BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley
State University football team dropped a heartbreaker to Ferris
State University this evening (Sept. 11), 21-17 in their Great
Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference opener.
Ferris State would find the endzone first, late in the first
quarter, however the Cardinals would respond as quarterback Chuck
Dowdell (Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Northrup HS) connected with Andrew Beaver
(Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Dearborn HS) on a seven-yard strike to
bring Saginaw Valley even with the Bulldogs at 7-7.
Beaver would end the night with ten catches for 132
yards and a touchdown to be selected the Meijer "Player of the
Game."
With 9:28 left in the second quarter, Cardinal running back Brandon Hayes
(Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley HS) found pay dirt on a four-yard run
to put Saginaw Valley up, 14-7. The Bulldogs would knot the
score at 14-14 and would eventually take the lead, 21-14 on an
interception return for a touchdown with under two minutes
remaining in the first half.
The Cardinals began to chip away at the Bulldog advantage early in
the second half as junior kicker Austin Borchard
(San Juan Capistrano, Calif. / San Clemente HS) successfully
connected on a field goal to make the score 21-17. The
Cardinals would continue to move the ball throughout the second
half as runningbck Ronnie Lark (Flint,
Mich. / Powers Catholic HS) started to find some lanes to
run. He would end the night with 54 yards on 13 carries to
lead the Cardinals in rushing.
The Cardinals would get a final chance to go for the win from the
Ferris State 36 yard line after a shanked punt, but the Cardinals
would watch their chances for victory slip away as Dowdell was
intercepted on SVSU's first play.
Leading the Cardinal defense was defensive back Rick Evans
(Jacksonville, Fla. / Sandalwood HS) with eight tackles. Ja'Vae
Ingraham (Lakeland, Fla. / Lake Gibson HS), Grant Caserta
(Holland, Mich. / West Ottawa HS) and Brandon Williams
(Flint, Mich. / Kearsey HS) all added five tackles each.
With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 0-2 overall on the season and
0-1 in the GLIAC while Ferris State moves to 1-1 overall on the
season and 1-0 in the GLIAC. Saginaw Valley will return to
action next weekend (Sept. 18) as they host Lake Erie in a GLIAC
contest scheduled at noon. The Cardinals will also honor
their hall-of-fame class at halftime.
