NMU Football falls to No.1 Grand Valley State 56-3
PREPERATION – NMU will be facing defending champ Ferris St. this weekend in the dome. The offence will look to get back on track after scoring 10 total points over the last 2 weeks.
October 31, 2022
“I feel you have to go to a place where you feel like you’re fighting a Death Star,” Head Coach Kyle Nystrom said about playing football on Oct. 22 against Grand Valley State University. “You’ve got to go to places inside [you that are] intrinsically motivated and have the will to do battle that a lot of people don’t want to go to.”
Despite having this mindset, the ‘Cats traveled to Grand Valley State to face off against the Lakers and lost 56-3. The Wildcats were not able to score a touchdown all game, but kicker Daniel Riser made a field goal at 8:12 in the first quarter from the 39-yard line.
“Needless to say, that [game] didn’t quite go our way, but one of the things that stood out to me was how much pressure it felt like the offense was under with all the blitzes Grande Valley was throwing,” Nystrom said.
However, NMU’s defense had some highlights during the game. Junior defensive lineman Caleb Wright sacked the Laker’s quarterback, Cade Peterson, for a loss of 7 yards, leading Peterson to fumble the football. NMU’s sophomore Jackson Malcolm recovered the ball.
With the overall loss at GVSU, Nystrom plans to use this game as a learning moment for his team.
“Now you’re motivated, you know what it takes to go in there and be successful or at least be able to play with them,” Nystrom said. “Now we know where we are at compared to the number one team in the country.”
Nystrom had nothing but respect for the Lakers players and coaching staff, giving them credit for how they played and how they were coached.
“When you operate in that kind of environment and you own that job, that’s an enormous responsibility,” Nystrom said.
With the loss to Grand Valley State, the Wildcats have now lost three games in a row after starting the season strong, falling to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the GLIAC. The Wildcats will be at home for the next two weeks and are preparing for Ferris St., another GLIAC powerhouse.
“I better knuckle down. And I better go back to home base, and I better put my roots back down and start over again. That’s what you do. You just go to work,” Nystrom said.
