The Northern Michigan University football team wrapped up their season this weekend with a 66-38 win over GLIAC South Division No. 3-ranked Findlay Oilers.
Findlay ended their regular season play 4-6 in conference.
The Wildcats finished 2-8 in GLIAC’s North Division and 2-9 overall. NMU’s victories this season included a 31-14 win over Quincy University, and a 33-30 victory over Wayne State University.
Junior running back Terrance Dye started the game off in the first quarter with a one yard touchdown as freshman kicker Ryan LaBerge followed up with a kick. Junior wide receiver Austin Young then racked up a touchdown for the ’Cats with a 24-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Shaye Brown. After the kick, NMU football stood 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Wildcat football team summed up four touchdowns; Young with a 23-yard pass from Brown, junior wide receiver Trey Hipke with a 57-yard pass from Brown, Dye with a 13-yard run and senior wide receiver Kelvin Smarwt with a 61-yard pass from Brown. LaBerge had a 27-yard field goal to finish up the quarter.
The NMU football team started the third quarter up 45-20. In the third, junior wide receiver Marcus Tucker had a 66-yard pass from Brown, Dye had a one-yard run and a four-yard. LaBerge followed each touchdown with a kick, to put the cats up to 66-23 at the end of the third.
Brown set an NMU school record with 490 passing yards and was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week. Brown threw for five touchdowns, averaging 17.5 yards per attempt.
“I think this game helped us find our identity,” Brown said. “I think that we are starting to mesh. With the seniors graduating, we will just have to fill those spots.”
Racking up 143 receiving yards, Smarwt led NMU with eight catches. Tucker followed Smarwt with 134 receiving yards in three catches, 157 total yards in five kick returns and 301 all-purpose yards. “As a senior, this is one of the best feelings I’ve felt,” Smarwt said. “We didn’t just win. We dominated. It was great to be a part of the situation. This is going to be a great team next year.”
Dye led the NMU football team with 117 running yards, contributing to the victory over the Oilers.
Head coach Chris Ostrowsky said he was happy with the outcome.
“It feels really good to end this way and beat a bona fide, solid program in this league, which is what Findlay is,” Ostrowsky said. “To beat them the way we beat them feels great. But at the same time, it’s just a game.”
Ostrowsky said there is much to do to prepare for next season.
“This has been a humbling year for me, personally, and for this program. Maybe it’s just what we needed,” Ostrowsky said. “We have a lot of work to do this offseason and we are going to take it one day at a time and try to become the best program we can be one day at a time.”
