Week 2 of GLIAC play features four intraconference matchups, spanning two states.
Houghton, Mich. will be the site of this week’s biggest game, as Davenport (3-2, 0-1 GLIAC) visits Michigan Tech (4-1, 1-0 GLIAC) for a 12 p.m. game at Kearly Stadium. The Panthers dropped its GLIAC opener to No. 2 Grand Valley State last weekend while the Huskies topped Wayne State. Michigan Tech has won four-straight games after a heartbreaking season-opening overtime loss to nationally-ranked Bemidji State.
Roosevelt (0-4, 0-1 GLIAC) will play its first conference home game as a member of the GLIAC on Saturday when it hosts Saginaw Valley State (4-1, 1-0 GLIAC) at 2 p.m. ET at Morris Field in Arlington Heights, Ill. The Cardinals head to the Windy City riding a three-game win streak.
No. 2 Grand Valley State (5-0, 1-0 GLIAC) will welcome Northern Michigan (0-5, 0-1 GLIAC) to Lubbers Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest. The Lakers are limiting opponents to just 9.6 points per game this season.
No. 4 Ferris State (4-1, 1-0 GLIAC) hits the road, traveling to the Motor City to take on Wayne State (0-5, 0-1 GLIAC) in a 6 p.m. clash at Tom Adams Field. Over the course of their four-game win stretch the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 238-26.
WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Davenport vs Michigan Tech
SERIES HISTORY AND NOTES
● The Panthers have won the last two matchups in the series including last year’s 28-0 win in Houghton on Sept. 30, 2023. The shutout by Davenport was their first ever in a GLIAC game and they limited the Huskies to 122 total yards on 43 plays. Davenport gained 356 yards on offense on 73 plays and got 206 rushing yards and 150 passing yards. Myren Harris carried the ball 26 times for 112 yards. Caleef Jenkins rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. Micah Wilson also had a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for DU. Marc Sippel led the Huskies with 12 tackles, while Hunter Beuchel added 11 tackles and Dante Basanese added 10 tackles. Brendan Lach averaged 44.9 yards per punt on nine attempts with a long of 64 yards. He is currently ranked first in the conference and third nationally in 2024 with a punting average of 45.8 yards.
Davenport Notes
DU MAKES TRIP TO MTU FOR THIRD TIME IN FOUR YEARS
● Davenport will be playing in their third road game in Houghton during the last four seasons on Saturday in a matchup against two teams both receiving votes in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll this week. DU enters with a 3-2 record with both losses coming against nationally-ranked teams. MTU is 4-1 overall and off to their best start since going 5-0 to start the 2015 season. After a season-opening loss to No. 25 Bemidji State in overtime (19-13) on the road, the Huskies have reeled off four straight victories including a 22-7 win in the GLIAC opener last Saturday at home against Wayne State. ● Davenport has played a very challenging schedule to date through five games. The combined record of their opponents is 15-10 so far this season. By contrast, the Huskies have played a schedule where their combined opponents record is 10-16. The Panthers were defeated 24-7 against No. 2 Grand Valley State last Saturday, but it was the closest margin since a 19-14 loss in 2018. The 24 points allowed were the second fewest allowed to the Lakers in the series history. Davenport had success on the ground with 179 rushing yards, their most in a game against GVSU and 133.2 yards greater than their season average allowed heading into the contest. ● The Lakers were able to establish their patented ball-control offense to the tune of 26 first downs and a time of possession at 37:16. They had the ball for almost one more quarter than the Panthers (22:44) and converted 10-of-18 on third down. The Davenport defense did not force a turnover and currently is even at eight takeaways and eight giveaways this season. Over the last four games, DU has had the ball a total of 40:40 less than their opponent. ● Michigan Tech is having success based on a few key statistics this season. They are currently leading the GLIAC and are 18th nationally in fewest penalties (26) and are first in the conference and 29th nationally in fewest penalty yards (240). In addition, the Huskies have a passing attack ranked second in the league and 26th nationally at 260.8 yards per game. They have done this while only being intercepted twice which leads the GLIAC.
