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Pulling off an upset: That’s what Wildcats football seeks at D-I St. Thomas today

That’s what Wildcats football seeks at D-I St. Thomas today

By Steve Brownlee 4 min read

MARQUETTE -- Maybe the Northern Michigan University football team can follow the example of the Western Michigan Broncos when they almost -- or many have said, really did -- upset the mighty Michigan Wolverines a week ago.

The Wildcats of NCAA Division II take on Division I St. Thomas at the Tommies' home field in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 2 p.m. EDT today.

The only other time these teams met, last year at the Superior Dome, turned into a fairly close 20-7 victory by St. Thomas, which also happened while NMU was still in the midst of a 28-game losing streak that ended with a 3-2 finish at the tail end of last season.

Now with Matt Janus as head coach, the Wildcats are still seeking their first victory this season after a 41-19 setback at Minnesota State-Moorhead and 35-7 loss at home to Tiffin last Saturday.

In each game, NMU was involved in a close game during the first half before the opposition got rolling later in the game.

Fans can watch today's game live on Midco Sports Plus, or listen to it on radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point. 

Fans can also follow @NMU_Football on Instagram and X for updates leading up to and during the game, or visit the Northern athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the football schedule for links to live video, live audio, live statistics and a game preview.  

"We're getting improvement where we need to," Janus said in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing the game. "I thought our defense took some major strides. I thought Coach (defensive coordinator Ryan) Bright had a tremendous game plan, especially right off the bat to stall their strong running game.

"We're taking another step forward this week, and we will keep working towards putting it all together."

Last week, the NMU defense held Tiffin to just 58 yards in the first quarter before the Dragons exploded for 213 yards and three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-7 halftime led. Northern's Xavier Wade forced a fumble, while teammate Jace Miller broke up three passes.

All-American sophomore running back Noah Dobert scored NMU's TD, an 11-yard scamper in the second quarter, and finished with 113 yards rushing on 18 carries, giving him 191 so far in two games as he averages 5.2 yards per carry.

The slumbering Wildcats' passing offense is waking up in fits and starts. After rolling up 272 yards through the air and completing 60% of their passes even while throwing two interceptions vs. Moorhead, NMU fell back to gaining just 73 yards passing last week on 10 of 21 with one more pick.

Janus has a proven track record coming from Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he went 45-14 with five straight national playoff appearances, reaching the quarterfinals in 2023 after an undefeated regular season.

St. Thomas is 1-1 after downing D-II Winona State of Minnesota 15-9 and losing to D-1 FCS powerhouse North Dakota 62-26.

The Tommies were picked third in the Pioneer Football League, getting a first-place vote, not far behind projected champion San Diego.

St. Thomas held Winona to just 116 yards passing. On offense, the Tommies' Anthony Policare threw for 166 yards and a TD and led them in rushing with 73 yards.

But they managed just 70 yards on the ground vs. North Dakota, also using two quarterbacks each with less than 130 passing yards.

In last year's game vs. St. Thomas, NMU gained 299 yards, 166 on the ground as three Northern receivers each had more than 40 yards in pass catches -- Sebastian Boyea, Menominee product Trevor Theuerkauf and Isaac Olson.

The Tommies broke a fourth-quarter, 7-7 tie with two late TDs. 

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

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