A key matchup of teams with 3-1 records highlights Week 5 of conference play in the GLIAC.
Saginaw Valley State (6-2) welcomes Davenport (6-2), winners of three-straight, to Harvey Randall Wickes Stadium in University Center for a pivotal clash of two of three teams tied for second place in the conference standings. Both teams’ lone GLIAC loss this season has come at the hands of Grand Valley State. A year ago, the Panthers edged the Cardinals, 24-21, in Caledonia.
Coming off its Anchor-Bone Classic win a week ago, No. 2 Ferris State (7-1, 4-0 GLIAC) will travel to the Upper Peninsula to face Northern Michigan (0-8, 0-4 GLIAC) at 1 p.m. at the home of the Wildcats, the Superior Dome. The Bulldogs are ranked nationally No. 3 in total offense and No. 3 in total defense entering Saturday.
Seventh-ranked Grand Valley State (7-1, 3-1 GLIAC) hosts Wayne State (0-8, 0-4 GLIAC) at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale for a 3 p.m. Homecoming contest. The Lakers have won 34 of the last 35 meetings with the Warriors.
Michigan Tech (5-3, 2-2 GLIAC) will head to the Chicagoland area Saturday for a 2 p.m. ET game versus Roosevelt (1-6, 1-3 GLIAC). The Huskies are coming off a Miner’s Cup win over rival Northern Michigan while the Lakers hung tough in a close loss to Davenport last week.
WEEK 9 SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Davenport vs Saginaw Valley State
SERIES HISTORY AND NOTES
● The Panthers and Cardinals have had some thrilling games over the past two seasons with the Panthers claiming wins in 2022 (29-28) in University Center and 2023 (24-21) in Caledonia. The all-time series is tied at 3-3 with the Panthers winning twice in three tries at Saginaw Valley State. Last year’s contest provided one of the most exciting finishes in DU history and propelled the Panthers to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the GLIAC. DU trailed 21-16 with 1:39 left in the game and drove 92 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The Panthers converted on two fourth-down plays on the drive, including the game-winning play as Jason Whittaker ran for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 10-yard line with 11 seconds to go. Caleef Jenkins had a successful two-point conversion run for the final score of 24-21. Current projected starting quarterback Mason McKenzie (Caledonia HS) made his first collegiate start passing for 156 yards and rushing for 54 yards and a score.
Davenport Notes
PIVOTAL SHOWDOWN ON TAP IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION
● This week’s contest features a pair of quality teams looking to remain in a position to fight for the GLIAC championship. Davenport, Saginaw Valley State, and Grand Valley State are all 3-1 in a three-way tie for second place. Meanwhile, Ferris State is 4-0, but has games against SVSU and DU in the last two weeks of the regular season. ● Davenport played their brand of smash-mouth football last Saturday in a rugged 19-14 win at Roosevelt to improve to 5-0 on the road this season. The Panthers are now 11-3 since the beginning of the 2022 season on the road. The Panthers held the Lakers to a program-record minus-21 rushing yards on 22 attempts. The last time a team was held to negative rushing yards was when Roosevelt was Robert Morris and DU held them to minus-6 rushing yards in the 2018 season opener. The Panther defense held the Lakers to a season-low 156 total yards and just 2-of-11 on third down conversions. The defense also limited the GLIAC’s leading receiver sophomore Keonta Nixon to three catches for 70 yards (44 yards below his season average). Preston Smith hauled in a touchdown reception for the third week in a row coming on a 24-yard pass from Mike O’Horo in the second quarter. Antjuan Collins also took a kickoff back for a score for the second time this season with a 87-yard sprint to begin the second half. ● The Cardinals feature a stingy defense allowing 14.5 points per game which ranks third in the GLIAC and 15th in NCAA Division II. The Cardinals have a relentless pass rush as evidenced by ranking first in the conference and third in NCAA Division II with 3.63 sacks per game. Senior Leonard Henry IV leads DII with 10.5 total sacks and 1.31 per game. SVSU has a similar schedule to DU with four home games and seven away games. This is their third home game of the season.
INSIDE THE HUDDLE
● The Davenport passing game numbers might not overwhelm you, but this season it is having success when called upon. The 2024 season is currently second in the brief history of the program completing 56.9 percentage through the air (120-of-211). It trails the 2016 inaugural season by a mere one-tenth of a percentage point. The pass efficiency rating is 130.4 which is first all-time. ● The special teams unit for the Panthers has been a priority under head coach Sparky McEwen and this year is no exception. Brandon Gielow is 22-of-22 in extra points and 8-of-10 in field goals. He ranks first in the GLIAC and 12th in Division II in FG percentage. The Panthers have also blocked four kicks which leads the league and is 22nd in Division II. The kickoff units both lead the GLIAC averaging 30.81 yards per return and allowing just 14.59 yards per return. They are second in Division II in kickoff return average and sixth in kickoff return average allowed.
