MARQUETTE, Mich. — Half a yard was all that separated
Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan today in the teams' annual
battle for the Miner's Cup. Steve Short's quarterback draw on
fourth down with 23 seconds remaining in the game came 18 inches
short of the goalline, giving the host Wildcats a 34-27 victory at
the Superior Dome.
The Huskies, led by an 86-yard fourth quarter by freshman Phil
Milbrath, nearly overcame a 20-point deficit with 13 minutes to
play. Milbrath capped an 11-play, 66-yard drive with a one-yard
touchdown run at the 13:00 mark. Tech's defense forced a
three-and-out possession by the Wildcats. That set up the offense
at the 30 yardline. Short then engineered another scoring drive
with the help of an acrobatic, 26-yard grab by Kirk Williams.
Milbrath finished off the series with a 15-yard run right up the
middle to close the gap to 34-27.
With less than six minutes remaining and NMU up by seven,
Demontrail Williamson breathed life into the Huskies by crushing
running back Mark Bossuah for a two yard loss on a third-and-two
play. The Wildcat punt went for a touchback, and the Huskies'
offense set up with 4:33 to play and three timeouts.
A 19-yard pass from Short to Williams on the first play kept the
momentum rolling in Tech's favor. That would be the last pass of
the game. The Huskies rushed 11 straight times, with Milbrath
getting seven of those carries for 32 yards.
Short's 18-yard scramble set up Michigan Tech with a first-and-goal
at the two-yard line. Milbrath and Billy Koenig both tested the
middle of the line and gained a yard. Milbrath's third-down carry
was stopped for a three yard loss, and after timeouts from both
teams, Short's draw from a shotgun formation was stopped shy of the
endzone.
"Northern Michigan plays very well in this dome," said Michigan
Tech head coach Tom Kearly. "They made key plays, and we just
didn't execute our game plan like we wanted."
Turnovers plagued the Huskies as they have in each of their other
losses this season. The Black and Gold were minus four in turnover
margin with three interceptions and a fumble.
Tech led in total yards (510-348), rushing yards (239-119), and
passing yards (271-229) in the game. Milbrath rushed for 128 yards
and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Short finished 17-of-27 for 271
yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions. Keith White
was his favorite target with eight receptions for 124 yards and a
score.
The game opened as a defensive battle with a scoreless first
quarter. Milbrath scored just three seconds into the second,
breaking open the floodgate for 34 combined points in the frame.
NMU then scored 17 straight points, the last of which was a 35-yard
pass from Buddy Rivera to Luke Carlson at the 1:10 mark of the
quarter.
After the kickoff, Short completed three straight passes to go 61
yards for a touchdown in just 20 seconds. That left enough time for
the Wildcats to knock home a 49-yard field goal for a 20-14 lead at
halftime.
The hosts tallied touchdowns on each of their first two possessions
of the third quarter to expand the margin to 34-14 before Tech
mounted its comeback.
The inside linebacking duo of Sean Spellman and John Vanderlaan
were Michigan Tech's leading tacklers with 12 and 10 tackles
apiece. Cheyne Nelson had seven tackles with 2.0 sacks.
Michigan Tech (4-5 overall and 4-4 GLIAC) has two games remaining
on its 2007 schedule, and they are both at home starting next
Saturday (Oct. 27) vs. Gannon. Opening kickoff at Sherman Field is
set for 1 p.m.
Notes: Despite today's loss, Michigan Tech is 5-2 in the last seven
meetings vs. Northern Michigan ... The Wildcats earned just their
second win in six Miner's Cup games all-time ... The 100-yard game
for Milbrath was the second of his career, with the other coming at
Wayne State on Sept. 1 (he had 118 yards).
