Huskies football returns to Kearly Stadium for Homecoming
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HOUGHTON -- For one half Saturday, the Michigan Tech Huskies football team looked like the No. 20-ranked team in the nation, taking a 20-17 lead into halftime on the road against No. 24 Emporia State. However, 30 minutes of game time later, the Huskies were left scratching their heads after giving up 17 straight points in a 34-20 loss to the Hornets.
With the loss, the Huskies fell to 2-1 on the season.
"Obviously, not the result we were looking for going down there," Huskies coach Dan Mettlach said. "Felt like our guys had a good week of prep. The way we traveled, where they were at mentally in a very good spot, it was a tale of two halves, to be honest.
"I felt like we played well in the first half, did some things even after (wide receiver Nic) Nora was out offensively, where we were moving the football, and then finished drives in the first half. But, (we) went in at halftime, and then couldn’t sustain anything offensively in the second half. Then, obviously, they get the two drives to go up two scores. That was the end."
The Huskies played without junior wide receiver Bryce Kurncz, and then lost Nora early in the game, but even then, Mettlach felt as though the Huskies were still in a reasonable position. He did point out that the Huskies are still making a number of little mistakes, which proved costly Saturday.
"I don’t think it was anything that weren’t expecting that went wrong," said Mettlach. "Some of the stuff that I’ve talked about here in the last two weeks after wins, that we need to get cleaned up on both sides of the football, came back to bite us down there."
With that in mind, Mettlach was quick to point out that the issues aren't on the players, but rather on himself and his staff for not preparing the team better.
"It’s from the coaches all the way down to the players, emphasizing those fundamentals, and communication pieces that we just need to get better at," he said, "that we knew were issues. Finally, it came back to get us. But, our guys played hard. I don’t think that the weather or travel got to us in any sense from that standpoint. It just came down to the second half. Their guys executed and we didn’t. We just need to do better as a team from that standpoint."
The Huskies gave up points again in the second half that did not help themselves, unlike what happened often in 2025, where the defense would shut opponents down. Mettlach does not feel that the Huskies are struggling defensively, per se, but rather struggling offensively to get started quicker in games.
"What happened a year ago to this year, it’s two completely different teams," he said. "That part is not concerning to me. As a whole, whether it be giving up points from the defensive side, starting as slow as we have in three games on the offensive side, coming out of the locker room, those are always concerning. (There are) things that need to get fixed, but they’re fixable things. So, again, this third week in a row I’ve talked about those things that need to get corrected, and it did not last week."
Sophomore quarterback Elliott Larner is a great example of what Mettlach is referring to. He went 8-of-28 through the air for just 75 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On the ground, he seemed much more comfortable, rushing 16 times for 98 yards.
"Kind of tale of two different deals there in one game," said Mettlach. "He was dynamic with the ball in his hands. There were plenty of plays that were made on Saturday when he was running the football, whether it be in the pass game or in the run game, that his number wasn’t even called on, and he’s making plays out of nothing. So, a big part of our success in the first half on the ground, in the air, had to do with him. At the same time, you look at the numbers after the game, and he’d be the first one to tell you that going 8-for-28 is not a great game.
"I had him charted for about five, six throws out of those 28 where it’s on him. We have to be able to make those throws, whether it be in the quick game, or whatever we're doing. The pick that he threw needs to get thrown away. Again, that’s something that we’ve talked about here in the last two weeks as well. He wants to make a play so bad, which is great, because a lot of times he is making a play. At the same time, you have to know when to burn it and be able to punt the football away as well."
Scouting the Peacocks
The Upper Iowa Peacocks come into this weekend 1-1 on the season having lost on Saturday, Sept. 5, to Missouri Southern, 21-19.
Senior quarterback Zamar Wise leads the offense. He is 23-of-44 through the air for 323 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he is also dynamic, running 33 times for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
Through the air, freshman LJ Nyenow Jr. is quickly emerging as Wise's favorite target. He has eight catches for 143 yards and one touchdown.
Game time
The Huskies and Peacocks are set to play Saturday during Homecoming. Opening kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Kearly Stadium in Houghton.