“It’s a very good test for our team in our program to make sure that we measure ourselves to know where we want to get to and where we want to be, and you have to be able to take what actually happened and be able to build on it and see the big picture,” Head Coach Shane Richardson said. “And that’s what we’re doing.”

The Wildcats were unable to take advantage of the second quarter push to cut the deficit to 20-10 but Duluth put a barrage of scoring on after that, pulling ahead for the 47-10 win over NMU. Fifth year RB Tyquan Cox was the lone bright spot for the ‘Cats, gaining 111 yards from scrimmage.

Afterwards, Richardson spoke on how well the team handled the loss and went back to work to prepare for the following week.

“Some executional mistakes, that probably was due to our immaturity and just lack of being able to wrap things consistently together for a while,” Richardson said. “There were a lot of good things, I think there were a lot of young guys that played that actually had solid performances and it just gave us a clearer vision of where we’re at and what we’re building towards.”

After the loss against Duluth, NMU prepared for their home opener against the Lake Erie Storm in the Superior Dome. First year Jax Hertel, came up big with an interception for a touchdown, putting NMU up 21-7 early in the third quarter. NMU was unable to hold onto the lead after the Storm scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, shutting the ‘Cats out in the fourth quarter and dealing NMU the 24-21 loss.

The ‘Cats went 0-3 on fourth down conversions and transfer quarterback Mariano Valenti also had two costly fumbles during the game, giving the Storm extra opportunities on offense and good field position that ultimately led to the loss. NMU will stay in the Dome next weekend for the Homecoming game, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. against UW-La Crosse for the first time in 11 years.