UP Gazette

MARQUETTE, Mich. – Northern Michigan University’s football team was tied with No. 8 Grand Valley State at halftime but ultimately lost 35-7 after allowing four touchdowns in the second half on Saturday night at the Superior Dome.

Northern Michigan’s defense held Grand Valley State to seven points in the first half. Murphy Monreal recorded an interception, while the team registered two sacks and forced three punts. Offensively, NMU gained 242 total yards compared to GVSU’s 329. Noah Dobert led Northern’s rushing attack with 61 yards on 21 carries and scored the Wildcats’ only touchdown. On defense, Jax Hertel and Mitch Larkin combined for 25 tackles.

The game coincided with the 50th anniversary celebration of Northern’s 1975 National Championship Team. At halftime, former quarterback Steve Mariucci had his jersey retired. Despite a strong effort against a top-ranked opponent, several turnovers in the third quarter were costly for Northern.

With this loss, Northern Michigan is now 0-3 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play and 0-6 overall. Grand Valley State improved to 2-0 in conference play and is now 4-1 on the season.

The game began with both teams’ defenses setting the tone. After forcing an early punt from GVSU, NMU fumbled on its next possession but quickly regained momentum when Murphy Monreal intercepted a pass at the goal line.

The first quarter ended scoreless as NMU limited GVSU to just 55 total yards, including three rushing yards on five attempts. In the second quarter, Jhermari Mabry added a sack for Northern before GVSU scored first with a touchdown pass from Andrew Schuster to Kellen Reed.

Northern responded late in the half as Jahi Wood took a screen pass for 44 yards to set up Noah Dobert’s one-yard touchdown run, tying the game at seven heading into halftime.

Both defenses continued their strong play through two quarters; each team forced turnovers and punts while NMU outgained GVSU in total offense during the first half.

After halftime, Grand Valley State scored quickly and capitalized on multiple NMU turnovers throughout the third quarter, turning short fields into touchdowns by Zak Olejniczak (pass), Paschal Jolman (run), Kenyon Owens (run), and Kenneth Jones (run). The Lakers outgained NMU by a wide margin in that period.

Freshman quarterback Austin Gordon entered late for Northern Michigan and completed his first career pass to DJ Brooks.

Despite the result, head coach Shane Richardson noted: “Northern's defense looked dominant in the opening half, limiting the high-octane GVSU offense to just seven points to go along with an interception from Murphy Monreal, two sacks, and three forced punts.”

Northern Michigan will travel next weekend to face Roosevelt University in Chicago on Saturday, October 18 with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.