UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University football team set a new single-game rushing record in its 42-21 win over Roosevelt on Saturday in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Wildcats ran for 538 yards, surpassing the previous program record of 477 yards established in 1959.

Running backs Noah Dobert and Jahi Wood led the way with standout performances. Dobert rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns, while Wood added 233 yards and two scores. Their combined effort marks only the seventh time in Division II history that two teammates each rushed for more than 200 yards in a game. Both players now rank among the top ten single-game rushing totals in Division II this season.

"I can't say how proud I am because of all the hard work we put in day in and day out," said Wood after the game. "We have to keep hustling as it's only going to get better from here." Dobert credited his teammates, saying, "All credit to the boys up front...it's not often two backs have a performance like that, and we couldn't have done it without them. Jahi and I fed off each other's energy, and it was something special."

Quarterback Austin Ridl contributed with 62 rushing yards and scored on a 67-yard run—the team's longest play of the season.

Northern Michigan's ground attack set a new Division II benchmark for most rushing yards by any team this season, surpassing New Mexico Highlands' previous high of 537 yards earlier this fall.

The Wildcats ran on all but one of their 72 plays during the game. The total offensive output was their highest since recording 566 total yards against Post University in 2022.

Coach Shane Richardson expressed satisfaction with his team's progress: "I'm so happy & proud of our program today," he said. "We have a group of guys that continue to believe and show up every day to keep striving towards improvement and being their best. The great thing is, we have a lot that we can still coach and learn from after today. This is the start of believing in what it takes to win games and for what we can continue to be in the future. We are building the program the right way, and this serves as a great step in our process."

Northern Michigan held possession for over 38 minutes and converted nine out of thirteen third downs (69 percent). On defense, they limited Roosevelt to just 115 rushing yards out of a total of 425 offensive yards.

Defensively, Jax Hertel forced a key fumble at NMU’s own goal line with Murphy Monreal recovering; Monreal also led the team with nine tackles. Sam Corey forced another fumble later recovered by Jhermari Mabry. Kicker Nicholas Gruesen made all six extra point attempts during his debut.

The Wildcats will next face Michigan Tech at home on October 25 for their annual Miner's Cup rivalry game inside Superior Dome.