Week 2 of the 2024 GLIAC football season will feature all eight teams in action for the first time.
Conference newcomer Roosevelt will make its debut under the GLIAC banner on Saturday when it hosts No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater (Division III) at 2 p.m. ET. The Lakers play their home games at Morris Field in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. The Warhawks are 1-0 after opening the season with a 34-7 victory over No. 19 John Carroll. Roosevelt posted a 6-4 record versus NAIA competition in 2023.
Roosevelt Notes:
SETTING THE SCENE:
The Roosevelt Lakers kick off their inaugural NCAA Division II season with a home date against Division III No. 3 UW-Whitewater at Morris Field. This will be just the second game against an NCAA school for the Lakers since football arrived at Roosevelt in 2020 with the school’s merger with Robert Morris (Ill.). Roosevelt has won three of its four season-openers since the merger and the program has won four of its past five season openers as well as four of its last five home openers.
SERIES HISTORY:
This is the first meeting of all-time between Roosevelt and UW-Whitewater. The Lakers program is 2-0 all-time against WIAC schools having beaten UW-Oshkosh in 2014 and 2015 under the Robert Morris (Ill.) moniker.
SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS:
UW-Whitewater is a program that knows success and experience at the highest levels. The Warhawks went to nine national title games between 2005 and 2014, winning six championships under current Kansas head coach Lance Leipold. They most recently played for the title in 2019, falling to North Central (Ill.). They have appeared in every playoff since 2005, advancing to the quarterfinals in all but one of those seasons. The No. 3 Warhawks come to Morris Field fresh off a 34-7 win over John Carroll last week at home in their season opener. Tamir Thomas ran 14 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns while Brian Stanton rushed for one score on 10 carries and gained 123 yards.
Jason Ceniti completed just 14 of 25 throws for 153 yards and a touchdown to Nick Wind on the first play of the fourth quarter. Blake Haggerty caught five passes for 79 yards to lead UW-Whitewater in both categories and Wind finished with three catches for 51 yards.
On defense, the Warhawks allowed just 226 yards of offense against John Carroll, including a paltry 79 on the ground. They also forced two turnovers: Mike Gutoski forcing then recovering a fumble in the second quarter then Kamrin Hutt recording an interception in the fourth. Ethan Gallagher led the way with seven tackles on the day. Lucas Sadler had one of two sacks for the Warhawks while the other was split between Trey Castella and Jakob Simmons.
BUD-KEY:
Carson Budke was mostly unknown outside the Roosevelt locker room before he trotted out on the field on Sept. 16 against Madonna. The junior quarterback had thrown just three passes in the first two games of the season as the Lakers backup, but he earned the start in the third game of the season. Budke went on to throw for 232 yards and a program-best five touchdowns as the Lakers routed the Crusaders, setting the stage for a breakout season. The first-team all-conference quarterback finished with 222.4 passing yards per game in his eight starts while tossing 19 touchdowns, the most by a Roosevelt quarterback and most in the program since 2016.
Taking top billing nationally is the matchup between No. 3 Grand Valley State (1-0) and No. 22 Colorado State-Pueblo (2-0). A year ago, the Lakers defeated the ThunderWolves, 57-49, in double overtime in Allendale. GVSU opened 2024 with a 58-0 dismantling of Central State while CSU-Pueblo has notched wins over South Dakota Mines (35-6) and No. 21 Texas Permian Basin (40-23).
Grand Valley State Notes:
• #3 Grand Valley State will hit the road for a non-conference matchup at #22 Colorado State-Pueblo. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday (Sept. 14). CSU-Pueblo is 2-0, having won nine consecutive games, and coming off a 40-24 over #21 UT-Permian Basin. The Lakers are coming off a 58-0 victory over Central State in the 2024 season opener.
• The 58 points scored tied the program record for points scored in a season-opening game (58-16 at St. Joseph’s College in 1990) and the 58-point margin broke the previous record of 56 (56-0 vs. Minnesota Crookston in 2001) for margin of victory in a season-opening game.
