Theuerkauf impresses in Wildcat debut
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – In a marathon contest lasting more than three and a half hours, the Northern Michigan football team fell 47-25 to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at Wickes Stadium.
Though the Wildcats outscored SVSU 22-14 in the second half, a 26-point second quarter from the home team proved too much to overcome. NMU found the end zone three times, courtesy of Noah Dobert, Jahi Wood, and Sebastian Boyea, while the Cardinals recorded six touchdowns on the day.
Dobert built on his recent performance last time out against Davenport, rushing for 102 yards on 15 carries, while Wood added 95 yards on the ground on an equal number of attempts. Northern totaled 289 rushing yards, marking the third time in five games the Wildcats have surpassed 275. Saginaw balanced its attack with 222 rushing yards and 276 through the air. Each team recovered two fumbles, while the Cardinals also forced a pair of interceptions.
In his first career action at quarterback, Trevor Theuerkauf showed flashes of promise, completing six passes with a touchdown and adding 66 rushing yards.
The loss drops NMU to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in GLIAC play, while the Cardinals improved to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
How it Happened
Saginaw opened the game with a 65-yard drive capped by a 31-yard touchdown pass to Braden Hill, taking a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Northern’s offense had trouble finding early rhythm, throwing an interception on its first series and then being pinned inside its own five-yard line on consecutive possessions by the SVSU punter. With short fields to work with, the Cardinals managed only a field goal on three straight possessions, as the Wildcat defense stood tall to keep it a 10-0 game early in the second quarter.
The Cardinals fully capitalized on a turnover moments later, however, converting a fumble on the ensuing kickoff into a touchdown run from Michael Jamerson III to make it 17-0 with 9:32 left in the half. The Wildcats answered with their strongest drive of the opening half, pushing into SVSU territory before Michael Karlen drilled a 44-yard field goal to put NMU on the board at 17-3.
SVSU would close the half with three more scores. Jamerson added another rushing touchdown, and quarterback Mason McKenzie followed with a scoring run of his own, with both coming in the final three minutes. After a last-second interception, the Cardinals tacked on a 27-yard field goal on an untimed down to carry a 33-3 advantage into the locker room.
At the break, SVSU held a 305-79 edge in total yards and led 16-6 in first downs, while the Wildcats looked to regroup and build on flashes of momentum heading into the second half.
The Wildcats looked to spark a rally coming out of halftime, as Trevor Theuerkauf broke free for a 31-yard rush to move NMU inside the red zone for the first time. The momentum was short-lived with a fumble, but the defense answered quickly. Jaylen Houston jarred the ball loose on the ensuing Cardinal drive, and Luc Damiani recovered at midfield to give the ball back to the offense. Northern was unable to capitalize, with a missed 52-yard field goal attempt keeping the score at 33-3.
SVSU added to its lead midway through the third, finishing off a 65-yard drive with another touchdown to make it 40-3. The Wildcats found their breakthrough late in the quarter, as Noah Dobert ripped off a 59-yard run to set up his own 2-yard touchdown plunge, trimming the deficit to 40-10 heading into the fourth.
Northern kept the ground game rolling to start the final frame. A six-play, 49-yard drive ended with Jahi Wood finding the end zone from 13 yards out, and kicker Michael Karlen improvised on a botched extra point to run in a successful two-point conversion, cutting the margin to 40-18 with just over 11 minutes left. The Cardinals countered quickly with a 47-yard touchdown strike to stretch the lead back to 47-18.
The Wildcats had the final score, as Theuerkauf connected with Sebastian Boyea for a 27-yard touchdown with 2:36 remaining, marking the first career passing and receiving scores for both. That capped the scoring in a 47-25 final.
Up Next
The Wildcats will return to the Superior Dome to host the Grand Valley State Lakers on Saturday, October 11, with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The weekend will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of NMU’s 1975 National Championship.