INSIDE THE HUDDLE
● Davenport has been a quick start team through the first five games outscoring their opponents 62-22 in the first half. In addition, they have a 27-6 edge in the first quarter. If you go back to last year, over the last 15 games, Davenport has allowed just 16 points in the first quarter which has been a recipe for success. On the flip side, they will need to adjust in the second half as they have been outscored 51-27 this season. ● The Davenport defense has been a swarm to the ball unit and that is evidenced by 15 players recording double-digit tackles already this season. The ability to produce negative yardage plays has been a key component to allowing just 18.8 points per game. DU is seventh nationally in sacks per game (3.5) and ninth in tackles for loss per game (9.3).
Michigan Tech Notes
THE GOAL LINE
● 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. ● Michigan Tech welcome backs 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 ● 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. ● 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. ● Darius is atop the conference in receiving touchdowns (5) and second in receiving yards (405). ● Senior quarterback Alex Fries sits atop the league in passing touchdowns (13), passing yards (1,229) and passing yards per game (245.8). He earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 1 ● Michigan Tech junior defensive back Dante Basanese has been named Week Five GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. The honor is the first of his career and the second defensive player of the week this season for the Huskies.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Davenport is 3-2 this season, most recently dropping their GLIAC opener to No. 2 Grand Valley State 24-7 at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex on Saturday. All of the scoring happened in the first half with Myren Harris scoring a 27-yard touchdown as the lone points for DU. The Panthers are 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road this season. The Panthers produce 19.2 points per game with a well-balanced attack of 119 rushing yards and 193 passing yards per game. Davenport utilizes two quarterbacks with Mike O’Horo, formerly the starting quarterback for Saginaw Valley State, who has thrown for a team-leading 652 yards for six touchdowns and four interceptions. D’Wan Mathis has thrown for 315 yards while rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown. Harris controls the run game for DU gaining 280 yards on 60 carries with two touchdowns, along with being second on the team with 16 receptions for 236 yards and two scores. Preston Smith averages 51 reception yards per game, totaling 255 yards with two touchdowns. The Panthers are a problem on defense for the opposition allowing just 18 points per game while posting 3.5 team sacks and 9.3 team tackles for loss. Both rank top-10 in the country. Cameron Grodhaus and Geemonate Peck have recorded a team-leading two interceptions this season. Grodhaus paces the offense with 39 total tackles while Peck has 26 total tackles and six for loss (29 yards). In total, six players have accounted for tackles for a loss of over 10 yards through five games.
Saginaw Valley State vs Roosevelt
The Series
This is the 44th meeting between SVSU and Northern Michigan. The series is tied at 20 wins each, with three wins vacated by the Cardinals. SVSU has a six-game winning streak against the Wildcats with the last loss coming in 2015 in Marquette.
Saginaw Valley State Notes
Kick-Off
The Saginaw Valley State University Football team opens the GLIAC season with a road game against Northern Michigan. The Cardinals (3-1) scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to climb back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to defeat 15th-ranked Indianapolis 28-24 last Saturday. The Wildcats (0-4) are coming off a bye week last week. Their last time out they fell to NCAA Division III Alma 44-27.
1ST-AND-10
• The Cardinals currently sit in a four-way tie for second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings with Davenport, Ferris State, and Michigan Tech, who all have an overall record of 3-1. • This is the middle of a three-game road trip with games at UIndy (9/28, W – 28-24), Northern Michigan (10/5), and Roosevelt (10/12). The Cardinals are 2-1 on the road this year with four more away contests for the season. • 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 (#15) Indianapolis (W, 28-24), (#2) Grand Valley State on October 19, and at (#5) Ferris State on November 9. • Freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie leads the Cardinal offense with 737 yards through the air on 56- for-100 (56.0%) passing and five touchdowns. McKenzie also leads the team in rushing with 37 carries for 285 yards and two scores. He currently ranks third in the GLIAC in rushing and passing yards. • Junior receiver Eric Craft leads the team in receptions with 12 for 205 yards and a score. Sophomore back Terrance Brown Jr. has eight catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Back Michael Jamerson III totals seven receptions for 31 yards through the first four games. • Eli Gordon leads the team in tackles (28), interceptions (3), and pass breakups (3). The junior from Midland, Michigan earned GLIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week for the third-straight game after a team-high nine tackles and a 70-yard pick-six that put the Cardinals ahead 21-17 early in the fourth quarter. Gordon is the only GLIAC player to score a touchdown on an interception. • Leonard Henry IV leads NCAA Division II in sacks with eight (2.0 per game) and has the second most tackles on the Cardinal defense with 27. Henry IV is a menace in the opponent’s backfield, as he adds 10.5 tackles for loss to his totals (his 2.6 TFL per game ranks 2nd in the nation). • The linebacker trio of Alfred Dailey Jr. Brandon Rawls, and Micah Cretsingers have 24, 24, and 22 tackles respectively. Dailey Jr., and Rawls rank third-best on the team, while Cretsinger joins corner Jasper Beeler with 22 stops for fifth-best.
