October 18th, 2025 5:45pm
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Northern Michigan football team got back in the win column in historic fashion on Saturday afternoon, rushing for a program-record 538 yards in a dominant 42-21 victory over the Roosevelt Lakers.
The Wildcats' offense was firing on all cylinders from the opening kick, showcasing its will for physicality, execution, and complete control on the ground. The 538-yard total crushed the previous program mark of 477, set 66 years ago in 1959 against UW-Milwaukee, not only cementing this performance as one of the most prolific rushing efforts in NMU football history, but also one of the most impressive all-around efforts.
At the backbone of the victory was one of the most dominant displays by a running back duo in the history of college football. For just the seventh time in Division II, two running backs from the same team went over 200 yards, with Noah Dobert totaling 243 yards and three touchdowns and Jahi Wood adding 233 yards and two scores. The pair combined for five of Northern's six touchdowns, running the ball an incredible 68 times between them. Their production now ranks eighth and ninth among all single-game rushing totals in Division II this season.
"I can't say how proud I am because of all the hard work we put in day in and day out," commented Wood. "We have to keep hustling as it's only going to get better from here." Dobert added, "All credit to the boys up front...it's not often two backs have a performance like that, and we couldn't have done it without them. Jahi and I fed off each other's energy, and it was something special."
Austin Ridl also added 62 yards rushing and was responsible for NMU's other score, an impressive 67-yard scamper on the option, the longest play for the 'Cats this season.
The Wildcats' performance also set a new Division II season benchmark for rushing yards in a single game, surpassing the 537-yard total that New Mexico Highlands recorded earlier this fall.
Of NMU's 72 plays, the Wildcats opted to run on all but one, a testament to their confidence and complete dominance up front. The 538-yard output was Northern's most total offense in a game since 2022, when the team had 566 yards against Post.
"I'm so happy & proud of our program today," said coach Shane Richardson following the win. "We have a group of guys that continue to believe and show up every day to keep striving towards improvement and being their best. The great thing is, we have a lot that we can still coach and learn from after today. This is the start of believing in what it takes to win games and for what we can continue to be in the future. We are building the program the right way, and this serves as a great step in our process."
NMU possessed the ball for a whopping 38:13 in the game. With the ground game clicking along with a 9-13 (69.2%) conversion on third downs, NMU
Defensively, Northern limited the Lakers to 425 yards and just 115 on the ground.