Week 5 - Wayne St. 31 Northwood 17

Football Falls At Wayne State 31-17

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The Northwood University football team dropped a 31-17 contest at Wayne State Saturday afternoon (October 5).

Northwood falls to 2-3 overall, 1-2 in the GLIAC. Wayne State improves to 3-2 overall, 3-1 in the GLIAC.

After Wayne State kicked an early field goal in the first quarter, Northwood was the better team the rest of the first half.  NU out-scored the Warriors 17-7 over the rest of the half.  The Timberwolves got touchdowns from Cameron Jackson (Dahlonega, Ga./Lumpkin) and Carrington Thompson (Houston, Texas, Lamar) as well as a Keegan Haggarty (Macomb, Mich./Albion College) 22-yard field goal. Northwood out-gained Wayne State 188-116 in the first half and held an 11-5 advantage in first downs in the opening 30 minutes of play.

The second half, however, proved to be all Warriors.  WSU scored all of the 21 points accounted for after halftime.  The Warriors tied the game at 17 early in the third quarter.  The scored remained 17-17 until there was under four minutes remaining, when the Warriors found the end zone to go up 24-17.  Northwood got the ball back, trying to drive to a potential game-tying touchdown.  But the Timberwolves fumbled, which was returned for a touchdown by Wayne State to put the game away.

The key to the game proved to be turnovers.  While Wayne State did commit two turnovers, Northwood committed six giveaways in the contest. For the game, WSU finished with a 342-270 advantage in total yards, which included a 226-82 edge in the second half.  NU did hold an 18-15 advantage in first downs, but the Warriors held the ball for 15:40 more than the Timberwolves (37:50-22:10).

Thompson had his best day of the season in the game, finishing with 12 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.  The Northwood defense came up with seven sacks in the game, two of which were by Jefson Nelson (Miami, Fla. /Boyd Anderson).

Northwood will travel to Saginaw Valley State Saturday (October 12).  Game time is set for 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Sat, 10/06 | Football vs. Saginaw Valley L, 28-20 (Final) BX | RC
• Sat, 10/05 | Football at Wayne St. (Mich.) L, 31-17 (Final) BX | RC
• Sat, 09/28 | Football vs. Tiffin W, 26-11 (Final) BX | RC
• Sat, 09/21 | Football at Quincy W, 42-39

Week 4 - NU 26 Tiffin 11

Football Earns 26-11 Win Over Tiffin

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The Northwood University football team posted its second straight win Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28), downing Tiffin 26-11.

Northwood improves to 2-2 overall, 1-1 in the GLIAC.  Tiffin falls to 0-4 overall, 0-3 in the GLIAC.

Tiffin was the better team early on, kicking a pair of field goals to take a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter after out-gaining the Timberwolves 114-14 in the opening quarter.  Northwood got things going about midway through the second quarter, getting on the board thanks to a Keegan Haggarty (Macomb, Mich./Albion College) 37-yard field goal to make the score 6-3. 

Northwood then took the lead for the first time late in the half.  The Timberwolves were driving, but faced a fourth and one at the Tiffin 35.  NU decided to go for it and executed a beautiful play-action pass.  Mitch Robinson (Rochester Hills, Mich./Avondale) found a wide-open Cory Goble (Davison, Mich.), who took it in from 35 yards out to make the score 9-6 at halftime.  It was Goble's first career touchdown.  Tiffin held a hugged advantage in time of possession in the first half (23:03-6:57), but Northwood cut into the TU yardage advantage – the Dragons held a 182-155 edge at the break.

The Timberwolves kept the momentum going right away in the third quarter.  Northwood went 79 yards on 13 plays to open the third quarter, capped by a Jordan Jonker (Hudsonville, Mich.) two-yard run to make the score 16-9.  That touchdown proved to be the lone score of the third quarter.

