This story was written by NMU Sports Information. Click the AUDIO button to hear RRN's interview with Coach Billy Lindquist.
MARQUETTE, Mich. — The legend of Noah Dobert grew even larger Saturday afternoon inside the Superior Dome, and it may be years, if ever, before Northern Michigan sees anything like it again.
In a performance that felt surreal, the redshirt freshman shattered records, broke tackle after tackle, and bulldozed his way into the NMU history books with a 406-yard rushing masterpiece, powering the Wildcats to a 45-11 season-ending victory over Wayne State.
Dobert's day was more than dominant, it was historic. He broke NMU's single-game rushing record, smashing the previous mark of 317 set by Mark Bossuah in 2007. And with it, he also toppled two more major benchmarks: the program's single-season rushing record (1,656 yards) and rushing touchdowns in a season (15), both formerly held by Jake Mayon's standout 2018 campaign.
And he did it with thunderous, breakaway, highlight-reel style. Dobert ripped touchdown runs of 56, 52, 64 and 72 yards, each more electrifying than the last, finishing with 32 carries and an absurd 12.7 yards per attempt.
Dobert now owns the best single-game rushing performance in Division II this season and a top-5 mark in DII history. He finished just 19 yards shy of the all-time NCAA Division II record of 425, set in 2018 by South Dakota Mines' Connor Silveria.
His performance also pushed NMU to a new single-season team rushing record (3,123 yards), crushing the mark of 2,660 set in 2018. For a team that powered through ups and downs this season, the ending was emphatic: 92 points in two weeks and back-to-back victories under interim head coach Billy Lindquist.
"So proud of the team!" said Lindquist following the win. "It was a great team win! We compliment each other really well! Just so happy for the team. It was a such a great way to send the seniors off!"
Northern finished with 488 yards of total offense, with 466 of them on the ground. The Wildcats ran the ball 60 times and completed just one pass: a 22-yard touchdown from Trevor Theuerkauf to Sebastian Boyea. Noah Hofmann added NMU's other score, a 2-yard plunge in the first half.
Wayne State, meanwhile, never found its footing. NMU held the Warriors to 171 yards on 58 plays, less than half the yards that Dobert produced by himself.
The defense was relentless and had a premiere outing to close the season, punctuated by Jeremiah Gossett's two interceptions and a 12-tackle performance from Jax Hertel. Jake Price and Eli VanBuren each recorded a sack.
