Matt Janus gets first victory as Wildcats’ Head Coach
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Complementary football was the name of the game Saturday afternoon, as the Northern Michigan offense moved the ball throughout the contest and the defense shut out Roosevelt over the final three quarters en route to a 27-10 home victory.
The teams traded scoring drives in the first quarter, with Noah Dobert finding the end zone for the Wildcats as NMU trailed 10-6 after 15 minutes. Neither side scored in the second quarter, as Northern’s defense limited the Lakers to just 38 yards.
A Jace Miller pass deflection and Kayden Meverden interception in the third quarter flipped the momentum, setting up the Wildcats at the Roosevelt 3-yard line. Noah Hofmann then scampered into the end zone to give NMU the lead. From there, Luc Damiani and Carter Schmitt added interceptions, while Matt Stevens connected with Jake Heemstra and Isaac Olson for fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.
The turnaround started on defense. After allowing 10 points and 131 yards in the first quarter, the Wildcats forced three interceptions and limited the Lakers to just 124 yards over the final three quarters, keeping Roosevelt off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
The defensive performance was complemented by an efficient offensive attack. In his second career start, Stevens finished 21-of-31 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson Ptacek was his leading target, hauling in eight receptions for 109 yards. On the ground, Dobert did Dobert things, rushing 32 times for 131 yards and a touchdown.
The offense continued to move the ball effectively for the second straight game, totaling 450 yards at 5.4 yards per play. The Wildcats gained 259 yards through the air and added another 191 on the ground.
Northern doubled up Roosevelt in first downs, 26-13. Jax Hertel and Tyler Carnell each recorded seven tackles, while Damarcus Chappell added a key fourth-down sack.
How It Happened
Roosevelt elected to receive and struck first, marching into the red zone on its opening possession before the NMU defense held the Lakers to a field goal for a 3-0 lead at 9:25. The Wildcats answered with a methodical drive of their own, reaching the red zone before Dobert took an option pitch into the end zone for a touchdown. NMU missed the extra point but claimed a 6-3 advantage with 4:19 remaining.
Roosevelt responded with another scoring drive, as Carl Bew broke through for a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Lakers back in front, 10-6, after the first quarter.
After the high-scoring start, the Wildcats’ defense took control, keeping the Lakers off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
NMU put together another extended drive to open the second quarter, moving inside the Roosevelt 5-yard line before the Lakers came up with a fourth-down stop. After forcing a punt, Roosevelt appeared to gain momentum when it recovered a fumble following a 42-yard completion from Stevens to Ptacek. However, the NMU defense answered, with Chappell breaking through for a fourth-down sack near midfield to give the Wildcats possession.
The teams traded stops to close the half, with the Wildcats trailing 10-6 despite outgaining Roosevelt 133-38 in the second quarter.
Northern came out of the locker room with intensity, opening the second half with a 15-play drive that reached the Roosevelt 2-yard line before another fumble halted the possession. The Wildcats quickly turned the setback into an opportunity, as Miller deflected a pass that Meverden intercepted to give NMU the ball at the Roosevelt 3-yard line. Hofmann finished the short drive with a touchdown run on the option, putting the Wildcats ahead 13-10 with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter.
The defense continued to suffocate the Lakers, forcing a three-and-out on Roosevelt’s next possession. NMU held the visitors to just 15 yards on six plays with no first downs in the third quarter, allowing the Wildcats to maintain their lead and carry the momentum into the final frame.
The Wildcats wasted little time extending their advantage in the fourth. Stevens connected with Heemstra for a 4-yard touchdown pass to cap another scoring drive, pushing the lead to 20-10 with 13:35 remaining.
On Roosevelt’s next possession, Damiani read the quarterback and intercepted a pass to hand the ball back to NMU. The Wildcats capitalized once again on fourth down, as Stevens found Olson for a contested 24-yard touchdown reception to make it 27-10 with 10:21 to play.
With the offense finishing drives and the defense continuing to deliver, the Wildcats closed out the victory in commanding fashion. Schmitt added another interception, giving NMU three picks on the afternoon, and the ‘Cats ran out the clock to secure a statement home win and the first victory of the Janus era.
Up Next
The Wildcats will head to the Motor City to take on the Wayne State Warriors on Halloween afternoon.