Roosevelt Notes
SETTING THE SCENE:
Roosevelt is still searching for its first win as an NCAA program after a tough 55-13 loss at No. 5 Ferris State last week. The Lakers are finally returning home after three straight weeks on the road as they host their first GLIAC game as conference members. SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between the Cardinals and Lakers, and the ninth time an NCAA team has visited Morris Field. The Lakers were 2-5 as an NAIA program against NCAA foes and dropped their season opener this year at home.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS:
Saginaw Valley State comes to Arlington Heights fresh off a 63-14 beatdown of Northern Michigan last week. The Cardinals are seeking their first 5-1 start since 2018 as they hit the road for the fifth time in six games to start the season. Even the drive to Chicagoland isn’t unfamiliar for the Cardinals, who made the trip to Chicago last season to face Saint Xavier and came away with a 32-10 victory. Mason McKenzie leads the Saginaw Valley State offense as a dual-threat quarterback who leads the team in both passing and rushing. The quick-footed redshirt freshman has completed 57.5 percent of his passes this season for eight touchdowns and three interceptions in addition to his 330 yards and two scores on the ground. McKenzie already has two 100-yard games on the ground, but he has been sacked eight times already this season. Eric Craft has been McKenzie’s most popular target with a team-high 14 catches for 219 yards. However, running back Terrance Brown Jr. has scored on three of his 10 receptions this season to lead the Cardinals in that category. When McKenzie isn’t running the ball himself, Brown is the running back of choice with 55 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. Michael Jamerson III has rushed for three touchdowns on 36 carries this season. The Cardinals do have a game wrecker on defense in the form of Leonard Henry IV. The lineman already has eight sacks this season, including three games with at least 1.5 sacks. Eli Gordon leads the team in tackles with 31 but also has intercepted four passes this season from his position in the secondary. As a team, Saginaw Valley State has forced seven fumbles, recovering four of them, and intercepted eight passes through five games. The group has also been credited with 22 pass breakups and a pair of blocked kicks this year.
BROTHERLY LOVE:
After spending much of their youth playing on the same teams in Chicagoland, Saturday marks the first battle between the Robertson brothers. Roosevelt sophomore tight end Johnnie Robertson will face off against Saginaw Valley State’s redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Paulie Robertson for the first time in their collegiate careers. The pair both attended Glenbard North High School, roughly 20 miles southwest of Morris Field in Carol Stream, Illinois.
BIG PLAY NIXON:
Keonta Nixon has rewritten the Roosevelt record book during his short time with the Lakers. He broke the single-game receiving record in last season’s finale, then re-broke it last month against Valparaiso. The junior caught eight passes for 209 yards against the Beacons, including a record-breaking 97- yard touchdown. Nixon was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Valpo. Nixon has caught eight touchdown passes in 12 games for Roosevelt, but he’s been an exceptional deep-play threat. Three of his last four touchdowns were at least 75 yards in length, including both of his scores this season. He had an 84-yard touchdown against UW Whitewater before scoring on the 97-yard play against Valparaiso.
BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN:
Dale Dambek’s fumble recovery in the end zone last week against Ferris State was Roosevelt’s first defensive fumble returned for a touchdown in three years. More impressive, he is the first defensive lineman since Ian Riggs in 2016 to score a defensive touchdown for the program. The Lakers have also now scored at least defensive touchdown in every season since football arrived at Roosevelt in 2020.
