Northern Michigan University placekicker Michael Karlen, right, lines up a kick with holder Austin Ridl setting up the ball during a Wildcats’ game played at the Superior Dome in Marquette earlier this season. Ridl is also an NMU quarterback and is a Marquette Senior High School graduate. (Photo courtesy NMU)

UNIVERSITY CENTER — The football team at Northern Michigan University couldn’t keep up with Saginaw Valley State in a game on Saturday afternoon that in some ways resembled a track meet.

The teams combined for nearly 850 yards offense as the host Cardinals posted a 47-25 victory on an unseasonably warm day in the 80s between Saginaw and Bay City.

While the Wildcats fell to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, SVSU improved to 2-3 and 1-0.

NMU played catchup in the late going as the Cardinals built a 40-3 lead in the latter stages of the third quarter.

As has been their hallmark, Northern gained most of its yardage on the ground, rolling up 289 yards on 50 rushes. Noah Dobert and Jahi Wood led the way as each had 15 carries and a rushing touchdown, Dobert accumulating 102 yards and Wood 95.

Menominee graduate Trevor Theuerkauf, who played quarterback most of the game, also rolled up 66 yards on the ground in 13 tries. He completed 6 of 16 passes for 52 yards, a TD and an interception.

Marquette graduate Austin Ridl was 0 of 2 throwing with a pickoff and gained 21 yards rushing in four attempts, while Negaunee product Nico Lukkarinen had two rushing yards in two tries.

Saginaw Valley leaned a bit more toward passing in its 498 total yards as Mason McKenzie got the lion’s share of its 19 of 29 passing with 276 yards and three TDs.

McKenzie also led his team on the ground, gaining 110 of its 222 rushing yards in his 13 attempts.

The Cardinals ran away and hid in the first half, building a 33-3 halftime lead after Michael Jamerson III had TD runs of 1 and 42 yards, while McKenzie ran home from 15 yards out and threw a 31-yard scoring strike to Braden Hill.

Northern’s lone points before the break came off the foot of Michael Karlen as he made a 44-yard field goal with a tick less than four minutes to go in the first half.

NMU also lost the turnover battle, 4-2, losing two fumbles and committing two interceptions, while SVSU’s were both lost fumbles recovered by the Wildcats’ Luc Damiani and Eli VanBuren. Forced fumbles were credited to teammates Jaylen Houston and Tim Shannon Jr.

Jax Hertel and Mitch Larkin led Northern tacklers with seven apiece, including six solo by Larkin, who also had two tackles for loss.

Shannon had two pass breakups, while teammate Jake Price had two QB hurries and VanBuren one. And Stanley Smith III had Northern’s lone QB sack.

Theuerkauf lost a fumble on Northern’s first possession of the second half, then Karlen missed on a 52-yard field goal their next time with the ball that kept it 33-3.

The Wildcats did score on their final possession of the third quarter on a Dobert 2-yard TD run, one play after Dobert ran 59 yards to set up a first-and-goal. NMU pulled within 40-18 early in the fourth on a Wood 13-yard scoring rush.

Each team scored one more TD, the Wildcats on a Theuerkauf 27-yard scoring aerial to Sebastian Boyea with 2:32 left.

Northern continues on its quest for third-year head coach Shane Richardson’s first win in Marquette when it hosts Grand Valley State at 7 p.m. Saturday.

This will be part of a celebration weekend for the 50th anniversary of NMU’s NCAA Division II national championship in 1975, along with the jersey retirement of team QB, former NFL coach and renowned broadcaster Steve Mariucci.

Saginaw Valley St. 47, NMU 25

Score by quarters:

Northern Michigan. 0 3 7 15 — 25

Saginaw Valley St. 7 26 7 7 — 47

First quarter

SVSU — Braden Hill 31 pass from Mason McKenzie (Teagen Lenderink kick) 12:36

Second quarter

SVSU — Lenderink 26 FG 13:10

SVSU — Michael Jamerson III 1 run (Lenderink kick) 9:32

NMU — Michael Karlen 44 FG 3:59

SVSU — Jamerson 42 run (Lenderink kick) 2:55

SVSU — McKenzie 15 run (PAT failed) 0:54

SVSU — Lenderink 27 FG 0:00

Third quarter

SVSU — Terrence Brown Jr. 8 pass from McKenzie (Lenderink kick) 5:33

NMU — Noah Dobert 2 run (Karlen kick) 0:12

Fourth quarter

NMU — Jahi Wood 13 run (Karlen run) 11:09

SVSU — Brown 47 pass from Nick Patterson (Lenderink kick) 10:17

NMU — Sebastian Boyea 27 pass from Trevor Theuerkauf (Karlen kick) 2:32

Game statistics

First downs — NMU 20, Saginaw Valley 23

Total plays-net yards — NMU 68-341, Saginaw Valley 72-498

Rushes-yards — NMU 50-289 (Dobert 15-102, Wood 15-95), Saginaw Valley 43-222 (McKenzie 13-110, Jamerson 11-61)

Comp-Att-Int-Yards — NMU 6-18-2-52 (Theuerkauf 6-16-1-52, Austin Ridl 0-2-1-0), Saginaw Valley 19-29-0 (McKenzie 17-27-0-230, Patterson 2-2-0-46)

Top receivers — NMU, Sebastian Boyea 1-27, Chris Battley 4-19; Saginaw Valley, Brown 8-142

Punts-average — NMU 5-46.4, Saginaw Valley 5-38.4

Fumbles-lost — NMU 2-2, Saginaw Valley 3-2

Penalties-yards — NMU 5-45, Saginaw Valley 10-92

Time of possession — NMU 32:46, Saginaw Valley 27:14

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.