NMU football to play at Wayne State

Courtesy of NMU Athletics

MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University football plays its final two road games of the season, starting on Saturday in Detroit, Mich. for a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meeting with the Wayne State Warriors. Kickoff is set for noon at Adams Field on WSU’s homecoming.

Wayne State is 4-2 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC. The Warriors lost to Saginaw Valley State 24-7 last week. The other loss was a 7-0 defeat to Ashland in the season-opener. Wins have been over Lake Erie, Malone, Northwood and Hillsdale. The Warriors are 2-0 at home and were picked to finish second in the GLIAC North Division behind Grand Valley in the 2012
GLIAC preseason coaches’ poll.

NMU picked up its first GLIAC win last weekend with a 38-10 win over No. 14-ranked Grand Valley. The Wildcats allowed only 263 yards of offense while totaling 462 yards of their own. NMU received two rushing touchdowns each from Cody Scepaniak and Casey Cotta. Cotta finished the game with an NMU season-high 130 yards rushing. The NMU defense had four interceptions and a recovered fumble. Derek Beltrame had two interceptions while Parson and Levi Perry each had one.

Senior Rockne Belmonte is the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week after making an NMU and Superior Dome record 58-yard field goal late in the second quarter against GVSU. He was also 5-for-5 on extra points and averaged 32 yards on three punts. Belmonte is 6-for-10 on field goals made this season and is four field goals shy of NMU’s current career mark. He is a second team preseason All-American by USA Football News and a preseason All-American as an honorable mention choice by the D2 vs. NAIA Bowl. Belmonte holds NMU’s record for field goals in a season. He was 15-for-19 on field goals with a long of 45 in 2011.

Wayne State handed NMU its second loss in a row on Oct. 1, 2011 with a 30-28 win on Homecoming at the Superior Dome. The ‘Cats outscored the Warriors 14-3 in the second half and recovered an onside kick with under a minute to go but couldn’t get a first down to extend the game. NMU finished the game with 301 yards of offense (293 passing and 8 rushing) on 69 plays. The ‘Cats had 17 first downs and were 6-of-16 on third down with
three turnovers. The NMU defense recovered four Warrior fumbles.

NMU leads the all-time series 15-11, dating back to 1957. The ‘Cats have lost two in a row and three of the last four to the Warriors.

Senior quarterback Cody Scepaniak made his first start last weekend. He was 18-for-26 through the air for 218 yards a touchdown and an interception. He also had 115 yards rushing on 20 attempts with two touchdowns. In the game against Michigan Tech, Scepaniak finished 7-for-12 for 157 yards passing, including a 77-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Christian Jessie. He also rushed five times for 13 nets yards with a long of 22.