Head coach Shane Richardson had to wait more than 2 1/2 seasons without winning before the Wildcats emerged out of a 28-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon with a 42-21 victory over Roosevelt at the Lakers’ home field in suburban Chicago.

They did it in record-setting fashion, too, rolling up a program-record 538 yards just in rushing yardage, which was more than necessary as NMU didn’t complete a pass, not for the first time in the Richardson era.

However, Northern didn’t waste a lot of time on that part of its game, attempting just one throw by Ewen-Trout Creek graduate Austin

Still, the 538 yards rushing was more than 60 yards better than the previous Northern record of 477 yards on the ground set way back in 1959 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee during an era when the pass was still probably being called the “forward pass” to distinguish it from laterals and backward passes that were probably nearly as common.

Northern Michigan University’s Austin Gordon, center, celebrates with teammates Jake Heemstra, left, and Jahi Wood, front right, after the Wildcats scored a touchdown as noted by a Northern fan behind them during a game played against Roosevelt in Arlington Heights, Ill., on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

The Wildcats even made their mark on the NCAA Division II national landscape. NMU Sports Information noted that this was just the seventh time in D-II history that a pair of running back teammates went over 200 yards in the same game.

Just to boot, Northern (1-6, 1-3 GLIAC) took over the Division II lead for rushing yards in a game this season, surpassing by a single yard the 537 yards that New Mexico Highlands had earlier this campaign.

Noah Dobert rolled up 243 yards in 40 carries and ran in three touchdowns, while Jahi Wood was right there with him, gaining 233 yards on 28 tries and adding two more TDs.

Their yardage numbers rank them eighth and ninth, respectively, in Division II this season.

“I can’t say how proud I am because of all the hard work we put in day in and day out,” Wood said in an NMU SI news release detailing the result. “We have to keep hustling as it’s only going to get better from here.”

“All credit to the boys up front,” Dobert said in the same release. “It’s not often two backs have a performance like that, and we couldn’t have done it without them.

“Jahi and I fed off each other’s energy, and it was something special.”

Despite all the crazy yardage numbers, just three players actually carried the ball for the Wildcats.

The third back was another quarterback, Marquette Senior High School grad Austin Ridl, who kept the ball three times for 62 yards and had Northern’s sixth TD. He actually had more than his total in one run, a 67-yard scamper on the option that stands as NMU’s longest play this season.

Northern’s yardage total was its best since a 2022 game when it had 566 yards against Post.

“I’m so happy and proud of our program today,” Richardson said in his postgame comments to NMU SI. “We have a group of guys that continue to believe and show up every day to keep striving towards improvement and being their best.

“The great thing is, we have a lot that we can still coach and learn from after today. This is the start of believing in what it takes to win games and for what we can continue to be in the future.

“We are building the program the right way, and this serves as a great step in our process.”

Overall, the Wildcats outgained Roosevelt (1-5, 0-3 GLIAC) by more than a hundred yards, 538-425. The Lakers had a more typical 115 yards rushing on 30 attempts, with Roosevelt QB Tony Chahino completing 22 of 42 passes for 310 yards.

Northern also won the turnover battle, 2-1, all the turnovers coming on fumbles.

NMU defenders Murphy Monreal, who also had an interception against Grand Valley State a week earlier, and Jhermari Mabry had the fumble recoveries while teammates Sam Corey and Jax Hertel were credited with forced fumbles.

The Wildcats’ defense also had a whopping nine pass breakups by eight players, the only one with two being Mitch Larkin.

Jax Hertel had two tackles for losses, while Corey and Brady Redmer each had a QB sack, with Redmer credited for 1 1/2 tackles for loss.

Not surprising for a team that ran the ball so much, NMU had a huge edge in time of possession, 38:13 to 21:47, but also was efficient, converting 9 of 14 on third downs and even 1 of 2 on fourth downs.

And strangely enough, the Lakes had an bare edge in first downs, 26-25, and fewer penalties, 7-6.

While the Wildcats never trailed, they still only led by two scores, 35-21, until Dobert scored his third TD with 2:25 left on a 2-yard run.

Northern had twice opened 21-point leads in the second half, but the first two times Roosevelt answered to remain with hailing distance.

And in his debut, kicker Nicholas Gruesen made all six of his extra-point tries.

