DETROIT-- The Saginaw Valley State football team had an emphatic victory at Wayne State on Saturday at Tom Adams Field, 49-3. The Cardinals (3-4, 1-2 GLIAC) allowed the Warriors (0-7, 0-3 GLIAC) to gain just 31 yards on offense.
"It's always fun to win," SVSU head coach Michael Engle said. "It's great to get back into the win column, great to get a conference win. I thought the guys battled, thought they played really hard, and I am just proud of them getting the job done."
SVSU forced a three-and-out on the very first drive of the game. Ty Robertson (Saginaw, Mich., Heritage HS) recorded a sack on the first play of the game to set the tone for the Cardinals' defense. Robertson then picked up a tackle-for-loss and a pass breakup on the next drive before a sack from Josh Williams forced another Wayne State punt. Devin Miles (Danville, Ill. , Danville HS) got SVSU on the board with a 13-yard rushing touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Cardinals in front, 7-0.
The second quarter started slow with the teams trading seven straight scoreless drives. Action picked up quickly following the two-minute timeout. Miles capped off a 68-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to put SVSU up 14-0. Wayne State got a good kickoff return to start their ensuing drive, but another three-and-out took only 29 seconds off the clock. The Cardinals scored again just one play later on a 59-yard strike from Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind., Brownsburg HS) to JT Webber (Grand Blanc, Mich., Grand Blanc HS). SVSU led at halftime, 21-0. The Saginaw Valley State defense held WSU to -3 yards of offense in the first half.
A Cardinal fumble on the kickoff to open the second half gave Wayne State the ball in good field position. They kicked a field goal to make the score 21-3. SVSU scored a touchdown just over five minutes later. Whitaker connected on another long strike, this time to Matt Vaughn (Stevensville, Mich., Lakeshore HS) for a 64-yard score. Leading 28-3, the Cardinals put together another sustained drive that ended in an eight-yard rushing touchdown for Cornell Beard (Shaker Heights, Ohio, Shaker Heights HS). SVSU now led 35-3. Sean Hodges (Detroit, Mich., Cass Tech HS) took an interception back to the endzone for a 32-yard pick-six, his second of the season, to put SVSU ahead 42-3 at the end of the third quarter.
Saginaw Valley State scored one last touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Cooper Arnedt (Dexter, Mich., Dexter HS) led a six-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Pelt (Saginaw, Mich., Swan Valley HS). It was Arendt's first career touchdown and Pelt's first career receiving touchdown. SVSU won by a final score of 49-3.
Whitaker had a strong performance for SVSU in his first start for the Cardinals. He went 14/19 for 293 passing yards and two touchdowns. Vaughn and Webber each had over 100 receiving yards. Vaughn recorded four receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown and Webber finished with three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Miles had 11 carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Robertson, Xavier Chasen (Pontiac, Mich., Waterford Mott HS), Carlton Freeman (Kalamazoo, Mich., Loy Norrix HS), Josh Williams, and Allon Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio, Roger Bacon HS) all recorded a sack (Robertson had two). Adom LeDuc (Sterling Heights, Mich., Adlai E. Stevenson HS) and James McDonald (Warren, Mich., De La Salle HS) each had a team-high five tackles. Teagen Lenderink (Rockford, Mich., Brentwood Academy TN) went 7-7 on extra points.
The Cardinals out gained Wayne State, 474-31. They held the Warriors to just 0.4 yards-per-carry. SVSU also had 19 first downs compared to just three for Wayne State.
"The defense was terrific," Coach Engle said. "I thought they started fast from the jump. They were physical, they were violent. Everything we wanted to see today, we saw from them."
Up Next: Saginaw Valley State will host a ranked Grand Valley State Lakers team in the Battle of the Valleys on October 24 at 2:00 at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium.
