Game 7: Saginaw Valley at Wayne State
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 6 PM ET
Tom Adams Field | Detroit, Mich.

Kick Off...
The Cardinals look to earn their first GLIAC win of the season with a road trip to Detroit, Michigan, to face Wayne State. SVSU enters the game 2-4 overall (0-2 GLIAC), while the Warriors (0-6, 0-2 GLIAC) are winless in their first six games. 

Last Time Out...
Saginaw Valley State football team stumbled at top-ranked Ferris State on Saturday afternoon at Top Tagg, 55-0. The Cardinals (2-4, 0-2 GLIAC) managed only 128 total yards of offense against the Bulldogs (6-0, 2-0 GLIAC).

Ferris State got the ball first. The SVSU defense forced a quick three-and-out, but a roughing the punter penalty extended the Bulldogs' drive. FSU went down and scored five plays later to make the score 7-0.

The Cardinals were forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Ferris State blocked the punt, giving them the ball at SVSU's three-yard line. The Bulldogs punched it in on the next play to make it 14-0.

Ferris State scored two more touchdowns before the quarter ended, widening the gap to 28-0.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 41-0 at halftime, then scored 14 points in the second half to secure a 55-0 win.

Xavier Chasen recorded a sack, Ferris State's first sack of the season. Devin Miles led SVSU with 17 carries and two receptions, totaling 86 yards. Cooper Arnedt took his first career snaps, going 3-for-5 for 25 yards, including a 13-yard pitch-and-catch to JT Webber. James McDonald led the Cardinals' defense with nine tackles.

The Series...
This is the 21st meeting between Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State in football. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 16-4 and are on a six-game winning streak. Last season's matchup went the Cardinals' way, 28-7. The win extended the streak to six games, with the average margin being 16.3 points during that stretch. The overall margin sits at 18.45 points.
 
Saginaw Valley won the first six meetings between the schools, matching the longest streak in the series.

1ST-AND-10...
• Saginaw Valley State football enters a new era with first-year head coach Michael Engle. Engle became the eighth SVSU football coach when he was hired in January. Engle spent four years at UIndy before he joined the Cardinals.

• The Cardinals were chosen fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll. SVSU finished with 28 points, three points behind fourth-place Davenport.

• Defensive Lineman Adom LeDuc (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Utica Stevenson HS) was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List. LeDuc earned a spot on the first-team defense, ranking among the 11 best defensive players in Division II college football.

• The Cardinals named wide receiver Braden Hill, offensive lineman Kaiden Bell, defensive lineman Adom LeDuc, and linebacker James McDonald.

• Kicker Teagen Lenderink was selected as the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the season opener. He is the only Cardinal to receive a GLIAC Player of the Week award this season so far.

• Connor Wolf continues to lead NCAA Division II in passing yards per completion (19.52), while ranking fifth in passing efficiency (189.8). He leads the GLIAC in passing yards (1,425), passing yards per game (237.5), yards per pass attempt (11.78), and passing yards per completion. His fifth-best efficiency mark ranks second in the league.

• Wayne State has lost its last 17 games dating back to the season finale in 2024. The Warriors are winless in their last nine GLIAC contests and have won two of the last 16 conference games.

• WSU's last win was at home on November 16, 2024, against Northern Michigan, 30-14, to end that season.

Cardinal Receivers Highlight Efficient Passing Game...
SVSU has a trio of receivers with 100-yard performances through this season.

JT Webber leads the Cardinals with 480 receiving yards. He had back-to-back 100-yard games to open the season and collected a third against Davenport. Webber tallied 107 yards in the season-opening win over McKendree before repeating in game two with 132 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Webber had one catch for an 82-yard touchdown in the loss to Northwood, and he led the team with four receptions for 44 yards at Kentucky State. Against the Panthers, Webber caught five passes for 102 yards, the team high.

Matt Vaughn caught four passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Bearcats in the season opener. He finished the first four games with three or more catches for the Cardinals. Against the Javelinas, he caught three passes for 35 yards. At Northwood, the converted TE caught four for 27, then added three for 26 against the Thorobreds.

Braden Hill recorded a team-best 135 receiving yards and three touchdowns at Northwood, marking his first 100-yard receiving game this season. He leads the team with six touchdown catches and added a seventh score at Kentucky State when he returned a punt for a 58-yard touchdown in the first quarter, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 early lead.

Ramonty Houze Jr. had a big showing against Davenport two weeks ago, catching four passes for 98 yards. Houze caught three passes for 20 yards or more against the Panthers, including a 34-yard reception on a 3rd-down play that extended a first-half drive for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals currently rank fifth in NCAA Division II and lead the GLIAC in passing yards per completion (17.93). They are a top-15 team in passing efficiency (170.76) and rank 24th in passing offense (266.0). Hill is one of 40 players in the country to return a punt for a touchdown. He also ranks 17th with his six touchdown catches, third-best in the league. Webber leads the conference and ranks third in the nation in yards per reception (26.67).

About the Warriors...
Wayne State enters this weekend 0-2 in GLIAC play after facing Grand Valley State and Roosevelt the previous two weeks. The Warriors average 240.0 yards per game, with 122.2 of those coming on the ground. 

D'Vaun Bentley leads the WSU rushing attack with 423 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. He has a long of 60 yards and is averaging just under 5.5 yards per rush. Bentley was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 182 yards and four touchdowns against Quincy. Gary Jefferson Jr. is the only other Wayne State back with over 100 rushing yards, with 299. Jefferson Jr. has scored twice and is averaging just under five yards per carry this season.

The Warriors have had three quarterbacks with over 30 pass attempts this season. Nikkos Davis leads that group with 309 yards and a touchdown on 22-for-47 passing. Carson Creehan has been the most efficient, completing 64% of his pass attempts (21-for-33). Ethan Lane is 21-for-46 for 146 yards.

Jordan Bell leads the receiving corps with 17 catches for 236 yards. Drew Hickmott has 12 receptions for 92 yards, and Kristian Kilpatrick has 11 catches for 123 yards and has caught both of the Warriors' touchdown passes this season.

Luke Johnson leads the defense with 44 total tackles this season, 19 solo. He adds 3.0 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry to his totals. Max Edwards leads the team in pass rushing with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, while ranking second in tackles with 35. CJ Gordon has 29 stops, third on the team. He's made 1.5 TFLs and leads the team with three QB hurries.