Fans sporting Wildcat colored gear filled the Superior Dome bleachers to get a glimpse at the 2017 roster’s first time suited up and on the field since the fall season.
The Northern Michigan University Football team capped off the spring practice schedule with first year head coach Kyle Nystrom with a spring game last Saturday at the NMU Superior Dome.
The game was a scrimmage between the offense and the defense, consisting of 10-12 minute quarters, with a point system involved allowing the defensive team to gain points from plays such as sacks, turnovers and tackles for loss.
The transition into the new coachin
g staff has united the team, said sophomore running back Jake Mayon also adding that he considered the team more of a “brotherhood” after the process.
“We had a short time where we didn’t have a coach so we all really looked at each other and said ‘How are we going to step up individually,’” Mayon said.
“That was a major thing for us, everyone being on the same mindset, everybody working the same in the weightroom, everyone giving 110 percent effort on the field every day at practice. And that was what we wanted to come and showcase here and I think we did. I think we are going to have a great fall.”
Mayon rushed 34 yards for the game’s first score while junior quarterback Jaranta Lewis connected with freshman wide receiver Ryan Knight with a short pass for its second. The first quarter ended with the offense up 22-2.
Head coach Kyle Nystrom said that he was pleased with how the offense ran the ball along with the lack of turnovers and penalty flags on the field but noted that the defense still needs to work on getting ready and playing hard for the entirety of the game.
“That’s been a little bit of our Achilles’ heel since we’ve been here. [Defensively] we’re a little bit lackadaisical and they don’t get urgent the way I want them to get urgent right away,” Nystrom said.
“So we learned that lesson again and we have to get better at that.”
The defense picked up in the second quarter. On four back-to-back drives, the defense stopped them each time totaling four three-and-outs earning them four points.
The scrimmage ultimately ended with a victory for the offense, the score at 39-15.
Nystrom said he was pleased with the scrimmage but that the team still has to refine its performance to be successful in the fall.
“How fast can we get it where we want it? I don’t know, it’s hard to say. It’s how fast we can improve and get players that we need. The ones here that are playing [we have to] get them to the level that we need them at to win this league,” Nystrom said.
“I don’t think you’re ever exactly where you want to be. If you’re a good football coach, you’re always pushing the envelope and there’s never a finish line. We have a lot of work, a lot of improvement to do and that’s what we do everyday. We just want better.”
