Breaks Wildcats’ single-game rushing record, scores four touchdowns
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The legend of Noah Dobert grew even larger Saturday afternoon inside the Superior Dome, and it may be years, if ever, before Northern Michigan sees anything like it again.
In a performance that felt surreal, the redshirt freshman shattered records, broke tackle after tackle, and bulldozed his way into the NMU history books with a 406-yard rushing masterpiece, powering the Wildcats to a 45-11 season-ending victory over Wayne State.
Dobert’s day was more than dominant, it was historic. He broke NMU’s single-game rushing record, smashing the previous mark of 317 set by Mark Bossuah in 2007. And with it, he also toppled two more major benchmarks: the program’s single-season rushing record (1,656 yards) and rushing touchdowns in a season (15), both formerly held by Jake Mayon’s standout 2018 campaign.
And he did it with thunderous, breakaway, highlight-reel style. Dobert ripped touchdown runs of 56, 52, 64 and 72 yards, each more electrifying than the last, finishing with 32 carries and an absurd 12.7 yards per attempt.
Dobert now owns the best single-game rushing performance in Division II this season and a top-5 mark in DII history. He finished just 19 yards shy of the all-time NCAA Division II record of 425, set in 2018 by South Dakota Mines’ Connor Silveria.
His performance also pushed NMU to a new single-season team rushing record (3,123 yards), crushing the mark of 2,660 set in 2018. For a team that powered through ups and downs this season, the ending was emphatic: 92 points in two weeks and back-to-back victories under interim head coach Billy Lindquist.
“So proud of the team!” said Lindquist following the win. “It was a great team win! We complement each other really well! Just so happy for the team. It was a such a great way to send the seniors off!”
Northern finished with 488 yards of total offense, with 466 of them on the ground. The Wildcats ran the ball 60 times and completed just one pass: a 22-yard touchdown from Trevor Theuerkauf to Sebastian Boyea. Noah Hofmann added NMU’s other score, a 2-yard plunge in the first half.
Wayne State, meanwhile, never found its footing. NMU held the Warriors to 171 yards on 58 plays, less than half the yards that Dobert produced by himself.
The defense was relentless and had a premiere outing to close the season, punctuated by Jeremiah Gossett’s two interceptions and a 12-tackle performance from Jax Hertel. Jake Price and Eli VanBuren each recorded a sack.
How it Happened
Northern didn’t waste a second unleashing Dobert. On the third play of the game, he burst through the middle and was gone, 56 yards to the house, the first spark of a fireworks-show that would follow. He accounted for all 68 yards on the opening drive, and the Wildcats led 7-0 just 74 seconds in.
After Wayne State missed a 52-yard field goal, Dobert struck again. This time it was a 52-yard run, his “shortest” touchdown of the day, and it was still over half the field. With 4:59 left in the first, it was already 14-0, and Dobert had 119 yards on four carries.
He wasn’t done. By the end of the first quarter, he had piled up 186 yards, and Northern controlled every inch of momentum right from the start.
Noah Hofmann added a 2-yard score early in the second quarter, making it 21-0. Wayne State broke through with a field goal midway through the frame, but NMU’s defense never let the Warriors gain traction. Gossett stepped in front of a pass late in the half, and the Wildcats entered the locker room up 21-3 behind Dobert’s 208 yards.
Things were just getting started, as the second half was soon to become the stuff of record-book history.
On the first possession, Dobert took a handoff, hit a crease, and was gone again, 64 yards untouched. That run gave him the single-season rushing record. Northern led 28-3, but Dobert wasn’t finished.
Just minutes later, he authored the signature play of the day. A 72-yard sprint past the second level, across midfield, and further into history. With that run, he passed Mark Bossuah and set the new NMU single-game record, and he did it with nearly a quarter and a half still to play.Theuerkauf’s touchdown pass to Boyea capped another dominant quarter where Northern outgained Wayne State 188-15. Dobert accounted for 164 of those yards by himself.
Trevor Theuerkauf throws a 22-yd pass to Sebastian Boyea to put the ‘Cats up 41-3 with 5:17 left in Q3.
Senior Michael Karlen drilled a 41-yard field goal in his final game to make it 45-3 before a late Warriors touchdown and two-point conversion. Fittingly, the final defensive stand belonged once again to Gossett, whose second interception slammed the door on the Warriors’ final possession.
Northern closed the season with two straight wins to finish 3-8, and something to build on heading into the offseason.
A star was born this fall in Marquette in Noah Dobert. And on the final Saturday of the season, he delivered one of the greatest rushing performances in the history of college football.
