PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Northern Michigan University never held a lead all game, but still came out on top against Lake Erie College 38-35 in the season opener for both GLIAC teams on Saturday afternoon.

That’s because the only time the Wildcats were ahead on the scoreboard came after the game’s final play, when sophomore running back Jake Mayon ran in for a touchdown from 6 yards out in Northern’s only overtime possession.

The run was the second play of NMU’s offensive drive in OT following a 19-yard pass by senior quarterback Shaye Brown to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jon Washington.

College overtimes are untimed and each team gets the ball starting 25 yards from the end zone. Possessions continue until a score or the offensive team is unable to convert on fourth down.

Lake Erie got first crack at scoring in OT and did with a 31-yard field goal by Austin Baker. But NMU had a chance to win it quickly by keeping the Storm out of the end zone, thanks to Wildcats senior defensive lineman Jared Vuksan of Gladstone. He sacked Lake Erie QB John Banyasz for a 5-yard loss on third-and-goal from the NMU 9.

The Storm wriggled out of trouble at the start of that possession, losing nine yards on each of its first two plays, both runs, on tackles by NMU junior linebacker Darryl Williams and junior lineman Jalen Brooks. Williams led NMU with 10 tackles for the day.

But Banyasz was able to convert on fourth-and-22 from the 37 to set up first-and-goal. Two plays later came Vuksan’s sack.

The end of regulation was just as exciting. After trailing by 22 points just before halftime, the Wildcats mounted a furious second-half comeback, scoring 18 unanswered points in the final 23 minutes of regulation to pull into a 32-32 tie.

The tying TD came on a 25-yard pass from Brown to Washington with 53 seconds left, but also needed a successful two-point conversion pass from Brown on an underhand flip to Paris Woods.

The TD was Brown’s 54th in his NMU career to set a school record.

The tying drive began off a downed Lake Erie punt at the NMU 15-yard line with 2:50 to go. Brown completed 4 of 6 passes in that possession.

Mayon, who also scored on a 5-yard run in the middle of the second quarter, finished with a career-high 143 yards rushing.

Brown completed just 19 of 46 passes, but accumulated 230 yards through the air with two TDs. Jaranta Lewis had 71 yards receiving in three catches, one a 4-yard TD pass that started the final comeback midway through the third quarter.

Woods had two receptions for 67 yards while Walter Jackson made six catches for 41 yards.

NMU held narrow advantages in team offense, outgaining Lake Erie 410-398 in total yards and 21-20 in first downs.

There were no interceptions and each team lost one fumble. NMU’s Terrell Johnson had the fumble recovery after Austin McCarthy forced the Storm’s Mitchel Tilley to cough up the ball in the third quarter.

Lake Erie jumped out to a 19-0 early in the second quarter on rushing TDs of 2 and 32 yards by Desmon Turner and a Banyasz 26-yard run.

An early TD by NMU midway through the first quarter on a school-record 102-yard kickoff return by Keshawn Walker was called back on a penalty.

Mayon scored his first TD with 9:19 remaining before halftime, and with Tyler Blackburn’s extra point, the deficit was cut to 19-7. The score was set up when Brown connected with Lewis for a 40-yard sideline strike.

Baker hit his first field goal a few minutes later before Banyasz made it 29-7 with 16 seconds left before halftime on a 7-yard run.

But on what proved to be the momentum builder for the second half, Jackson took the short kickoff following Banyasz’s late first-half score at his own 34 and returned it 66 yards for a TD with 5 seconds to go. With Blackburn’s extra point, Northern trailed just 29-14 at the break.

The short TD pass in the third quarter to Lewis was set up by a Brown pass of 49 yards down the sideline to Woods on third-and-11, while a subsequent 28-yard field goal by Blackburn included a 33-yard run by Mayon from near midfield.

Trailing 32-24, NMU failed to muster any points on its next three possessions. But the Wildcats’ defense held the Storm to just one first down during that time, allowing the late fourth-quarter heroics by Brown & Co.

Northern’s next game is its home opener against Angelo State (Texas) at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Rams have been a traditional NCAA Division II power who, like NMU, have won a national championship.

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