ALLENDALE, Mich. – The #16 ranked Saginaw
Valley State University (SVSU) football team fell to #1 Grand
Valley State University (GVSU) 38-7 before a Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and GVSU record crowd
of 16,467 in the ninth annual “Battle of the Valleys”
game.
The Cardinals struggled to get any offensive flow going in the
first half, going three and out on their first two positions.
Saginaw Valley would finally find pay dirt when quarterback Chuck Dowdell
(Ft. Wayne, Ind./Indiana State) found Galen Stone (Grand
Blanc, Mich. /Swartz Creek HS) on a 12 yard pass across the middle
to help the Cardinals cut the Grand Valley lead to 24-7. Dowdell
ended the day 18 for 36 for 200 yards and a touchdown, he also had
14 carries for 48 yards. Stone would end the day with five catches
for 85 yards and a touchdown. The Lakers would respond with another
touchdown to push the lead back to 24 points before the half. The
Cardinals would be unable to find the endzone in the second half as
Grand Valley extended their lead to the final score 38-7 late in
the third quarter.
The Cardinals defense was led by John Jacobs
(Prudenville, Mich. / Midland Dow HS) who racked up nine tackles.
Matt
Peterson (Freeland, Mich.) and Mike LeVand
(Grandville, Mich.) both added eight tackles, and Ja'Vae
Ingraham (Lakeland, Fla. / Lake Gibson HS) added six tackles
and a fumble recovery.
With the loss the Cardinals fall to 2-1 overall on the season and
1-1 in the GLIAC, while Lakers move to 3-0 overall on the season
and 2-0 in the GLIAC. Saginaw Valley will open their home schedule
next weekend when they host Northwood University in the 36th Annual
Axe Bowl at noon.