• Last Meeting – The Lakers claimed a wild 57-49 double overtime victory in 2023. GVSU jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but the Thunderwolves stormed back. 28 points were scored in the final two minutes of the second quarter. CSU-Pueblo returned a blocked field with 2:40 left, followed by a Kyle Nott 27-yard TD reception with 2:04 left. CSUP scored on a quick drive and Kellen Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a TD. CSUP tied the game at 42-42 on the last play of regulation and took a 49- 42 lead in overtime. QB Alex Thole hit WR Cody Tierney with a 25-yard TD pass and RB Tariq Reid scored on a 25-yard run to give the Lakers a 57-49 lead. The GVSU defense was able to get a stop on CSUPueblo’s overtime possession to secure the win.
• Grand Valley State is 31-21 in road openers and 17-5 since 2001. GVSU is 8-1 all-time versus programs from the State of Colorado. 5-0 vs. Colorado State-Pueblo, 2-1 vs. Colorado School of Mines and 1-0 vs. Northern Colorado.
• GVSU has now been ranked in the top 10 of a national preseason poll 20 times since 2002 (23 polls), including 17 top five rankings and 13 top three rankings. Miguel Esparza (p-b-p) and Elio Benit
• GVSU is 33-19 versus ranked teams since 2009 and 222-38 versus all teams as a ranked team since 2001.
• Grand Valley State has been ranked in every AFCA Coaches’ poll since September 9, 2015, a span that has reached 99 consecutive weeks.
• Grand Valley State has won 10 or more games 19 times in the 52-year history of the program, including 17 times since 2001.
No. 7 Ferris State (1-1) is home for the second-straight week, hosting Ashland (0-1) in a key regional showdown at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs bounced back in a big way last week, downing Lake Erie, 56-3. The Eagles, which were selected to place second in the G-MAC preseason poll, opened the 2024 campaign with a 19-10 home loss to Indiana (Pa.).
Ferris State Notes:
This Week’s Action
The Ferris State University Bulldogs play host to the Ashland Eagles this Saturday (Sept. 14) night at FSU’s Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET). It is a blackout game with all fans encouraged to wear black for the game.
The Bulldogs are coming off a decisive 56-3 win over Lake Erie in the home opener this past week. The Bulldogs have made a nation-leading nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Playoffs entering the year, including back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. FSU finished the 2023 season with an 8-3 overall record.
The Matchup
Ashland enters the game at 0-1 on the year following a 19-10 home setback in the season opener to Indiana (Pa.). AU went 9-3 overall a season ago and finished with an 8-1 record in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. The Eagles were picked second in this year’s league preseason coaches poll and among teams receiving votes in the AFCA Division II Preseason national rankings.
National Rankings
Ferris State was a consensus #3 team nationally in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D2Football.com preseason national polls. This week, the Bulldogs currently sit seventh in the AFCA D2 poll along with eighth in the D2Football.com national rankings.
After winning at Thomas More, 24-17, in Week 1, Davenport (1-0) is on the road again, visiting Maryland for a 12 p.m. contest against Bowie State (0-1). The Panthers are looking to start 2-0 for the third-straight year.
Series History
Ashland holds a 16-14 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, but the Bulldogs have won 14 of the last 23 contests, including 10 of the last 16 to date. Last season, the Bulldogs rallied for a 38-28 win in Ohio after trailing 21-10 at halftime. In 2019, FSU pulled out a 28-13 road win over the Eagles in Ohio. The Bulldogs recorded a 28-21 home win over the Eagles in the 2018 D2 National Game of the Week in Big Rapids. However, in 2017, the Eagles beat FSU 20-3 in the D2 National Showcase in Ohio. Ashland also rallied for a 39-31 win over FSU in a battle of top 10 ranked teams in 2016 at FSU’s Top Taggart Field. Ferris State has won eight of the last nine matchups in Ashland, but the Eagles have emerged victorious in five of their last six visits to Top Taggart Field. The Eagles scored a 47-32 win over Ferris State in their trip to Big Rapids in 2012 (9/15), which came in the debut home game for Bulldog head coach Tony Annese.
