MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University football team is set for its home opener at the Superior Dome, facing the Tiffin University Dragons on Saturday, September 5, at 6 p.m.

Despite a strong first quarter and finish, the Wildcats dropped their season opener at Minnesota State-Moorhead, 41-19, last Thursday. Northern had multiple strong drives throughout the game on both sides of the ball and had multiple underclassmen and transfers play important roles in their debut appearances.

The game against Tiffin can be watched live on Flo College 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
"There are ups and downs to the game. There will be moments when things don't go our way, and we have to find a way to energize ourselves."



Last Time Out
NMU's game against Moorhead indicated that both the offense and defense would have a new look. Unlike last season's record-rushing attack, the Wildcats aired it out, and the defense emphasized man coverage in a 4-3 setup.

NMU came out of the gate strong when they drove inside the 10-yard line but were unable to come away with points after an interception. Then, on their second drive, trailing 7-0, they drove inside the 20 but had to settle for Mason Bratonia's first career field goal. The aerial attack, rotating between Liam Oczkowski and Duke Shovald, looked strong throughout the first half despite facing a heavy rotation of blitz packages from the Moorhead defense.

Momentum swung late in the first half when NMU had a field goal attempt blocked, which halted a promising drive. Moorhead would score a 73-yard rushing touchdown on the next play and lead 21-3 at halftime.

A fumble on a bad punt snap in the second half led to an NMU safety. NMU showcased its new-look offense once again in the fourth quarter, where the Wildcats drove down the field to secure back-to-back touchdowns and build confidence and momentum going into this week. Noah Dobert scored the first on a two-yard rushing touchdown, and Kyle McGowan caught a spectacular one-on-one ball for an 11-yard score. The first and fourth quarters best showcased the balanced offense and technically sound defense the Wildcats will look to showcase throughout the rest of the season.

The aerial attack, rotating between Liam Oczkowski and Duke Shovald, looked strong, as the two completed 272 combined passing yards, including 91 to Isaac Olson, 61 to Wilson Ptacek, and 41 to Sebastian Boyea.

In the run game, Dobert continued his success, building on his record-setting season last year with 80 yards on the ground and a score. Oczkowski showed dual-threat ability as he carried the ball 10 times and extended multiple NMU drives by rolling out of the pocket and throwing the ball into tight coverage.

Defensively, DeMarcus Chappell recorded a sack, Logan McGraw led the team with seven tackles, and Jax Hertel added five. Both McGraw and Daniel Simon were credited with two pass breakups.

On special teams, freshman Mason Bratonia secured his first career field goal while also converting both PATs. Freshman punter Liam Rubino had four punts averaging 39.2 yards, with a long of 48, in his first career appearance.


2026 Season Overview
After a strong finish to last season, where Northern won three of their final four games, the Wildcats will enter the new season with significant positive momentum and anticipation under a new regime.

NMU returns many of its starters from a year ago, including linebacker Jax Hertel and running back Noah Dobert, both of whom were 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, 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, 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 returns 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).


New Faces
NMU is in its first season under Matt Janus. He finished 45-14 at UW-La Crosse, including consecutive WIAC titles in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, the team was undefeated in conference play and made the NCAA DIII Quarterfinals.

Janus brought in two coordinators with Division I experience: Ryan Bright (defense) and Boomer Roepke (offense). Bright has coached as a defensive analyst at Wisconsin and also worked with linebackers at Stanford. He was most recently at Arkansas, where he took over as interim linebackers coach midway through the season. Roepke worked as a graduate assistant at USC, then at Iowa State as a graduate assistant working with special teams and quarterbacks. More recently, he was head coach at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, where he helped lead the program to undefeated UMAC conference championships in 2022 and 2024, along with two NCAA Division III playoff appearances. This past season, he served in a multitude of roles, including interim head coach and offensive coordinator.

NMU also added coaches from across the country as assistants, many of whom won conference titles or had other significant success in their previous coaching positions. It's clear NMU prioritized bringing a winning mentality to the program, along with coaches who excelled from JUCO all the way to Division I levels.

In addition, the Wildcats brought in several high-impact transfers, including OL Mitch Verstegen from Indiana, DB LeeJohn Majerus and DL Jace Miller from Western Illinois, DL Daniel Simon from Lindenwood, LB Logan McGraw from Wayne State, and JUCO QB Liam Oczkowski.


A Look At Tiffin
The Dragons were picked to finish fourth in the G-MAC this season after going 7-4 last season. In their opener, they dropped a competitive game to Carson-Newman on the road, 41-38. Carson-Newman entered the game receiving a vote in the AFCA Preseason Poll.

The Dragons were a primarily passing team last season, as they racked up just over 275 passing yards per game, compared to roughly 125 per game on the ground. They held opponents to just over 20 points per game while averaging 31.6 points themselves. They debuted as a rush-heavy team in their first game, as Ronald Blackman had 144 yards on 23 carries and the team totaled 292 on the ground compared to 150 yards in the air. They will likely bring a balanced attack into the game against the Wildcats. Their defense is led by defensive lineman Jacob Tueimeh, who was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 team, earning Squad honors.


The Series
The series is tied at three apiece as Northern looks to use home-field advantage to secure the series lead. Northern dropped the last two matchups in 2016 and 2017 but is undefeated at home against the Dragons with a 2-0 record. In their two home matchups in 2009 and 2011, NMU beat Tiffin 62-0 and 59-3. This will be the first time NMU and Tiffin meet as non-conference opponents.