NMU hosts Minnesota State-Moorhead at 6 p.m. in the Superior Dome, the first of a half-dozen home games that Northern will play through mid-November.

The Wildcats have yet to win a game under third-year coach Shane Richardson, who has gone 0-11 in each of his two years at the helm.

NMU lost a lot of players after he took the job at the end of 2022 and haven’t really been able to recover since.

Northern has come close to winning several times, the best chance — but most excruciating loss — was a 16-10 overtime setback at home to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference newcomer Roosevelt on Oct. 19 last season.

Northern Michigan University’s Nico Lukkarinen, right, gets lifted into the air by a teammate after making a big play during a Wildcats game last fall in the Superior Dome in Marquette. Lukkarinen was a star running back for the Negaunee Miners high school team. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Moorhead, by the way, is coming off a 6-5 season a year ago.

The game will be broadcast on the home of the Wildcats at WUPT 100.3 FM The Point, or fans can follow @NMU_Football and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the game.

Or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the football schedule for links to live video, live audio, live statistics, ticket information, and a game program and history.

“When you go into Game 1 with nine months without playing an opponent, you have to do a good job at keeping the message and focus,” Richardson said in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing the game and the season. “You have to keep young guys in the moment and focused on the simple things, and the guys have done a good job in this camp and they’re ready to play.”

Unlike 2024, when NMU played its first three games in three states, this year’s Wildcats stay in Michigan for 10 of 11 games, only traveling out of state for a midseason trip to Chicago to face Roosevelt.

Marquette Senior High School graduate Austin Ridl, right, rolls out looking to make a play for the Northern Michigan University football team during a game against Saginaw Valley State in the Superior Dome in Marquette on Oct. 5. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Under Richardson, the Wildcats are eager to start a new campaign strong, and this season presents a good opportunity.

Northern returns three All-GLIAC Second Teamers in running back Jahi Wood, offensive lineman Daniel Babcock and linebacker Jax Hertel.

In all, the Wildcats return 30 lettermen, more than half being starters a year ago. Wood leads a running back room that accounted for more than 70% of the offense last season and was third in the GLIAC, averaging 177.9 yards per game. Wood with his 668 yards, Vince Martin (346) and Negaunee High School graduate Nico Lukkarinen (258) all finished in the top 20 in the conference and will be accompanied by redshirt freshman Noah Dobert, who scored three TDs against Minnesota-Duluth in this spring’s exhibition game, as well as Tucker Welch and freshman Tyler Van Sluys to make for a deep and talented backfield.

Defensively, Hertel finished made the GLIAC top 10 with 40 solo tackles last season. He’s joined by senior Mitch Larkin, who led the conference in total tackles in 2023 with 118. The pair will bring loads of experience and athleticism to patrol the middle of the field.

This fall marks the 50th anniversary season of NMU’s historic national NCAA Division II championship title of 1975 led by quarterback Steve Mariucci. NMU will host a weekend celebration to mark the anniversary from Oct. 9-11.

Northern Michigan University running back Jahi Wood, right, looks to escape a Ferris State defender during their GLIAC game played at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Nov. 2, 2024. (Photo courtesy NMU)

More Wildcats to watch

Xavier Martinez — This 6-foot-1 sophomore defensive back played in all 11 games as a freshman and led the Wildcats with five pass breakups. He finished 2024 with 21 tackles, 18 of them solo.

Jaylen Houston — An athletic linebacker/defensive back, Houston joins Northern as a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, where he played in 20 games over three seasons.

Isaac Olson — This 6-2 sophomore wideout will lead a new-look corps of receivers this season. As a freshman, Olson played in all 11 games, finishing second on the team with eight receptions for 97 yards.

Mike Karlen — Karlen will take over both kicking and punting duties as a senior. He finished 2024 going 8 of 10 on field goals, 20 of 21 on extra points and averaged 38.7 yards per punt.

Northern Michigan University head coach Shane Richardson, center, watches a play being run close to the end zone from the sideline in the fourth quarter of a scrimmage played against Minnesota-Duluth at the Superior Dome in Marquette on April 12. (Journal file photo)

A look at Moorhead

Members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Moorhead were picked to finish seventh in their conference. Moorhead’s 6-5 record a year ago included four come-from-behind victories.

In stark contrast to Northern, the Dragons are a pass-heavy team, with an amazing 90% of their yards coming through the air. Senior QB Jack Strand was named the NSIC North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List. Last season, Strand passed for 3,431 yards, good for fourth in Division II. He completed 61% of his pass attempts while accumulating 32 TD passes.

Strand’s top target, Brady Perryman, was also named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List heading into 2025. Last year, he racked up 56 receptions for 792 yards and 14 TDs for All-NSIC First Team honors.

On the defensive side, senior LB Tate Gustafson was also labeled as an NSIC Player to Watch following a season with 43 tackles, 19 solo stops and an interception.

Picked for last

In the recent GLIAC coaches preseason poll, NMU was picked last, just a single vote behind Roosevelt with 11 votes. That’s not surprising as coaches usually pick in the preseason closely to where the teams finished the year before.

Wayne State was chosen sixth in the eight-team league with just 16 votes.

At the top, defending Division II national champion Ferris State was not quite unanimous to win the league again, getting six of a possible seven first-place votes as coaches vote for all the teams except their own.

Grand Valley State was a fairly close second with a first-place vote and 41 votes compared to Ferris’ 47. And Saginaw Valley State was up their with the remaining first-place vote and 38 poll points.

Davenport was chosen fourth and Michigan Tech fifth.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the season and the opening game. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.