Just over five minutes into the fourth quarter, Northwood made it a two possession game thanks to Haggarty's 19-yard field goal, making the score 19-9.  The Timberwolves then put the game away on a 43-yard touchdown from Robinson to Devonta Elzy (Chicago, Ill./Simeon).  Northwood took a safety on the final play of the game to make the final score 26-11.

For the game, Tiffin finished with a 358-337 advantage in total yards, but that was only after Northwood took 36 yards of losses on the final drive killing the clock.  The Timberwolves finished the game with 254 yards passing and 83 yards rushing.  NU's defense came up with some big plays, finishing the game with a season-high nine sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

Robinson finished the game with 245 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Northwood offense.  Elzy led (70 yards, one touchdown) four receivers with over 40 yards receiving.  Mike Mann (Brentwood, Calif./Freedom) had three tackles and 2.5 sacks to lead the Northwood defense.

Northwood travels to Wayne State next Saturday (October 5).  Game time is set for Noon. 

HIGHLIGHTS

MIDLAND DAILY NEWS

Week 3 - @ Quincy University

Football Earns 42-39 Win At Quincy

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The Northwood University football team earned their first win of the season Saturday after a 42-39 victory over Quincy Saturday afternoon (September 21).

The game was a non-conference contest for the Timberwolves. Northwood improves to 1-2 overall.  Quincy falls to 0-3 with the loss.

Northwood was the better team in the first quarter, going up 14-0 after one on a pair of Glenn Winston (Detroit, Mich./Denby Tech) one-yard touchdown runs. Northwood out-gained Quincy 166-43 in the opening 15 minutes.

Quincy got on the board with 8:14 remaining in the half, but the Timberwolves responded on the following drive on Winston's third touchdown of the day.  His seven-yard run put the Timberwolves up  21-6.  The Hawks scored the final points of the half in the final minute, sending the game to the break with Northwood leading 21-12.  NU held a 264-193 edge in yards in the opening 30 minutes.

Northwood got off to a great start in the second half.  Winston scored his fourth TD of the day to cap a 94 yard drive and make the score 28-12.  After a stop on defense, Bryan Thomas (Pompano Beach, Fla.) took a punt back 80-yard for a touchdown to put Northwood up 35-12.  Quincy then fumbled the kickoff, which was immediately followed by Winston scoring his fifth touchdown of the day.  His eight-yard scoring run made the score 42-12.  During that stretch, Northwood scored two touchdowns in nine seconds and three in 2:20.

It appeared the Timberwolves were on their way to an easy victory at that point with a 30 point lead late in the third quarter.  But Quincy put together a big rally, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive drives while holding Northwood scoreless in that stretch.  In 14:55 minutes of game time, Quincy scored 27 straight points to cut the lead to 42-39.  The Hawks got the ball one time with a chance to drive for the win, but did not convert on fourth down.  NU then got the ball and drew a penalty on fourth down with less than two minutes to go.  That call gave Northwood a first down and allowed them to run out the clock and earn the win.

For the game, Quincy finished with a 521-433 advantage in total offense.  Northwood had 235 yards rushing and 198 yards passing in the contest.  The key to the win was converting extra points – Northwood went 6-6 while Quincy converted just 2-6 (one kick, one 2-pt conversion).

Winston finished the game with 154 yards rushing and a Northwood school record five rushing touchdowns.  Three other players in school history had registered four TD's in a game, the last being Antoine Ivy in 2006. Mitch Robinson (Rochester Hills, Mich./Avondale) had 172 yards passing while going 14-24 through the air.  He also added 49 yards rushing.  Carrington Thompson (Houston, Tex./Lamar) had 86 yard receiving as well. Mike Keith (Roseville, Mich./Warren De La Salle) led the Northwood defense with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

The Timberwolves will return home to host Tiffin Saturday (September 28). Game time is set for Noon. 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Preview

Week 2 - @ WALSH

Football Drops 25-14 Contest At Walsh

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The Northwood University football team dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 25-14 loss at Walsh Saturday afternoon (September 14).

