UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley
State University football team gave the homecoming crowd of 7,668 a
lot to cheer about as they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies by a
score of 43-31 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(GLIAC) contest today (Oct. 9).
The Cardinals' offense was firing on all cylindars early in the
first quarter as senior quarterback Chuck Dowdell
(Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Northrup HS) found the endzone on a two-yard
plunge. Michigan Tech would knot the game at seven on a
16-yard touchdown reception with 2:06 remaining in the first
quarter.
Saginaw Valley's offense would again march down the field in the
second quarter, scoring on a seven-play drive as Dowdell would
again find paydirt from two-yards out just before "Meijer Player of
the Game" freshman Jonathon
Jennings (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South HS) entered the game
at the quarterback position for the injured Dowdell. The
Huskies would respond with a successful 32-yard field goal to make
the score 13-10 with 9:08 left in the first half. Junior
running back Brandon Hayes
(Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley HS) would find an open route on a
35-yard rush into the endzone to give the Cardinals a ten point
advantage, however Michigan Tech responded with 2:45 remaining in
the first half as they found the endzone from 36-yards out to make
the score 20-17. The Cardinals would add to their score on a
20-yard field goal off the foot of sophomore kicker Thomas
Goodroe (Byron, Mich./Byron HS) entering the locker room at the
half.
The Cardinals were the first to light the scoreboard in the
second half as Hayes would again find paydirt, this time from
11-yards out to give Saginaw Valley a 30-17 advantage. Hayes
ended the afternoon with two scores on 72 rushing yards and one
reception for 21 yards. The Huskies were able to find the
endzone late in the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass
with 53 seconds remaining on the scoreboard.
The Saginaw Valley offense continued to be aggressive in the
fourth quarter of action as Jennings found sophomore tight end Zachary
Cecich (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point HS) from five-yards out,
however an unsuccessful two-point conversion held the Cardinals'
score at 36. Saginaw Valley would again find the endzone as
sophomore running back Ronnie Lark (Flint,
Mich. / Powers Catholic HS) broke away on a 54-yard run, however
would fumble the ball on the one-yard line, only to be recovered by
the trailing Cecich to give the Cardinals a 43-24 advantage.
The Huskies would add their final touchdown with 15 seconds
remaining in the game, but it would not be enough as Saginaw Valley
went on to victory, 43-31.
The Cardinal defense was led overall by sophomore linebacker Grant Caserta
(Holland, Mich. / West Ottawa HS) who posted 12 tackles, one for
loss and one pass break-up. Senior linebacker Wayne Sanders
(Rochester, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) would add eight tackles while
sophomores Thomas Stalter
(Portland, Mich. / Portland HS) and Jeffrey Heath
(Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) added seven tackles each; Heath
posting one for loss. Sophomore Nathaniel
Snyder (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) had three tackles and one
sack for a loss of seven yards.
Offensively, Saginaw Valley was led by Lark who ended the
afternoon with 16 carries for 150 yards and two receptions for
eight yards while senior Andrew Beaver
(Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Dearborn HS) had 41 yards on five
catches. Jennings would finish the game completing 18-of-21
passes for 206 yards and a touchdown.
With the win, the Cardinals move to 2-4 overall on the season
and 2-3 in the GLIAC, while Michigan Tech falls to 4-1 overall on
the season and 4-1 in conference play. Saginaw Valley will
return to action next Saturday (Oct. 16) as they host the
University of Indianapolis. Kickoff is scheduled for
noon.
