UMAC Football Shines in Minnesota
Saw the University of Northwestern play football in Roseville
Took a drive over to the University of Northwestern in Roseville the other night to watch some college football. Haven’t seen a game in ages and was overdue for some live gridiron in front of me and it didn’t disappoint.
My son Derrick and I didn’t pick Northwestern out of a phone book for our first college game in a while. One of my (MANY) other sons, Gaelan, goes to Northwestern, so it seemed like a good place to start.
We chose well because I had no idea this was for the top spot in the UMAC, which is the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Minnesota-Morris came in at 4-0 and the Eagles were 3-0 on the season. And what a run for the Eagles. The first four games were losses, three of which came by significant scores. After Saturday’s game, they’ve won four straight and are unbeaten in the conference at 4-0, while the Morris Cougars are a half-game back at 4-1.
The Eagles won 31-24 in a game that went down to the wire in the fourth quarter. And it was a tight matchup throughout the night. The Eagles finished with 69 plays for 322 total yards while the Cougars ran 63 plays for 308 total yards.
Northwestern running back Jeremiah Staten led the attack with 26 carries for 124 yards and two TDs while averaging 4.7 yards a carry. Quarterback Caden Cantrell completed 15 of 26 passes with two TDs and two picks.
Minnesota-Morris quarterback Marcus Reeb was impressive, only missing on seven pass attempts all night and finishing 21 of 28 for 162 yards, one TD, and one pick. Keyton Johnson was the top runner, carrying the ball 19 times for 83 yards and one TD while averaging 4.3 yards a carry.
If you’ve never been to small college football, you’ll be surprised. Highly recommend you check out some of the smaller colleges in your area. Great atmosphere and a lot of fun!