The contest was the GLIAC opener for both teams.  Walsh improves to 1-1 on the season with the victory.

Walsh got off to a fast start in the game, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the opening 6:23 of the game to go up 14-0 early on. Northwood got on the board late in the first quarter.  Off a turnover created by the defense, Glenn Winston (Detroit, Mich./Denby Tech) found the end zone from one-yard out to make the score 13-7.  That would prove to be the final score of the opening half.  Northwood trailed by just six points despite Walsh holding big edges in 1st downs (21-11), plays (65-40), yards (313-153) and time of possession (19:08-10:52).

The Cavaliers took control of the game in the third quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to make the score 25-7.  Northwood got back within 11 at 25-14 with 3:32 to go thanks to a 14-yard TD pass from Mitch Robinson (Rochester Hills, Mich./Avondale) to Devonta Elzy (Chicago, Ill./Simeon).  NU then recovered an onside kick following the TD, but were unable to get any closer.

For the game, Walsh finished with a 500-400 advantage in offense.  The Timberwolves finished with 297 yards passing and 103 yards rushing.

Elzy finished with 113 yards and a touchdown in the game.  Winston added 83 yards rushing and a TD. Carlos Love (Romulus, Mich./Gibraltar Carlson) led the defense with nine tackles and a pair of pass breakups.

Northwood will travel to Quincy for a non-conference contest next Saturday (September 21). Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time. 

MIDLAND Daily News

video highlights (click here)

GAME PREVIEW

Week 1

Football Drops Season Opener 51-36 to Slippery Rock

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The Northwood University football team opened its 2013 season with a 51-36 loss to Slippery Rock Saturday afternoon (September 7).

The non-conference contest was also the opener for Slippery Rock.

Both offenses were strong throughout the game and got thing going right away.  Slippery Rock had a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead 15 seconds into the game.  But Northwood responded right away, going 79 yards in 10 plays.  The drive was capped on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Robinson (Rochester Hills, Mich./Avondale) to Cameron Jackson (Dahlonega, Ga. /Lumpkin) on 4^th and 19 to tie the contest at seven. The Rock then went up 14-7 later in the quarter, only to have Jackson pull Northwood even at with SRU at 14 on a four yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter.

The Rock went back on top with a touchdown early in the second quarter to go up 20-14.  The Timberwolves cut into the lead with an Alex Faust (Midland, Mich./Dow) 36-yard field goal to cap a 21 yard drive and make score 20-17.  Slippery Rock scored the final 10 points of the half to take a 30-17 lead to the locker room.  The Rock finished the half with 444 yards on 57 plays, while Northwood had 239 yards on 48 plays at the break.

Northwood came out strong in the second half, scoring the first two touchdowns of the half.  Glenn Winston (Detroit, Mich./Denby Tech) to Northwood within seven on a one-yard run to cap a 44 yard drive.  The Timberwolves then tied the game just over four minutes later on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Robinson to Carrington Thompson (Houston, Texas/Lamar) to make the score 30-30.

Slippery Rock took the game over at that point, however, scoring 21 straight points. The key point of the game was a pair of TD's for the Rock in 15 seconds.  After SRU scored on a two-yard run, the Rock then picked off a pass and returned it for a TD on the next play from scrimmage to make the score 51-30.  Northwood rounded out the scoring with a Robinson to Theron Wilson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Skyline) 17-yard touchdown pass.

For the game, Slippery Rock racked up 110 plays on offense, totaling 675 yards.  Northwood finished with 452 yards of offense on 80 plays.  NU had 362 yard passing and 90 yards rushing.

Robinson led the Northwood offense, finishing the day 23 of 44 through the air for 362 yards and three touchdowns.  He is the first Northwood quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards since Sleepie Tollie October 24, 1998.  Robinson threw passes to nine different receivers, led by Thompson with 104 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

MIDLAND DAILY NEWS (click here)