Northern Michigan football annual spring football game offense get the win over the defense 57-45

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The Northern Michigan Wildcats took to the gridiron on Saturday for their annual spring game. The team has been working hard and head coach Shane Richardson said the goal is to put the team in a position where they can do their best for the entire game.

“Football is a game of four quarters. You have to be able to play every play for the longevity of the game, the best you can. If you have 11 guys that are doing that, that’s what really helps you be put into a situation where you have success,” said Richardson.

Richardson added during the scrimmage he was pleased with what he saw on both sides of the ball.

“I think the defense probably wore down just a little bit over the course of the game, and you could kind of see, as the offense ending up winning, but defense had a lot of really good things that they did. I thought there was some good tackling, guys I think were knowing their job and responsibilities for the most part, so it was great to see,” said Richardson.

Getting to know your position isn’t easy and takes hard work, long days and sometimes early mornings, but Richardson says the team has been on top when it comes to being on time even if it is before the sun rises.

“Honestly our players have been fantastic about getting up early‚ showing up on time, and there is not a ton of tired eyes in the building when we are starting that early and I’ve been very pleased to see that, very of them for that,” said Richardson. “You have to do some things to where you need to makeshift some energy, get some good fun drills going for them. You need to make sure you have good messages that are going to invigorate some enthusiasm.”

Morning, noon, or night the Wildcats are working not only on themselves or the team as a whole but the culture and expectations of a Northern Michigan Wildcat so that when they step on the field come September, they find themselves in the endzone and the winning side of the scoreboard.