending the lead to 21-3. An interception on a last-second Hail Mary attempt closed out the half with NMU trailing 21-3.
Despite trailing, NMU led in several key first-half categories, including first downs (15-8), passing yards (182-117), and total yards (264-243). But the Wildcats couldn't turn that advantage into points, going 4-11 on third down, managing just three trips into the red zone, and having a field goal blocked. They also surrendered 13.4 yards per carry and two sacks over the opening half.
Moorhead opened the second half by scoring on a two-yard touchdown pass from Huebner to Kelly Johnson at 10:03, making it 28-3.
Daniel Simon recorded a tackle for loss and applied pressure throughout the drive. NMU punted, but
Damarcus Chappell sacked the quarterback to get the ball back, and a bad snap on the ensuing Moorhead punt sailed into the end zone for a safety, making it 28-5 at 6:37.
Wilson Ptacek then broke off a 27-yard gain to push NMU into Moorhead territory, but the Wildcats came up short on a fourth-down gamble, turning the ball over on downs with 4:45 left in the quarter. Moorhead capitalized quickly, as Huebner found Owen Wiersma for a 44-yard touchdown at 3:31, making it 35-5.
Into the fourth quarter, NMU's offense finally got going on a long, penalty-aided drive that included a converted fourth down.
Noah Dobert capped it with a touchdown, and
Mason Bratonia added his first career extra point, cutting the deficit to 35-12 with 12:02 to play. Moorhead answered with a touchdown of its own on a contested catch, missing the extra point to make it 41-12 with 5:57 left. NMU got one more chance and closed out the scoring with 1:01 remaining, as
Duke Shovald connected with
Kyle McGowan on a spectacular contested catch to make the final score 41-19.
NMU finished with 272 passing yards and 115 ground yards on 40 carries. Defensively, the Wildcats were led by linebackers
Logan McGraw and
Jax Hertel, finishing with seven and five tackles, respectively.
Up Next
The Wildcats will host the Tiffin Dragons in their home opener on Saturday, September 5th at 6 p.m. in the Superior Dome.