Saginaw Valley State Notes
Kick-Off
The Saginaw Valley State University Football team hosts the Davenport Panthers in a week nine matchup. The Cardinals (6-2, 3-1 GLIAC) will look to end a two-game losing streak to the Panthers (6-2, 3-1 GLIAC) in a contest that split up part of the current three-way tie for second place in the conference standings. SVSU had a bounce-back week in a 37-10 win over Wayne State on the road this past week. The Cardinals jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the first half, before scoring twice more to push the advantage to 30-3 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors put a touchdown on the board before the final score by the Cardinals gave the game its final score. Davenport defeated GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt, 19-14 in Illinois for the third-straight win since the loss to Grand Valley State. The Panthers trailed 14-10 at the half but scored a touchdown in the third quarter and a safety in the fourth to earn the win.
1ST-AND-10
• The Cardinals currently sit in a three-way tie for second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings with Grand Valley State and Davenport. The Cardinals and Panthers are 6-2 overall and 3-1 in league play while the Lakers are 7-1, 3-1. • SVSU has one game left on the road and two at home in the final three games of the season. The Cardinals host Davenport this week. SVSU then goes to Big Rapids to face Ferris State on the road on 11/9 before wrapping up the regular season against Michigan Tech on 11/16. • 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 (L, 16-9), and at (#2) Ferris State on November 9. • Freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie is 111-of-193 for 1,453 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air. McKenzie leads the Cardinals in passing and rushing with 73 carries for 500 yards and four scores on the ground. He currently ranks third in the GLIAC in both rushing and passing yards. • Redshirt freshman Joseph Walker is the team’s leading receiver with 22 receptions for 333 yards and two scores. Junior Eric Craft has 20 catches for 325 yards and two touchdowns. • Terrence Brown, Jr. leads receivers with three touchdowns and 15 receptions for 202. Brown is second on the team in rushing with 94 carries for 416 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. He is the team’s leading scorer with 54 points on nine total touchdowns. • Micah Cretsinger is the team’s leading tackler with 50 stops this season. The 2023 All-American linebacker has 5.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one recovery, 1.5 sacks, and three pass breakups on his stat line. • Alfred Dailey, Jr. has 47 tackles with a sack, a.5 TFLs, and a forced fumble. Eli Gordon leads the team in interceptions with four this season. He is third in tackles with 46 and had a best five pass breakups to his credit. Leonard Henry IV has 10.5 sacks to lead the Cardinal pass rush along with 42 tackles (4th-most on the team). Henry currently leads the nation in sacks per game with a mark of 1.31.
Ferris State vs Northern Michigan
Ferris State Notes
This Week’s Action
The Ferris State University Bulldogs play their final road game of the regular-season this Saturday at Northern Michigan. Kickoff is set for 1 pm inside the Superior Dome in Marquette. FSU, which is coming off an impressive 34-7 win over rival Grand Valley State, has now outscored the opposition 350-60 since a season-opening setback at Pittsburg State. The Bulldogs have made a nation-leading nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Playoffs, including back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
The Matchup
NMU is still searching for its first win of the year as the Wildcats enter the game at 0-8 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Northern Michigan finished last season with an 0-11 record and went 0-6 in the GLIAC. The Wildcats are on a current 19-game skid.
National & Regional Rankings
Ferris State moved up to #2 nationally in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D2Football.com national polls this week following the Anchor-Bone victory. This week, the Bulldogs are also listed among the top 10 teams in the initial NCAA D2 Super Region Three rankings, which help determine the playoff field at the end of the year. This week’s rankings were in alphabetical order and the teams in the region will be ranked according to position beginning this coming week.
Saturday’s Matchup
Ferris State has won the last 12 games in the series’ and the Bulldogs own a 28-15-6 all-time mark against the Wildcats. Last season, Ferris State rolled to a 78-3 homecoming win over the Wildcats at Top Taggart Field. Two years ago, FSU posted a 56-20 win over NMU inside the Superior Dome in Marquette. In 2017, the Bulldogs built a 35-7 halftime lead in Big Rapids and rolled to a 42-10 triumph versus NMU. In 2018, Ferris State posted a 35-19 road triumph inside the Superior Dome in Marquette. FSU then topped the Wildcats 38-10 in 2019 at Top Taggart Field and 44-24 in 2021 in Big Rapids. Ferris State head coach Tony Annese is also currently unbeaten at 23-0 against Michigan’s Upper Peninsula schools during his Bulldog head coaching career and has also never lost a game across the Mackinac Bridge.
