UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) football team is set to host Grand Valley State University, currently ranked eighth in the nation, at the Superior Dome on Saturday, October 11. The game will begin at 7 p.m.

This weekend's matchup will also serve as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of NMU's 1975 National Championship team. During halftime, NMU will retire the jersey of former player Steve Mariucci. Additional details about these events can be found through this link.

NMU returns home after a 47-25 loss to Saginaw Valley State University. Despite the defeat, the Wildcats managed to score 22 points in the second half and accumulated 289 rushing yards, marking their third game this season with over 275 rushing yards.

Fans can follow updates about the game and related activities by following @NMU_Football and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter).

Head coach Shane Richardson commented on the significance of honoring past achievements: "They need to know about the pride and the excitement that goes into something like this, honoring a legacy, let that really inspire you. Let that really connect with you in a way that you've got this tradition, you've got people that have gone before you here at Northern Michigan that have done something really special, and let that inspire us to move forward."

In their previous game against Saginaw Valley, running backs Noah Dobert and Jahi Wood led NMU’s offense with 107 and 80 rushing yards respectively, each scoring a touchdown. Quarterback Trevor Theuerkauf made his debut under center, completing six passes for 52 yards and connecting with Sebastian Boyea for a 27-yard touchdown.

On defense, linebackers Mitch Larkin and Jax Hertel combined for 16 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The unit forced and recovered two fumbles; safety Tim Shannon Jr. contributed by forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes.

This season, NMU has relied heavily on its running game, averaging 228 rushing yards per contest, which places them among the top-20 teams nationally in rushing offense. The passing attack has seen recent changes with Theuerkauf stepping into the quarterback role.

Defensively, NMU has allowed opponents an average of 33.8 points per game but only gives up an average of 119 rushing yards per game. Last week against Saginaw Valley marked their first two fumble recoveries of the season.

Grand Valley State enters the contest after climbing to eighth in the American Football Coaches Association poll. Their recent win over Davenport University featured a strong defensive performance in the second half. Quarterback Andrew Schuster leads Grand Valley’s offense with a completion rate above 62 percent and only three interceptions this year. The Lakers average 376 total yards per game—146 on the ground and 230 through the air.

Grand Valley’s defense ranks among Division II’s top thirty units, allowing just 84 rushing yards per game but giving up an average of 224 passing yards per game. Opponents have scored an average of only 19 points per contest against them.

For NMU to improve their chances against Grand Valley State, key factors include limiting turnovers—Grand Valley has committed just five turnovers all season compared to NMU’s fourteen—establishing their running attack early despite facing one of the country’s strongest run defenses, and challenging Grand Valley through the air given their vulnerability in pass defense.