Outdoor ‘Cats: NMU takes practice outside

MARQUETTE – The Wildcats are halfway through training camp. Northern Michigan University has the luxury of playing and practicing inside the Superior Dome. But with the dome being used by the university to get ready for the upcoming semester, the Wildcats took things outside on the shores of Lake Superior.

It was the ‘Cats first evening practice of camp. For two hours, the Wildcats ‘brought the juice’ as they refer to it. All six of NMU’s road games are outdoors and three of the Wildcats’ 11 games have kickoff set for 7 p.m, so Tuesday’s practice was a great change of pace to experience playing during the evening hours.

“We are still in full blown camp mode, so the plan still in the evaluation phase. You always want to simulate as close as you can to gameday during the course of a practice,” said head coach Chris Ostrowsky. “We have a lot of different guys playing critical parts in terms of matching up good guys against the old guys with the ages and all that kind of stuff, so I thought it was really good at a lot of different levels.”

“It’s lovely out here,” said NMU senior wide receiver Marcus Tucker. “We’re loving the weather. Guys are really getting after it. It’s a bit rainy, but in the GLIAC, things are going to be like that. Not everybody has the luxury of having a dome.”