ASHLAND, Ohio - The Saginaw Valley State University football team hit the road for the first time since a week three trip to Michigan Tech on September 20th. Facing a tough Ashland University team on Saturday, the Cardinals fell by a score of 38-7 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup.
The Cardinals took an early 7-0 lead after forcing the Eagles to turn it over on downs on their first possession. Keith Moore found Leonte Degraffenreid from 28 yards out at the 11:45 mark to cap-off a five play, 53 yard drive.
Ashland took the next drive down the field and scored on an Anthony Taylor rush from four yards out. That made the score 7-7 with 8:30 left in the opening quarter.
After forcing an SVSU three-and-out, AU added another TD with 2:59 left in the first on a Jordan McCune run to make the score 14-7.
On Ashland's next drive, the Eagles had a first down at the SV 26 yardline and they attempted a pass in the right corner of the endzone. SVSU cornerback David Toussaint had great position on the play, however, and snatched the ball out of the air for the huge turnover.
The teams would trade punts until AU engineered a 10 play, 83 yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard field goal with seven ticks left in the half. It made the score 17-7 in the Eagles' favor heading into halftime.
David Nay had 40 yards rushing in the opening half on eight carries while Caleb Higbie had eight tackles defensively. Matt McKoy was selected as the Meijer "Player of the Game" after an interception and a tackle-for-loss.
Ashland would outscore the Cardinals in the second half by a count of 21-0 and finished with a 38-7 victory.
Bryan Jones led the defensive effort with 11 stops while Dwight Trammer also registered double-digits in tackles, adding 10. Higbie finished with nine tackles and Sloan Klaski added seven.
The Cardinals (1-5, 1-4 GLIAC) will continue on the road for another GLIAC game against a South Division opponent next Saturday (10/18), the Lake Erie College Storm. Kickoff for that contest is set for 1:00 pm in Painesville, Ohio.
