Great Lakes Wire

The Wildcats faced a challenging game against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals, ending their GLIAC season with a 62-17 defeat. The match was heavily influenced by turnovers, as the Wildcats committed four in the first half and an interception in the second half. Two of these turnovers resulted in pick-sixes for the Cardinals.

With this loss, the Wildcats' record fell to 0-10 overall and 0-6 in conference play, while the Cardinals improved to 5-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

In the first half, turnovers proved costly for the Wildcats, leading to 24 points for Saginaw Valley State. Michael Love provided a highlight with a 90-yard kickoff return in the final minute of the half, marking it as both his longest of the season and first since November 12, 2022. Despite this effort, they went into halftime trailing 38-7.

Statistically, the Cardinals dominated with 13 first downs compared to two from Northern Michigan University (NMU), along with rushing yards totaling 101 against NMU's 24 and receiving yards at 169 versus NMU's 26.

In the second half, Aidan Hoard threw another interception that was returned for a touchdown after being deflected by a defensive lineman. This extended Saginaw Valley's lead to 45-7.

Michael Halverson managed to add three points for NMU following an effective drive. Later on, Brock Franklin scored from five yards out after taking a hand-off from Hoard during another strong offensive series.

Ultimately, NMU could not overcome their early setbacks and concluded their game with a final score of 62-17 against them.

Looking ahead, NMU will host Northern State on Saturday, November 11th to wrap up their season.