NMU Football played annual Spring Game
By Northern Michigan |
Posted: Sat 10:55 PM, Apr 08, 2017
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The offense topped the defense, 39-15, at the Northern Michigan spring football game, held Saturday at the Superior Dome.
The offense roared out to a 22-2 lead in the first quarter, finding the end zone on two of its first three drives. Jake Mayon rushed for the game's first score while Jaranta Lewis found Ryan Knight with a short pass for its second.
The defense began to take control of the game in the second quarter, forcing four-straight three and outs. Entering the final frame, the defense had narrowed the offense's edge to 29-12.
On its 12th drive of the game, the offense broke through for its third touchdown. After Andrew Kroll (Andy Kroll's kid) connected with Devontae Stine for a long gain, Aaron Harris capped the scoring drive with a short rushing score.
Jalen Brooks, Kainon Clark, La'Ryan Johnson, Troy Mayon and Logan McHone each had a tackle for a loss during the game.
“Their job is to play so hard and well that they shut me up that I don’t have to yell.” — Kyle Nystrom, NMU head football coach,
on ——————
MARQUETTE — Now that the Northern Michigan University football Wildcats have wrapped up their spring practice schedule under first year head coach Kyle Nystrom, they now turn their attention to the spring game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Superior Dome.
“We’ve put in a lot of work for 14 mornings in four weeks and are ready to show the improvements we’ve made,” Nystrom said.
Saturday’s game will be a light scrimmage of offense against the defense, with a point system in place. The quarters will be roughly 10 to 12 running minutes with punt returns that will only have fair catches instead of a live rush.
“One of the main goals in spring is to get through it without critical injury or sending anyone to surgery,” Nystrom said. “We haven’t gotten anyone hurt yet and we need to keep it like that.
“We’re going to cut back the time for everyone a bit, but we will keep it a live scrimmage. We want to keep everyone in the rotation at every position.”
As the off-season progresses, Nystrom and his staff are continuing to search for pieces for the roster through transfers and further recruiting before hitting the field this fall.
Over the past four weeks, the players in place have begun learning the new schemes and system Nystrom’s staff is bringing to NMU, and while much of the change is sticking, Nystrom said there’s still a lot of room for growth.
“I wish the tempo was a little crisper and quicker with execution,” Nystrom said. “There’s more to find for this team. A lot of it is from moving guys a lot during spring to find places they fit best based on skill set.
“Some guys started at one position and were moved two or three times, which makes them change techniques and assignments.”
The depth chart is thin in the defensive backfield, but Nystrom said the defensive linemen and linebackers are deeper positions for the Wildcats.
Much will change with NMU’s offense this season after graduating a number of key players last season.
“The offense has changed the dynamics of their mentality and function scheme-wise,” Nystrom said. “We were a read gap scheme team in the past, now we’re pushing them into a different philosophy.
“We’re keeping on them and telling them this is the future and how we’re going to live, so this is the time for them to define themselves. They’re transitioned into things and take pride in doing it.”
Nystrom added the quarterback position is still a question mark, while the running backs are coming into form but needs “real game action.”
As for the wide receivers, Nystrom said there’s continuous room for improvement, with guys dropping balls and not always running the proper routes in spring.
“We get a little lackadaisical,” Nystrom said. “It’s almost a mental training and focus demand that we need to get our players used to, and it’s on us as coaches to not let them drift.
“Their job is to play so hard and well that they shut me up that I don’t have to yell. We have a long way to go and every day is a grind, but that’s OK.”
The players get their opportunity this weekend to show their coaches and fans how far they’ve come through their first 14 practices in the program’s new era.
Nystrom said it’s an important step toward building the culture that will make them successful in the future.
“We know what we want from our players and they need to live up to that and live how we want to on Saturday, and hopefully the fans embrace it,” Nystrom said.
“As a football program, we need to give our community something to be happy and proud about. I can’t tell you exactly what that is, but it has to be something positive.”
Ray Bressette can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is rbressette@miningjournal.net.
