Saginaw Valley State University football comes off the bye week to host Northern Michigan in the 2025 homecoming game at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium to begin GLIAC play.

 

The Cardinals (1-3) fell to New Haven 35-28 in their first road contest of the season. SVSU trailed 35-7 before scoring 21 unanswered points, but couldn't complete the rally before the end of regulation. The Cardinals held the Chargers (2-2) to just three passing yards in the fourth quarter and outscored New Haven 14-0 in the second half.

 

Quarterback Mason McKenzie led SVSU with 202 yards on 21-of-38 passing and two scores through the air. He also led the Cardinals in rushing with 11 carries for 88 yards and another score.

 

Terrence Brown Jr. and Israel Bradford caught touchdown passes from McKenzie, and Michael Jamerson III scored once on the ground. Brown Jr. finished the game with 52 yards on six receptions to lead the Saginaw Valley receivers, while Jamerson III rushed 19 times for 68 yards.

 

Christian Boivin led the defense once more with six tackles, half of which were solo stops. He also recorded one of two Cardinal takeaways with an interception in the fourth quarter. Joshua Brown had the first pick of the game (the first SVSU takeaway of the season). Junyoung Chung finished with five tackles. Adom LeDuc, Mason Nickel, Allon Hill, and Donovan Lyons recorded four stops.

 

 

• The Cardinals were chosen third in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches poll after gaining one first-place vote and totalling 38 points.

 

• The 2025 schedule features seven home games and four road contests. SVSU drew three-straight at home (Northeastern State, Ganon, Northwood) to begin the season before making its only trip out of the state of Michigan las week against New Haven in Connecticut. The Cardinals open GLIAC play this week for homecoming against Northern Michigan before hosting Roosevelt the following week. Saginaw Valley then makes the first of two trips to Grand Rapids with a game at Grand Valley State for week seven before hosting Wayne State the next weekend. The second trip to Grand Rapids comes in week nine against Davenport. SVSU hosts Ferris State for the final home game of the season in week 10. It is the first time the Bulldogs have visited Saginaw Valley since the 2022 season. The season wraps with a trip to Houghton for a game against the Michigan Tech Huskies.

 

• Mason McKenzie has totaled 735 passing yards and 350 rushing yards this season. McKenzie ranks 10th in NCAA DII in rushing yards per carry (7.78) and 15th in rushing yards (350). His GLIAC leading 271.3 yards of total offense also ranks 25th in the nation.

 

• Four Cardinals have broken into the career leaders list: McKenzie ranks 9th in completion percentage (57.4%) and is tied for 9th in completions with 230. He is just 50 passing yards shy of tying Charles McDowell for eighth with 3,500. Tylor McCoon is 6th in average yards per punt with 39.1. Jaquan Howard remains 4th in all-time kick return yards (827). Adom LeDuc is 20th in sacks with 13.5. He is a half-sack short of advancing to 19th all-time. Terrence Brown Jr. is just 30 kick return yards outside of the career top 10 list.

 

• Christian Boivin leads the defense with 41 tackles. He had a stellar performance last week, as he anchored the Cardinals' defense in a second-half shutout against NCAA Division I New Haven in which the Chargers had just three passing yards in the fourth quarter. The senior from Traverse City recorded a game-high seven total tackles (five solo, two assists) and delivered a critical takeaway with his fourth-quarter interception that gave SVSU the ball back just outside the red zone with a chance to tie the game.

Boivin was directly involved in multiple stops on New Haven's top rusher, Zaon Laney, including back-to-back tackles on a third-quarter series that forced a turnover on downs.

 

• Adom LeDuc leads the Cardinal pass rush with two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He has 23 tackles total, third-most on the team.

 

• Junyoung Chung has 25 tackles, second-most, and 11 solo tackles.

 

• Jamil Thomas sits fourth in tackles with 16. Sean Hodges has 15 tackles and two PBUs along with a tackle for loss on his stat line.

 

• Jaden Bevier totals 12 tackles and adds a half sack.

 

• Saginaw Valley State ranks 19th nationally in rushing defense, with the unit allowing just 85.0 yards per game so far this season.