Davenport Notes:
DU LOOKS TO BUILD OFF SEASON-OPENING WIN
● Davenport improved to 4-0 all time in season-opening road games last Saturday with a gritty 24-17 triumph at Thomas More. The Panthers won for the second straight year against the Saints and in both wins came out strong in the first quarter. The Panthers scored 14 first quarter points last Saturday and did the same thing in last year’s 31-17 win. DU outscored the Saints 28-0 in the opening quarter over the last two years. ● The team has tasted early season success during the month of September going 8-0 dating back to the 2022 season. ● The Panthers began the season with a two-quarterback rotation involving Mike O’Horo and D’Wan Mathis. The preseason camp showed that both players bring needed experience, and a different skill set to the position. O’Horo took the first snaps of the game and his first pass as a Panther turned into a 56-yard touchdown to fellow newcomer Kendall Williams who caught the ball near the line of scrimmage and raced down the home sideline. His second drive also found the end zone covering 48 yards in seven plays. The scoring play was Williams on a 24-yard rush over the left end for a 14-0 lead. Mathis saw his first action on the fourth drive coming at the end of the first quarter. Mathis finished with 23 rushing yards including a few key carries and the final drive to run out the clock. He also threw for 68 yards (5-of-8). O’Horo finished with a rushing touchdown in the third quarter and was 7-of-15 for 108 yards with a TD and INT. ● Head Coach Sparky McEwen has led the program to unprecedented heights over the last 22 games and hopes to continue to build the program in 2024. The Panthers are 17-5 during that span and have started 8-0 in 2022 and 2023. The only losses have come against nationally-ranked teams in Grand Valley State and Ferris State. In those five setbacks, the lowest ranking of the opponent was No. 7 coming against Ferris State in the regular season in 2022 and 2023.
D-E-F-E-N-S-E
● The Davenport defense limited the Saints to 102 rushing yards on 30 carries (3.4 per rush) and 175 passing yards with three interceptions. Christian Jones picked off two passes in a game for the first time in his 29-game career. In fact, he had just two interceptions in his career entering the contest with one in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The defense also limited the Saints to 2-of-11 on third downs. Geemontae Peck recorded a career-high nine tackles from his interior defensive line spot. His previous high of six tackles came back in 2022 against SVSU and Ferris State during the regular season contest. Newcomer Cameren Grodhaus (Lake Erie College) had a stellar debut for DU with seven tackles (five solo) and an interception in the second quarter which he returned for 29 yards to midfield.
SERIES HISTORY AND NOTES
● These two teams have one meeting under their belt and it was last year’s 24-19 win in Caledonia for the Panthers. Bowie State trailed 17-3 midway through the second quarter before the Bulldogs got within one touchdown with 4:40 left in the game. The Bulldogs recorded 32 first downs including 20 of those through the air. They attempted 61 passes compared to 27 for the Panthers. Bowie State threw for 363 yards, but DU did have four interceptions to neutralize any further damage. Davenport was able to have success on the ground with 178 rushing yards and 5.9 yards per rush. Caleef Jenkins and Myren Harris each had a two-yard touchdown run. Harris finished with 134 yards on 16 carries, while Jenkins toted the ball 11 times for 32 yards. Preston Smith hauled in four catches for 82 yards including a 65-yard touchdown to open the scoring on DU’s third offensive play of the contest.
Saginaw Valley State (1-0) will look to build off an impressive 38-14 road victory over Winona State in Week 1 when it meets local rival Northwood (1-0) in Midland in the annual Axe Bowl contest. The Cardinals have won five consecutive games in the series.
Saginaw Valley State Notes:
Kick-Off
The Saginaw Valley State University Football team completes its two-game road trip to start 2024 with the Axe Bowl against rival Northwood on Saturday.
The Cardinals were victorious in their season opener at Winona State, earning a 38-14 result in that contest. The Timberwolves also started the year 1-0 with a 28- 14 win at Gannon last Thursday night.
The Axe Bowl This is the 48th Axe Bowl (the playoff game in 2005 was not an “Axe Bowl” contest). SVSU leads the overall series 32-16-1, with a 31-16-1 mark coming in official Axe Bowl games.
The Cardinals have won the last five meetings with Northwood, and seven of the last 10 matchups.
During the Ryan Brady Era, SVSU has outscored the Timberwolves 152-64.
