MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Tiffin University football team will look to bounce back on Saturday evening with a showdown in the Superior Dome against Northern Michigan University on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Dragons opened the season in heartbreaking fashion, falling 41-38 at receiving-votes Carson-Newman after the Eagles connected on a game-winning 42-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining.
 
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Last Time Out: Despite the Week 0 set setback, the Dragons controlled much of the contest, leading by as many as 17 points and outgaining Carson-Newman 442-288 while racking up 292 rushing yards.
 
Fifth year running back Ronald Blackman powered the ground game with 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries while surpassing 3,000 career rushing yards. Tiffin produced five rushing touchdowns on the night, including scoring runs from Blackman, Johntu Reed, Kyle Antoine, and Cane Mack. Blackman was named G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week for his opening week performance.
 
Defensively, Lennox Williams provided an early spark in the second half by forcing a fumble that led directly to a Dragons touchdown. Tiffin held Carson-Newman to just 81 passing yards and forced the Eagles to repeatedly earn points on short-field opportunities before the hosts completed their comeback in the final minutes.
 
Scoring on the Ground: Tiffin accounted for five rushing touchdowns in its season opener, with Ronald Blackman scoring twice and Johntu Reed, Kyle Antoine, and Cane Mack adding one rushing touchdown each. The Dragons' five rushing scores were their highest total in a game since the 2025 season finale against Lake Erie, when they also rushed for five touchdowns.
 
Around the G-MAC: Five Great Midwest Athletic Conference programs opened the 2026 season during Week 0, with the league posting a 2-3 overall record. Ohio Dominican highlighted the opening weekend by earning a dramatic 42-40 triple-overtime road victory over FCS opponent Morehead State, while Walsh picked up a 30-27 road win over West Liberty.
 
Following a weather delay of more than 90 minutes prior to kickoff on Thursday (Sept. 3) night, the No. 12 ranked Ashland University football team lost 34-24 to No. 22 IUP in the 2026 season opener for both teams. The Eagles made it a seven point game with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter but IUP hit a late field goal to seal the win.
 
No. 15 Findlay opens its season on this upcoming Saturday with a nationally ranked showdown against No. 9 University of Indianapolis. It is the second-consecutive season that the Oilers have opened with UIndy, defeating the 17th-ranked Hounds last year in Findlay to begin the year.
 

 
Road Warriors: Northern Michigan marks Tiffin's second consecutive road contest to open the 2026 season. The Dragons opened the year with a trip to Tennessee to face Carson-Newman before traveling to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for Saturday's matchup with the Wildcats. The series is tied a three wins apiece as NMU has dropped the last two matchups in 2016 and 2017 but is undefeated at home against the Dragons with a 2-0 record. In their two home matchups in 2009 and 2011, NMU beat Tiffin 62-0 and 59-3. This will be the first time NMU and Tiffin meet as non-conference opponents.
 
Scouting the Wildcats: Northern Michigan enters Saturday's matchup looking to bounce back from a 41-19 season-opening loss to Minnesota State Moorhead. Despite the final score, the Wildcats showed offensive potential throughout the contest, finishing with 272 passing yards and 352 total yards while generating 20 first downs.
 
The Wildcats featured a two-quarterback system in Week 0, led by Liam Oczkowski, who completed 18-of-29 passes for 216 yards. Northern Michigan leaned heavily on the passing game, with Isaac Olson leading the receiving corps with five catches for 91 yards while freshman Wilson Ptacek added 61 receiving yards. On the ground, running back Noah Dobert remains the focal point of the offense after rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown in the opener. D
 
Defensively, Northern Michigan was able to generate pressure through Daniel Simon and Damarcus Chappell, while the special teams unit also contributed a blocked punt and a third-quarter safety. Logan McGraw finished with a team-high seven tackles, including five solo efforts with Jax Hertel also adding five.