Last Week’s Win
Ferris State improved to 12-5 under head coach Tony Annese against rival Grand Valley State with last week’s Anchor-Bone victory before a sellout crowd in Allendale. The Bulldogs reclaimed the Anchor-Bone Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the regular-season matchup, for the first time since 2021. FSU also avenged a pair of setbacks to GVSU a year ago. The two teams have met in the NCAA Division II Playoffs each of the past three years and five times since 2015.
October Success
The month of October has been kind to the Bulldogs. Following last week’s win to close out the month, the Bulldogs are now 40-3 in the month of October dating back to 2014.
Northern Michigan Notes
The Northern Michigan University football team is back home for the final time this season as the Wildcats will host No. 2 Ferris State on Saturday, November 2 at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats (0-8, 0-4) fell last week at Michigan Tech 39-9 while the Bulldogs got a signature road win at No. 1 Grand Valley State, 34-7.
Senior Day recognition will take place before the game.
Last Time Out
Northern Michigan was in Houghton last weekend, falling to Michigan Tech in the Miner’s Cup game, 39-9.
Northern’s touchdown came late in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard run from Tucker Welch, the longest rush of his career. Mike Karlen also added a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter to complete the scoring for NMU.
NMU totaled 210 yards with 123 of those coming on the ground. The Wildcat defense forced three turnovers on the afternoon including multiple interceptions for the first time this season. Jacquille Brown got in the passing lane for his first of the season while Kade Manzo picked off his team-leading second of the season.
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.
- Adam Saleh has vaulted up the GLIAC tackles leaderboard, as his 56 tackles this season currently rank 4th, while his 40 solo tackles lead the league. He has recorded at least five total tackles in each game this season.
- NMU is tied for the conference lead with eight forced fumbles.
- Freshman Jahi Wood (428) is 6th in the conference in rushing while Elizin Rouse (228), Nico Lukkarienen (223), and Vince Martin (214), and rank 15th-17th respectively. Lukkarinen’s 3 TD runs rank in the top-10 in the conference. The Wildcats have the 4th best rushing attack in the league at 152.3 yards/game.
- Michael Love is tied for 4th 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 7th in the GLIAC with 351 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 a perfect 7-7 on FG’s and 13-14 on PAT’s this season.
A Look at Ferris State
The Bulldogs are coming off of a big road win in the Anchor-Bone Classic, defeating No. 1 Grand Valley State 34-7. The Bulldogs are now No. 2 in the national poll with a 7-1, 4-0 record.
Ferris State has been one of the best across several categories this season. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank third in total offense (499.0), scoring offense (44.1), and total defense (214.6). Dual-threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss paces the GLIAC with 10 rushing scores on 471 rushing yards while tied for first with 17 passing TD’s and second through the air with 1,763 yards.
The Bulldogs lead the league with 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries for 13 takeaways. Jalen Jones is atop the conference leaderboard with four interceptions.
Michigan Tech vs Roosevelt
SERIES HISTORY:
This will be the first meeting between the Lakers and Huskies. Roosevelt is 11-12 against schools from Michigan in its history and this is Michigan Tech’s first trip to the state of Illinois since 2019.
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. • 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 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 has broken the career reception yards record, and the reception touchdowns record this season. • 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 (7) and second in receiving yards (615). • Senior quarterback Alex Fries sits second the league in passing touchdowns (17), passing yards (1,834) and passing yards per game (229.3). 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 LAKERS
Roosevelt is still finding its position in the NCAA in its first year in Division II within the GLIAC, with an overall record of 1-6 and 1-3 in the league. The Lakers earned their first conference win of the season on Oct. 19 with a 16-10 overtime victory against Northern Michigan at the Superior Dome. Roosevelt made things interesting last weekend, hosting a stellar Davenport team entering halftime with a 14-10 advantage. Although the Panthers held the Lakers scoreless in the second half, escaping Morris Field with a 19-14 decision. More interestingly, Roosevelt accrued just 156 yards of total offense with minus-21 yards on the ground and 177 yards through the air. Senior quarterback Carson Budke has tossed for 1,547 yards with six touchdown passes and six interceptions. His top receiver is sophomore Keonta Nixo, averaging over 100 receiving yards per game and three touchdowns. Alex Tran has also caught three touchdown passes for Roosevelt with 14 receptions and 169 total receiving yards. Senior running back Cyrus Zuell controls the run game for the Lakers, averaging 67.4 rushing yards per outing and a team-leading five touchdowns. Jacob Bellizzi (48 total tackles) and Jaylen Olokun (44 total tackles) lead the Lakers defensively. Bellizzi has two sacks for 20 yards, while Olokun has 7.5 tackles for loss this season.
