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MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University football team plays an unusual nonconference game against a GLIAC member school on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats travel to Grand Rapids to take on Davenport in the first of two games against the Panthers this season. The return engagement in the Superior Dome on Oct. 8 will count in the league standings.

The two meetings between these teams also took place last season as the number of GLIAC members playing football has shrunk in recent years.

Northern Michigan University receiver Wyatt Davis hands the ball back to the referee after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown during a football game played against Grand Valley State at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Oct. 23, 2021. (Journal photo by Travis Nelson)

Davenport is 1-0 after edging Truman State (Missouri) 20-19 on Sept 3.

Meanwhile, NMU is 1-1 after avenging a 2021 defeat to Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a 13-10 victory over the Titans last Saturday. The Wildcats lost their opener on Sept. 1, 31-24 to McKendree.

Today’s game is Northern’s first road contest, which starts at noon, against a team the Wildcats split with in 2021, winning at home 20-14 and losing in Grand Rapids 18-13.

DU has won three of their five meetings since the Panthers became a GLIAC member in 2017.

Against Oshkosh, NMU senior kicker Daniel Riser booted a 25-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie that provided the final margin after junior cornerback Isaiah Morrison came up with an interception with 95 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.

Northern junior quarterback Drake Davis completed 19 of 23 passes, an 83% completion rate, for 194 yards and no interceptions. Sophomore backup QB Zach Keen entered the game for one play, threw one pass and completed it to junior Kenyon’TA Skinner for the Wildcats’ lone TD on a 43-yard score early in the second quarter.

Senior running Tyquan Cox finished with 104 total yards offense, 56 receiving and 48 rushing.

Junior back Tyshon King, who gained 89 yards in 17 carries, paced a productive NMU rushing attack that rolled up 149 yards, while Skinner led the Northern receiving corps with eight catches for 94 yards and his TD.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Justin Peake made a team-leading nine tackles, while senior lineman John McMullen, senior back Brian Schieweck and freshman lineman Jhermari Mabry each had a tackle for loss.

Riser’s go-ahead field goal was his second made out of three attempts after he earlier kicked a 42-yarder to open the scoring less than six minutes into the game and missed on a 50-yarder with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

After today’s game, the Wildcats return home to face a first-time opponent, Post University of Waterbury, Connecticut, for Homecoming at 2 p.m. next Saturday. The Eagles (0-2) are in their second season playing NCAA Division II football, though the school plays at that level in most of its other sports.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.