Over the weekend, the Wildcats fell to the Ohio Dominican University Panthers 38-28 at the Superior Dome, putting Northern’s conference record at 3-4 and placing them ninth in the GLIAC Conference. Despite the loss, sophomore running back Jake Mayon managed a career-best three rushing touchdowns and senior quarterback Shaye Brown connected with seven different receivers and put up a season-best of 303 passing yards.
“Obviously we are disappointed with the outcome,” head coach Chris Ostrowsky said, reflecting on the game. “I think our players really worked hard. Their never-quit attitude was great to be around, and we are excited to move forward.”
This matchup was the third time these teams have collided. Ohio Dominican now stands 3-0 in the overall series against NMU. The Panthers opened the game with two touchdowns to grasp the early lead. By the end of the first half, Ohio Dominican managed to climb 17 points over the ’Cats 24-7.
Brown said the team needs to focus on entering games in the right state of mind in order to see success in the rest of the season.
“The problem we’ve been having, clearly, is that we have not started the way we need to start. The first half has been our Achilles heel,” Brown said.
Sophomore running back Jake Mayon scored Northern’s first touchdown in the last 14 seconds of the first half after running 5-yards into the endzone. Mayon said this season he has been able to take advantage of blocks set up by the offensive line which has been a factor to his success.
“I’ve been loving the guys upfront,” Mayon said. “[The offensive-line is] having a great season so far, I believe. We just got to keep it going.”
NMU was the only team to find pay dirt in the third quarter. Brown connected with sophomore wide receiver Michael Akinlade for an 18-yard gain and junior wide receiver Jaranta Lewis for a 12-yard gain on back-to-back plays. Mayon penetrated Panther territory with a 28-yard carry and capped off the drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown narrowing the score gap to 24-14.
The Panthers responded early in the final quarter with a touchdown reinforcing their lead. However, the Wildcats answered back with a 33-yard scoring reception from junior wide receiver Julian Crum which started with an interception from sophomore defensive back Jalen Saunders. The Panthers offense managed another touchdown which was answered by Mayon’s third and final touchdown. Mayon capped off the scoring for the game which ended 38-28.
With three games left in their season, the Wildcats gear up to go against the Hillsdale College Chargers next Saturday for the second match-up of their 3-game homestand.
The Chargers, who are currently tenth in the GLIAC, are currently riding a 3-game losing streak, their most recent matchup against the undefeated Grand Valley Lakers. The last time the Wildcats faced off against the Chargers was last season. Northern took the victory on their home turf beating Hillsdale 32-24.
“This is our house. We’ve got to defend it. We’ve got to have the juice, and we definitely just have to play with a different swagger when we are at home,” Mayon said. “All the benefits of being home we have to take advantage of and win these next two games.”