1ST-AND-10
• Saginaw Valley State defeated Northwood last season 31-8 to win its fifth straight Axe Bowl. The last loss in the series came at Northwood (35-21) in 2017.
• The Cardinals were chosen fourth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) preseason coaches poll.
• The 2024 schedule features four home games and seven road contests. SVSU begins the year with two road games (at Winona State and Northwood) before the home-opening contest on Sept. 21 against Truman State. The Cardinals were 2-3 on the road a year ago and 4-2 at home.
• Senior All-American linebacker Micah Cretsinger was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 and the D2 Elite 100 watch lists. Junior linebacker Brandon Rawls joined Cretsinger on the D2 Elite 100 list.
• Saginaw Valley faces three ranked opponents this season: at (#16/16) Indianapolis on September 28, (#4/4) Grand Valley State on October 19, and at (#3/9) Ferris State on November 9.
• Freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie leads the GLIAC in rushing yards with 134 after the season-opening win over Winona State. McKenzie scored three touchdowns and compiled 283 total yards against the Warriors with two passing scores and a rushing score.
• Junior safety Eli Gordon was awarded the GLIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week after his week one performance. The Midland, Michigan product had a fumble recovery on a kickoff in the first quarter that set the offense up at the opponent’s 20-yard line and allowed the early 14-0 lead. Gordon also had an interception inside the SVSU 20-yard line that halted a red zone drive by the Warriors and blocked a field goal attempt before the half that kept the score at 31-14 going into the break.
• The Cardinal offense was efficient in game one as they scored on five of the first six drives against Winona State including four touchdowns.
• Saginaw Valley State finished the game with 427 yards of total offense with 172 through the air and 255 on the ground.
• Sophomore defensive back Jasper Beeler led the defense in tackles in week one with 10 stops against the Warriors. He also had an interception called back for a roughing the passer penalty. Leonard Henry IV compiled 1.5 sacks to put him close to 19th all-time in program history.
• Mo Kamara was the other Cardinal to get an interception with Gordon in the game. SVSU registered three takeaways in the contest while giving up zero turnovers in return.
Coming off a thrilling, four-overtime 52-50 victory over South Dakota Mines in its home opener, Michigan Tech (1-1) is back at Kearly Stadium in Week 2, hosting G-MAC foe Hillsdale (0-1) in a noon game. A year ago, the Huskies throttled the Chargers, 45-20 in Houghton.
Michigan Tech Notes:
It’s the 102nd year of Michigan Tech Football
Dan Mettlach returns for his second season at the helm of the Huskies
All home and conference games will be broadcast on Flofootball.
The Huskies were tabbed to finish fifth in the GLIAC Coaches’ Poll.
It’s the 50th year reunion of the undefeated 1974 team.
Michigan Tech welcomes back Jace Daniels as the Tight Ends coach.
Head coach Dan Mettlach has named Alex Fries, Hunter Buechel, Marc Sippel and Brandon DeVries as the captains for the 2024 season on kickoff returns.
The Huskies All-time reception leader Darius Willis returns for his final season after breaking Brian Janeshek’s record of 154 receptions in three seasons.
Don Hansen Honorable Mention and single season record holder, punter Brendan Lach returns after finishing last season ranked fourth nationally and first in the GLIAC with a punting average of 44.6.