Though the Lakers took the opening kickoff, it was NMU that scored on its first possession less than five minutes in following a drive where Dobert rushed four straight times, then Wood took it for three in a row, including the 37-yard TD right up the middle.

Then Roosevelt answered in barely a minute and a half after it took the ensuing kickoff from regular NMU kicker Michael Karlen.

They marched down, capping off the drive with a 18-yard scoring aerial from Chahino to Jack Young Jr. to tie it 7-7.

With back-to-back pass breakups by Monreal and Larkin, Roosevelt couldn’t capitalize when NMU’s offense got bogged down for awhile.

In addition, Hertel stripped a Lakers’ runner of the ball when they had driven to the NMU 1-yard line, with Monreal scooping it up in the end zone for a touchback.

It wasn’t until there was 8:08 left in the second quarter before there was another score, NMU taking the lead for good when Ridl had his option run to the right for 67 yards and a 14-7 lead.

The Wildcats opened a two-score cushion with 1:29 left in the first half on a Dobert 10-yard TD run up the middle that made it 21-7 at the break.

At that point, NMU had rolled up 286 rushing yards, including 178 in the second quarter while converting five of six third downs.

Northern threatened to make it a runaway by scoring on its second possession of the third quarter when Wood ran through the middle for a 44-yard TD with 8:15 left.

But the NMU coaches, players and fans knew it couldn’t be that easy to end their long losing streak.

Though Corey ended one drive with his fourth-down fumble recovery, less than a minute into the fourth Roosevelt pulled back within 28-14 on a Chahino 39-yard scoring strike to CJ Hood.

Fortunately for the visitors, the offense was still humming on the ground. The next time with the ball, Northern ground out a six-minute, 10-play drive — all on the ground, of course — culminating in Dobert’s 6-yard run through the middle for a TD to make it 35-14.

Each team scored on its next possession, too, but with NMU grinding down the clock, Roosevelt only had two more times having the ball.

On the first, Chahino completed a 19-yard TD to Tyler Gaines, but Northern answered with Dobert’s 2-yarder with the two-minute warning looming.

The timing of NMU’s win probably couldn’t be better as the Miners Cup rivalry with Michigan Tech is renewed at noon Saturday inside the Superior Dome in Marquette.

The Huskies have had some success this season with a 5-2 overall and 2-1 GLIAC records, but did suffer a 38-10 home loss to national No. 1 Ferris State on Saturday.

NMU 42, Roosevelt 21

Saturday at Arlington Heights, Ill.

Score by quarters:

Northern Michigan 7 14 7 14 — 42

Roosevelt 7 0 0 14 — 21

First quarter

NMU — Jahi Wood 37 run (Nicholas Gruesen kick) 10:10

ROOS — Jack Young Jr. 18 pass from Tony Chahino (Mauricio Escudero kick) 8:30

Second quarter

NMU — Austin Ridl 67 run (Gruesen kick) 8:08

NMU — Noah Dobert 10 run (Gruesen kick) 1:29

Third quarter

NMU — Wood 44 run (Gruesen kick) 8:15

Fourth quarter

ROOS — CJ Hood 39 pass from Chahino (Escudero kick) 14:10

NMU — Dobert 6 run (Gruesen kick) 8:36

ROOS — Tyler Gaines 19 pass from Chahino (Escudero kick) 6:57

NMU — Dobert 2 run (Gruesen kick) 2:25

Game statistics

First downs — NMU 25, Roosevelt 26

Total plays-net yards — NMU 72-538, Roosevelt 72-425

Rushes-yards — NMU 71-538 (Dobert 40-243, Wood 28-233, Ridl 3-62), Roosevelt 30-115 (Cam Davis 19-57, Brandon Harvey 1-30)

Comp-Att-Int-Yards — NMU, Austin Gordon 0-1-0-0; Roosevelt, Chahino 22-42-0-310

Top receivers — NMU, none; Roosevelt, Norion Espadron 5-102, Norbert Espadron 5-49

Punts-average — NMU 2-22.5, Roosevelt 3-48.7

Fumbles-lost — NMU 3-1, Roosevelt 3-2

Penalties-yards — NMU 7-74, Roosevelt 6-45

Time of possession — NMU 38:13, Roosevelt 21:47

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