Davenport did not move in the national polls this week after the 37-27 road win against Saginaw Valley State last Saturday to open GLIAC play. The Panthers are No. 11 in the AFCA and No. 14 in D2Football.com after a 5-0 start for the third time in the last five years. The 2022 and 2023 teams both started the season at 8-0. The Panthers have tasted success on homecoming over the years going 8-1. DU has faced NMU three times for homecoming; 2023 winning 28-12, in 2021 winning 18-13, and in 2018 winning 31-30 in OT.

The Panthers had a convincing 10-point road win against the Cardinals and the score was much closer than it should have been after a couple of interceptions in the second half. Davenport rolled up a season-high 547 yards including 366 on the ground. SVSU managed just 36 rushing yards and turned it over three times while going 3-of-9 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down. DU racked up five sacks and are currently leading the GLIAC and fourth in Division II with 3.6 per game. Five different players got to the quarterback and Latrell Scott was one of them. He had a four-yard sack, three tackles for loss, and 10 total tackles to lead the charge. Cephus Harris has become a bona fide Harlon Hill candidate after a school-record 35 carries and 265 yards with three touchdowns. Jonathan Palmer completed 16-of-21 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He had the second-best completion percentage game in DU history. Palmer also hurt the Cards with his legs rushing for 96 yards on 16 carries. Harris and Palmer combined for 361 of DU's 366 rushing yards, accounting for 98.6 percent of the output. Henry Cason and Brody Thompson caught a TD pass. It was the first of Thompson's career as a Panther. Davenport finished the game with 29 first downs and went 8-of-14 on third down, while going 4-of-4 in the red zone with three touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, Davenport possessed the ball for 11:58 and ran 23 offensive plays to SVSU's nine. DU rushed for 132 yards in the quarter to weather the storm after SVSU scored three consecutive touchdowns after being down 37-7 with 4:26 left in the third quarter.

Northern Michigan has been held to seven points or less in three of their five games this season. Northern Michigan ranks 155th of 159 Division II schools averaging 9.4 points per game. DU picked up the 42-7 win on Sept. 19 and after a bye week, the Wildcats dropped a 42-0 decision at home against No. 1 Ferris State to open GLIAC play last Saturday. The Bulldogs recorded 29 first downs compared to 10 for Northern Michigan. FSU outgained NMU, 508-176, with a 243-113 edge in the running game. NMU won the turnover battle with two interceptions and lost a fumble. Jax Hertel recorded an interception and tied for the team lead with seven tackles. Carter Schmitt had the other pick and recorded six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Noah Dobert, the reigning GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year, rushed for 1,656 yards in 2025, and is averaging 103.2 yards per game this season with two scores.

You only need to go back a few weeks for the last installment in the all-time series, which Davenport leads 9-3. The teams played a non-conference affair in the Superior Dome on Sept. 19 and DU walked away with the 42-7 victory. It was the largest margin of victory in the all-time series. DU has won seven of the last eight meetings, but did fall 47-45 in four overtimes in Caledonia last year on Nov. 8. The Panthers recorded seven sacks on Sept. 19 and limited the Wildcats to 210 total yards. The Panthers ran for 247 yards and three touchdowns as Cephus Harris gained 143 yards on 18 carries and had two touchdowns on the ground and one in the air. He was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after his efforts. Jonathan Palmer completed 7-of-11 passes for 129 yards and two scores. He found Henry Cason on a 43-yard strike to end the first quarter and then Harris hauled in a 23-yarder late in the third quarter. B.J. Windham recorded his first career interception and returned it 29 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. James Young got his first career action at quarterback and scored on a two-yard run with 52 seconds to play. Jalen Gaskin finished with three tackles and a team-high two sacks. Zack Pappadakis led the team with 10 tackles. Jaxson Engelberg recorded five tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss of 13 yards.

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