NMU football looking to rebound tomorrow night

Courtesy of NMU Athletics

MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University football team opens its home schedule this week with a meeting against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Thursday (Sept. 6). The first meeting between the two schools kicks off at 7 p.m. from the Superior Dome.

NMU (0-1, 0-1 GLIAC) opened the 2012 season on Aug. 30 with a 45-10 loss at the University of Findlay. The Oilers opened the game with 10 straight points and then scored three straight touchdowns to start the second half.

The lone touchdown for NMU came with 9:42 left in the second quarter from senior running back Prince Young on a 9-yard run after a 7-play, 47-yard drive that cut the lead to three at 10-7. Senior kicker Rockne Belmonte added his first field goal of the season with 3:31 left in the third quarter with a 26-yard kick to make it 38-10. It was his 32nd career field goal. He also had a 28-yarder blocked a missed a 41-yarder.

UW-La Crosse is an NCAA Division III institution. The Eagles are a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). UW-La Crosse opened its 2012 season with a 21-17 victory at No. 6 North Central College (Ill.) on Sept. 1. The Eagles forced six North Central turnovers on three fumbles and three interceptions. Two UW-L touchdowns were scored on 57-yard fumble recovery and a 39-yard interception return. The Eagles finished with 206 yards of offense, including 139 rushing and 67 passing. They had 10 first downs and were 4-of-15 on third-down. Ben Hertrampf had a team-high 78 yards rushing while Jared Stan totaled 70 yards and one touchdown. Andy Sires finished 9-of-14 passing for 67 yards. He was sacked three times. Tony Bilderback caught four passes for 35 yards.

NMU’s redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Morley finished 24-of-44 for 235 yards through the air with one interception against Findlay. Sophomore receiver Julian Gaines had nine catches for 87 yards. Junior Christian Marble-King had five receptions for 32 yards and Young added four caches for 42 yards. Young finished with 93 yards on the ground on 18 attempts. Freshman running back Keon Collier added 75 yards on nine rushes, including a 50-yard dash late in the fourth.

Senior linebackers Eddie Knoblock and junior Morgan Stenz led the ‘Cats with 10 total tackles each. Redshirt freshman Matt Smith had eight while senior Zach Anderson and sophomore Jordan Adediran chipped in with six. Freshman Armoni Broussard had a fumble recovery.

Tickets for Thursday’s game can be purchased online at http://www.nmu.edu/tickets/ at the NMU Ticket Office or prior to the start of the game. Tickets for students 18 and under are $7 for reserved and $5 for general admission. Adult tickets are $11 for reserved seating and $9 for general admission. NMU students get in free with an id.

The game can also be heard on 100.3 FM “The Point” in the Marquette area or online at: http://wnmufm.org/nmu-sports-stream