SECOND LEVEL SUCCESS:
The Roosevelt linebackers have easily proven to be the strength of the Lakers defense so far this season. Three of Roosevelt’s four sacks this season have come from linebackers and the three starters have combined for 14.5 tackles for loss through three games. Deven Jarvis has an interception to his credit while Jaylen Olokun leads the team with 31 total tackles. Jacob Bellizzi is tied for third on the Lakers with 21 tackles along with Jarvis. Olokun now has 117 career tackles, moving him nine behind Ben Black for 14th on the program’s career tackles list.
THE BIG LEG:
Mauricio Escudero has been a gamechanger for the Lakers in the kicking game this season. The junior now has five field goals made this season, the first kicker in five years to make that many in a season. The highlight of the season for the transfer from Mesa College came against Valparaiso last month. Escudero was the first kicker since the program took on the Roosevelt name to make multiple field goals in a game and fell just one field goal shy of the program record for makes in a game. Escudero’s 44-yarder in overtime was also the first time a Roosevelt kicker has made a field goal from beyond 40 yards in three years. For his efforts, he was named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week, the first specialist to earn that honor for the Lakers since 2019 when Omar Beltran was a weekly award winner at Robert Morris (Ill.).
Ferris State vs Wayne State
ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State trails 22-33 in the all-time series. The first meeting between the Warriors and the Bulldogs occurred on October 30, 1920, with Detroit Junior College (now WSU) prevailing 48-0. Wayne State has lost three straight at home to FSU, and nine overall since a 45-7 win at home on October 17, 2009. WSU has a 13-16 mark in home games against Ferris State.
Ferris State Notes
Wayne State Notes
GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University football team will return home to face a tough opponent in Ferris State. The Bulldogs have been ranked in the top-10 in each AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Coaches Poll this year. Saturday’s contest will be WSU’s first home game since September 21. The Warriors last two games combined for 2,300 miles of travel as they competed at Truman State and at Michigan Tech. Wayne State will be looking to claim victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since a 45-7 triumph in 2009.
SCOUTING FERRIS STATE
Entering week six, the Bulldogs rank fourth in the nation with 4-1 overall record following a yet another impressive victory. FSU opened GLIAC play at home against Roosevelt, defeating the Lakers 55-13. Tony Annese is in his 12th season as the head man for the Bulldogs. In his time at the helm for FSU, Annese has compiled a 127-21 overall record. Along with this, the experienced coach has led Ferris State to two Division II National Championships (2021 and 2022), three National Championship game appearances (2018, 2021, and 2022), and nine consecutive NCAA Playoff berths from 2014-2023 (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19). After seeing action in eight games a year ago, Trinidad Chambliss has flourished as the Bulldogs main signal caller. Through five games, the junior has thrown for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 111 yards and six scores on the ground. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors in both week two and week five. Chambliss passed for 286 yards and two scores on 23-of-30 in week two vs. Ashland, then completed 18-of-30 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns last week against Roosevelt. He also contributed three rushing touchdowns in those two contests. Emari O’Brien is the team’s leader in receiving yards (224) and is tied for first with running back Kannon Katzer and fellow receiver Cam Underwood in touchdown receptions (2). James Gilbert has a team-best 14 receptions totalling 191 yards. Katzer is the Bulldogs leading rusher with 29 attempts for 200 yards. The junior is averaging an impressive 6.9 yards per carry and has added 168 yards receiving on 12 catches. Katzer has reached the end zone five times this year with three coming on the ground.
RECOVERING FUMBLES
Through five weeks, Wayne State has forced six fumbles, and has been able to recover five. The Warriors lead the GLIAC and rank 12th nationally in fumble recoveries.
EDWARDS SETTING QUARTERBACK STANDARD FOR RUSHING
Champion Edwards rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries against Findlay. He became the first WSU quarterback with a 100-yard rushing effort since Doug Griffin rushed for 112 yards at Michigan Tech on Nov. 16, 2013. The previous 100-yard games by a signal caller were when Randy Hutchison gained 116 on the ground at Michigan Tech on Oct. 19, 2002, and 101 vs. Gannon on Aug. 30, 2003. It is believed to be the most rushing yards in a game by a WSU quarterback since Ed Skowneski rushed for 203 yards on Oct. 4, 1975, against Valparaiso.
