Claiming the sixteenth straight Miner’s Cup for Michigan Tech
On Nov. 17, Michigan Tech defeated Northern Michigan with a score of 56-33 on Saturday at Kearly Stadium, winning the Miner’s Cup for the sixteenth year straight and remaining undefeated in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Michigan Tech took an early 21-6 lead on a six-yard run by Jake Rueff, a 64-yard touchdown pass from Alex Bueno to Abram Larner, and a 58-yard run by Elliott Larner.
As the first half came to an end, Northern had brought the score to 28-12 with only 14 seconds left. Bueno connected with Abram Larner, who lateralled the ball to Bryce Kurncz for a touchdown, giving Michigan Tech a stronger lead of 35-12. Head Coach Dan Mettlach said in a postgame interview that the lateral was not something they practiced; praising his players for their improvisation, Mettlach said, “They just made a play when it was live.”
Despite the result, Northern Michigan managed to outgain Tech 553-492 and had 29 first downs while the Huskies had 18. Freshman Quarterback Matt Stevens threw for 319 yards and a touchdown while adding 68 rushing yards and another score. Northern scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, cutting Tech’s lead to 49-33 with 1:38 remaining. “We gave up way too many third downs and didn’t tackle well,” Mettlach said, commenting on his team’s performance in the final quarter.
Bueno finished 10-13 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Abram Larner had eight receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns, while Elliott Larner rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns.
The matchup was Northern Michigan’s first Miner’s Cup game under Head Coach Matt Janus. Before the game, Janus acknowledged the significance of the Michigan Tech-Northern Michigan rivalry: “There’s a tremendous amount of pride on both sides, and I think it is what makes the rivalry so special,” Janus said. Michigan Tech will travel to face Ferris State, the number one ranked team in NCAA Division II football, on Oct. 24.