Quarterback Alex Fries broke the school record for single game passing yards (471) and five touchdowns in the 4OT 52- 50 win vs. South Dakota Mines on Thursday Night. He was also named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Ethan Champney is top-five nationally in three statistical categories: with three receiving touchdowns (5th) , 150.5 receiving yards per game (4th) and 301receiving yards (2nd)
Fries ranks top-3 nationally in three categories: 6 Passing Touchdowns (3rd), 359 Passing Yards Per Game (3rd) and 718 Passing Yards (2nd)
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Hillsdale travels north following a setback in their season and home opener against then-no. 16 nationally-rank Indianapolis 42-16 at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium on Saturday. Similar to the Huskies, the Chargers stumbled early in their contest, falling back 28-7 to UIndy before heading to the locker rooms for halftime. Hillsdale showed life in the second half stopping UIny on four consecutive drives in the second half highlighted by a safety coming from a tackle by Hunter Sperling. The safety fired up the Chargers offense, capping a nine-play, 66-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run by tailback Kyle Riffel. Quarterback Cole Canter threw for 260 yards completing 14 of 32 attempts throwing for a touchdown and three interceptions in his debut game for the Chargers. In total, the Chargers accrued 284 total yards of offense with 15 first downs while going six-of-15 on third downs. Defensively, Jacob Vance led Hillsdale with eight total tackles with Vince Francescone adding six tackles for Hillsdale. Nate Shreffler is in his first year at the helm as the head coach of the Chargers who were picked to finish fourth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Wayne State (0-1) continues its tough non-conference slate on Saturday when it opens at home versus G-MAC preseason favorite Findlay (1-0).
Wayne State Notes:
Northern Michigan (0-2) is away for the second week in-a-row, traveling to Wisconsin-La Crosse (1-0) for a 2 p.m. ET matchup.
Northern Michigan Notes:
The Wildcats will look to bounce back after a 34-3 defeat to the Eagles a year ago. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET from Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Last Week
Despite an impressive 96-yard effort on the ground from freshman Jahi Wood, NMU fell 33-13 last Thursday night at Kentucky Wesleyan, falling to 0-2 on the season.
Northern got a first-career touchdown from Nico Lukkarinen and a pair of field goals from Michael Karlen, but 310 passing yards from the Panthers was too much to overcome. The Wildcats held a 123-72 advantage on the ground, in large part thanks to Wood’s breakthrough performance.
Wildcats to Watch
Junior linebacker Mitch Larkin will guide the defense after leading the conference last season in total tackles with 118. That marked a near 100 tackle increase from his freshman campaign where he recorded 22. He finished tied for third in Division II in total tackles (118) and fifth in tackles/game (10.7). Also in the linebacker room, sophomore Jax Hertel will look to take a leap in his second year after recording 65 tackles and a pair of interceptions as a true freshman. Both Larkin and Hertel earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention last season.
After being forced into action as a true freshman following an injury to starter Mariano Valenti, quarterback Aidan Hoard appeared in eight games, throwing for 1,059 yards and five TD’s. The 6’4″ Frankenmuth native completed 101 of 196 (51.5%) of his passing attempts. Wideouts Michael Love and Sam Peiffer will look to play roles as top targets through the air, as they combined for 680 receiving yards and 5 TD’s last season. Freshman Kaleb Isom and Jahi Wood will also look to make an impact at skill positions.
In the secondary, Ricky Lancaster, Tim Shannon Jr., and Jeremiah Gossett will each play a big role after seeing significant time last season.
Cat Nips
- Northern’s 11-game schedule includes bouts in three different states in the first three games (Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin). The final eight games will all take place in the Great Lakes State.
- The Green and Gold will field one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 42 of 96 (43.8%) of the roster consisting of first-year players. Underclassmen will make up 68 of the 96 (70.8%) roster spots.
- The Wildcats were the least penalized team in the GLIAC in 2023, totaling 54 over 11 games for an average of 4.9/game. At 2/game thus far, NMU is tied for third in the country in fewest penalties.
- Owen Halverson is third in the GLIAC and 22nd in the country averaging 43.1 yards/punt
- Michael Karlen is 2-2 on his FG attempts this season, converting from 18-yards twice against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Notes on UW-La Crosse
The No. 6 nationally DIII ranked Eagles defeated RPI in its season-opener 35-0. QB Zach Weir threw for 279 yards and 3 TD’s while Braedon Ott rushed six times for 99 yards. Receiving, both Jack Studer (173) and Wyatt LeMoine (102) broke the century mark.
La Crosse finished 11-2 last season, making it to the DIII NCAA Quarterfinals where they fell to North Central College 55-42. In 2023, the Eagles averaged 39.3 points/game while allowing 23.2 points/game. Through the air, the Eagles averaged 283.3 yards/game and on the ground, La Crosse ran for an average of 190.6 yards/game.
The two teams matched up last year in Marquette, a 34-3 victory for the Eagles.