The offense roared out to a 22-2 lead in the first quarter, finding the end zone on two of its first three drives. Jake Mayon rushed for the game's first score while Jaranta Lewis found Ryan Knight with a short pass for its second.
The defense began to take control of the game in the second quarter, forcing four-straight three and outs. Entering the final frame, the defense had narrowed the offense's edge to 29-12.
On its 12th drive of the game, the offense broke through for its third touchdown. After Andrew Kroll (Andy Kroll's kid) connected with Devontae Stine for a long gain, Aaron Harris capped the scoring drive with a short rushing score.
Jalen Brooks, Kainon Clark, La'Ryan Johnson, Troy Mayon and Logan McHone each had a tackle for a loss during the game.
Spring unveiling: Northern Michigan University spring football game to show changes under new head coach Kyle Nystrom
Northern Michigan University football players jog along the sideline warming up for a practice session held on March 22. The team will play its annual spring intrasquad game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)
“Their job is to play so hard and well that they shut me up that I don’t have to yell.” — Kyle Nystrom, NMU head football coach,
- Kyle Nystrom
MARQUETTE — Now that the Northern Michigan University football Wildcats have wrapped up their spring practice schedule under first year head coach Kyle Nystrom, they now turn their attention to the spring game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Superior Dome.
“We’ve put in a lot of work for 14 mornings in four weeks and are ready to show the improvements we’ve made,” Nystrom said.
Saturday’s game will be a light scrimmage of offense against the defense, with a point system in place. The quarters will be roughly 10 to 12 running minutes with punt returns that will only have fair catches instead of a live rush.
Kyle Nystrom
Nystrom said it’s important to get everyone through the game without taking a toll on the depth chart for the regular season. “One of the main goals in spring is to get through it without critical injury or sending anyone to surgery,” Nystrom said. “We haven’t gotten anyone hurt yet and we need to keep it like that.
“We’re going to cut back the time for everyone a bit, but we will keep it a live scrimmage. We want to keep everyone in the rotation at every position.”
As the off-season progresses, Nystrom and his staff are continuing to search for pieces for the roster through transfers and further recruiting before hitting the field this fall.
Over the past four weeks, the players in place have begun learning the new schemes and system Nystrom’s staff is bringing to NMU, and while much of the change is sticking, Nystrom said there’s still a lot of room for growth.
“I wish the tempo was a little crisper and quicker with execution,” Nystrom said. “There’s more to find for this team. A lot of it is from moving guys a lot during spring to find places they fit best based on skill set.
“Some guys started at one position and were moved two or three times, which makes them change techniques and assignments.”
The depth chart is thin in the defensive backfield, but Nystrom said the defensive linemen and linebackers are deeper positions for the Wildcats.
Much will change with NMU’s offense this season after graduating a number of key players last season.
“The offense has changed the dynamics of their mentality and function scheme-wise,” Nystrom said. “We were a read gap scheme team in the past, now we’re pushing them into a different philosophy.
“We’re keeping on them and telling them this is the future and how we’re going to live, so this is the time for them to define themselves. They’re transitioned into things and take pride in doing it.”
Nystrom added the quarterback position is still a question mark, while the running backs are coming into form but needs “real game action.”
As for the wide receivers, Nystrom said there’s continuous room for improvement, with guys dropping balls and not always running the proper routes in spring.
“We get a little lackadaisical,” Nystrom said. “It’s almost a mental training and focus demand that we need to get our players used to, and it’s on us as coaches to not let them drift.
“Their job is to play so hard and well that they shut me up that I don’t have to yell. We have a long way to go and every day is a grind, but that’s OK.”
The players get their opportunity this weekend to show their coaches and fans how far they’ve come through their first 14 practices in the program’s new era.
Nystrom said it’s an important step toward building the culture that will make them successful in the future.
“We know what we want from our players and they need to live up to that and live how we want to on Saturday, and hopefully the fans embrace it,” Nystrom said.
“As a football program, we need to give our community something to be happy and proud about. I can’t tell you exactly what that is, but it has to be something positive.”
Ray Bressette can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is rbressette@miningjournal.net.
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