UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University football team is set to host St. Thomas University at the Superior Dome this Saturday, marking the first time a Division I opponent has played in the venue since it opened in 1991. The game, scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff on September 13, will also be the first-ever meeting between these two programs.

Northern Michigan enters the contest aiming to end a 24-game losing streak that stretches back to November 2022. In their first two games of the season, the Wildcats suffered close losses to Minnesota State Moorhead (44-37) and Northwood (23-18), with turnovers playing a significant role in both outcomes.

Last week against Northwood, Northern's offense produced 396 total yards but was hampered by three turnovers. Redshirt freshman quarterback Duke Shovald completed 14 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown. Running back Noah Dobert led the ground game with 89 rushing yards, while Jahi Wood contributed 50 yards and scored the team's only rushing touchdown.

On defense, Northern limited Northwood to just 255 total yards. Linebacker Jax Hertel led with seven tackles, and Damarcus Chappell recorded a safety. Hertel also notched an interception return for a touchdown earlier in the season, and five different Wildcats have registered at least half a sack through two games.

Looking ahead to Saturday's matchup, head coach Shane Richardson emphasized his team's defensive approach: "Defensively, I think we bring a really aggressive mindset to practice consistently," said head coach Shane Richardson. "We're continually building, we're continually trying to find ways to get better, trying to find ways to eliminate mistakes and big plays that maybe we've given up. We just continue to try to find a way to move forward each week. Sometimes you've gotta be able to have chemistry, and the guys really are excited just to go out there and play together. That's continually coming along, and I really like that about where we're at defensively right now."

The Wildcats' offense features junior quarterback Austin Ridl running an option-style attack; he has accumulated 140 rushing yards on 18 attempts this season but has attempted only one pass so far. Running backs Dobert (187 rushing yards) and Wood (140) are key contributors alongside Ridl in the backfield.

Shovald leads NMU’s passing game with 324 yards over two games; Issac Olson tops receivers with 80 yards—60 of which came on one play last weekend—while Dobert (57), Chris Battley (51), and Lachlin Acker (34) also contribute in receiving.

Defensively, NMU ranks among Division II leaders in several categories: they are currently ranked nineteenth nationally in rushing defense (64.0 yards per game allowed) and forty-eighth overall (304.5 ypg). Hertel and fellow linebacker Mitch Larkin have combined for thirty-four tackles through two games; senior safety Tim Shannon Jr., responsible for ten tackles and four pass breakups so far this year, adds further experience.

St. Thomas enters with a record of one win and one loss after defeating Lindenwood University before narrowly falling to eleventh-ranked Idaho last week by a score of thirty-seven to thirty. Under seventeenth-year head coach Glenn Caruso and led by senior quarterback Andy Peters—who has thrown for four hundred thirty-six yards and five touchdowns—the Tommies average thirty-two point five points per game through two weeks this season. Their running attack ranks seventh among all FCS teams at two hundred forty-one point five rushing yards per game; Joseph Koch leads their rushers with two hundred twenty-six yards followed by Peters himself (one hundred eight) and Ryan Sever (one hundred five).

Fans can watch Saturday’s matchup on FLO College or listen live on local radio station 100.3 The Point with Casey Ford providing commentary.