McKATHERINE PUTTING SIX ON THE BOARD
Redshirt senior wide out Myles McKatherine caught an 18-yard touchdown pass against Findlay for his second touchdown in as many contests. The last wide receiver to have a touchdown reception in back-to-back games was Trevonte Davis in 2021 (Sept. 18 at Missouri S&T [2] and Sept. 25 against Saginaw Valley State). Tight end Nick Poterack had touchdown catches in consecutive games in 2022 – Sept. 3 at Slippery Rock and Sept. 10 at home vs. Shaw. McKatherine had a team-best 72 receiving yards at Michigan Tech and leads the Warriors with 175 receiving yards on the season.
Northern Michigan vs Grand Valley State
Northern Michigan Notes
The Northern Michigan University Football team will be on the road this weekend, heading down to Allendale for a Saturday night GLIAC matchup against No. 2 Grand Valley State at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats (0-5) will look to earn its first victory of the season, while the Lakers (5-0) enter the matchup as the No. 2 ranked team in the latest AFCA D2 Coaches Poll.
Last Time Out
Northern Michigan fell to Saginaw Valley State last Saturday afternoon to begin conference play, 63-14.
Northern got a first half touchdown from Jahi Wood, the first of his career, but surrendered 35 points in the 2nd quarter to trail 42-7 at halftime.
A blocked punt from the Wildcats set them up deep in Cardinal territory to start the third quarter and NMU capitalized on another first career touchdown rush, this time from Vince Martin. The Cardinals answered with three long touchdowns of 38 yards, 54 yards, and 62 yards to finish the game.
The Cardinals outgained the Wildcats 486-183. Michael Love broke the 100-yard threshold receiving for the second consecutive game, leading all players with 103 receiving yards on six catches. Mitch Larkin led all players with eight tackles.
Cat Nips
- The Green and Gold field one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 42 of 96 (43.8%) of the roster consisting of first-year players. Underclassmen makeup 68 of the 96 (70.8%) roster spots.
- Freshman Jahi Wood (313) is fourth in the conference in rushing while Elizin Rouse (156) and Nico Lukkarinen (141) are also inside the top-20. Lukkarinen’s 3 TD runs rank tied for fourth in the conference. The Wildcats have the 5th best rushing attack in the league at 137.6 yards/game.
- Mitch Larkin is currently second in the GLIAC with 40 tackles. Larkin paced the conference last season with 118.
- Michael Love is tied for 2nd in the conference with 4 TD catches this season. His two touchdown catches against UW-La Crosse marked the first time a Wildcat receiver found the endzone twice in a game since September 24, 2022 when Wyatt Davis went for two scores on Homecoming in a 42-14 win over Post. He is fourth in the GLIAC with 341 receiving yards.
- NMU’s 269 yards on the ground at UW-La Crosse earlier this year marked its best ground effort since the 2018 season.
- Michael Karlen is 4-4 on FG’s and 10-10 on PAT’s so far this season.
A Look at Grand Valley State
The Lakers enter the weekend ranked #2 in the latest AFCA D2 Coaches Poll. GVSU is coming off of a 24-7 GLIAC-opening victory at Davenport in which no points were scored in the second half.
Grand Valley ranks third in the country in rushing yards/game (304.6), fourth in scoring defense (9.6), fifth in 3rd down conversion percentage (53.5%), seventh in total offense (483.0), ninth in rushing defense (72.4), and 10th in total defense (234.4).
On offense, Khalil Eichelberger has run for 487 yards, averaging 6.7 per carry, and five of the 16 rushing scores for the Lakers this year. Kenneth Moore (296 yards, 4 TD’s) and QB Avery Moore (235 yards, 3 TD’s) have also played a major role in the potent ground attack. Through the air, Moore has thrown for 610 yards, 4 TD’s, and no interceptions.
Grand Valley State Notes
No notes available