Roosevelt Notes
SETTING THE SCENE:
Roosevelt is coming off another disappointing setback at home to drop to 0-3 at Morris Field this season. The Lakers’ offense struggled against a talented Davenport defense, but the Roosevelt defense rose to the occasion to shut down the Panthers’ offense. Now the Lakers turn their attention to a Michigan Tech squad that snapped a two-game skid last week in a rivalry victory.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES:
The Huskies arrive in Arlington Heights fresh off a 39-9 win over Northern Michigan in their annual rivalry game with the Wildcats. The victory snapped a short two-game skid for Michigan Tech and brought the Huskies back to .500 in conference play. Michigan Tech’s offense is pass-focused with quarterback Alex Fries throwing for more than 1,800 yards and averaging nearly 34 attempts per game. The senior is completing just shy of 55 percent of his passes but has tossed 17 touchdowns to just five interceptions this season. He did throw two picks last week against Northern Michigan, though, while relying on the explosive plays for much of his yardage. Fries focuses much of his attention in the passing game on just three targets, who have combined for almost 3/4 of his completions this season. Darius Willis leads the Huskies with 50 catches and seven touchdowns, but his 615 yards barely trail Ethan Champney’s 631 yards. Champney has caught 40 passes and four touchdowns while Brandon Michalak has 25 receptions for five scores and 389 yards. Defensively, the Huskies rely on defensive back Hunter Buechel to make big plays. He leads the team with four sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, and has a team-best six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Fellow defensive back Dante Basanese leads Michigan Tech with 62 tackles this year and is one of six players with an interception.
Wayne State vs Grand Valley State
THE SERIES
Grand Valley State leads the all-time series by a 39-6 margin and have won 34-of-the-last-35. The Lakers claimed a 66-10 victory over the Warriors last season in Detroit. GVSU has won four consecutive matchups after dropping the 2019 meeting 31-17 at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU is 18-3 at Lubbers Stadium and 21-3 at Wayne State. The average margin of victory in the last 35 games for the Lakers is 42.2-12.1 and GVSU has scored 40 or more points 15 times and held WSU to 10 points or less 13 times.
Wayne State Notes
Game notes not available.
Grand Valley State Notes
• #6 Grand Valley State will host Wayne State for Homecoming 2024 and Senior Day. The Lakers will honor 20 seniors prior to Saturday’s game.
• Last Week – #1 Grand Valley State dropped a 34-7 decision to #3 Ferris State. The Bulldogs scored 24 points off three GVSU turnovers, a kickoff return deep into Laker territory after GVSU scored its only touchdown of the day to pull within 13-7, and a blocked punt. Ferris State did not commit a turnover and converted 8-of-16 third and fourth downs. Tierney led the ground game with 52 yards and a rushing TD on two carries, while senior QB Avery Moore rushed for 43 yards on seven carries before leaving the game after a brutal face mask. Four Laker quarterbacks completed 6-of-19 passes for 74 yards, while the Laker offense rushed for 155 yards. Senior safety Kobe Hayward led the defense with nine tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss (-5), while Grant Hart, Anthony Cardamone, Ian Kennelly and Jack Gilchrist each contributed six tackles.
• GVSU is 37-20 versus ranked teams since 2009 and 228-39 versus all teams as a ranked team since 2001. • Run Offense – The Laker rush offense ranks sixth in the country and leads the GLIAC, rushing for 2,026 yards (252.0 ypg/5.4 ypc) and 23 TDs in seven games. – The GVSU rush defense has yielded 955 rushing yards in eight games (119.4 ypg/3.1 ypc).
• GVSU has outscored its opponents 69-5 in the first quarter and 64-41 in the second for a first half combined scoring of 133-46.
• The Money Down – The GVSU offense ranks seventh nationally in third down conversions (52- for-104/50.0%). The Lakers are 27-50 in the first half (.540).
