Right now, it might be hard to imagine that there were positives associated with last Thursday’s football game against Michigan Tech.

The game was tough to watch, whether it was seen on FSN Detroit or from the filled bleachers at the Superior Dome. And for those who saw the game from the comfort of living room couches, consider yourselves fortunate, because you were able to change the channel during the game’s second half, in which the Huskies outscored the Wildcats 34-7. At that point in the game, you would’ve been better off watching anything on cable, including those long-winded cash for gold commercials.

But, the outcome of the game shouldn’t overshadow the more important aspects of Thursday’s game.

Northern Michigan University showcased itself to a national audience, Division II football (and the GLIAC in particular) received the stage it so rightly deserves – and did I mention the national exposure for the university?

If Thursday night’s game was a first date between NMU and a national television audience, then there’s no reason why we won’t be asked out on a second; Northern Michigan University was on-time, courteous, energized and impeccably well-dressed.

Northern Michigan’s campus was decked out in green and gold, the student section was packed full of college students who had the child-like enthusiasm of Brett Favre, and the athletic department and campus community couldn’t have been more inviting.

For the television broadcast, the athletic department arranged interviews with well-known alums. The interviews spiced up a game that, after the first half, became a one-sided affair. Former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr showcased his drawled speech, and gave hope to NMU English majors when he revealed that he had graduated from Northern with an English degree. In addition to Carr’s interview, current Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and former Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci both lauded the Upper Peninsula hard working ideals and the Marquette community.

Northern’s campus and unique sports venue of the Superior Dome were under a much brighter spotlight than ever, and the performance – though not necessarily the NMU football performance – was impressive.

The entire campus rallied for its football team; from NMU President Les Wong to ASNMU President Hobie Webster, resident advisors to students and student groups, everyone on campus urged their peers to attend. With an attendance of 8,672 and images of the Dome filled with college football fans, those efforts did not go unnoticed – to anyone watching the telecast or anyone at the game.

The day this paper prints, the battle for the Miner’s Cup will be in hindsight for most NMU students, but it’s the future NMU students we hope will remember it. Because, for that one night, NMU was a fanatical football school, with students who’d rather head to the Dome on a Thursday night than to the bars and wouldn’t miss a chance to support their peers on the athletic field.

Let’s hope that those potential students who saw the game on television, and the high school students in attendance, will choose to attend Northern and build on the Wildcat fan base in the future, not because the game was a marketing tool for the university, but because the atmosphere at last Thursday’s game shouldn’t be a once every three decades event. It should happen on any given Saturday.

And yeah, more televised games wouldn’t hurt.

But even if the nationally-televised game is a onetime only kind of a deal for the football program, it’s a successful one. Northern Michigan University put its best foot forward and succeeded, even if didn’t result in a “W.”