NMU Football finishes road schedule this weekend

(Courtesy: NMU Athletics)
The Northern Michigan football team hits the road for the
final time in the 2011 season, travelling to University Center, Mich. to
take on Saginaw Valley State University. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from H.R. Wickes Memorial Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 5)

Saginaw Valley is tied at the top of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference at 6-2. NMU is 4-5 overall and 3-5 in the GLIAC.
NMU leads the all-time series 17-14, dating back to 1975 when the Wildcats won the first game 20-15 in Marquette. The Cardinals have won nine of the last 10 meeting. NMU defeated SVSU the last time the two met at University Center in 2009.

NMU is 1-3 on the road this season. The lone victory came at Findlay in
overtime. The three losses have been to Ashland, Ferris State and
Indianapolis. Saginaw Valley defeated NMU 24-17 in overtime last season at the Superior Dome. The Cardinals scored the first 17 points in the game and added the final touchdown in the overtime. The ‘Cats scored 17 points in the third and fourth but was unable to add the game-tying touchdown in overtime.

Saginaw’s two losses this season have been to Hillsdale and Indianapolis. The Cardinals are averaging 30.9 points per game and 430.5 yards of total offense. Jon Jennings has thrown 21 touchdowns this season and 2,154 yards through the air. Tim Hogue leads the ground attack with 518 yards rushing. Grant Caserta leads the team with 83 total tackles.

The Wildcat offense is averaging 363.8 yards per game (166.0 rushing and 197.8 passing). It is 38 percent on third down conversion and 87 percent in the redzone.

Senior quarterback Carter Kopach is 160-of-284 for 1,724 yards and 14
touchdowns. Junior running back Prince Young leads the team with 755 yards on the ground. He averages 83.9 per game and has three touchdowns. Kopach has 474 yards rushing with five touchdowns.

Junior defensive lineman Zach Anderson leads the defense with 56 total
tackles on 25 solo and 31 assisted tackles. He also leads the team with four sacks and eight and a half tackles-for-loss. Junior linebacker Josh Droese has 51 total tackles. Senior lineman Matt Forward has 47 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss and two sacks. The ‘Cats have 13 interceptions and 11 sacks.

100.3 FM “The Point”, the official radio station of the NMU Wildcats,
broadcasts all NMU football games.