Posted: Oct 17, 2025
Game 7: Saginaw Valley at Grand Valley State
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Lubbers Stadium | Allendale, Mich.
Preview Interview: Coach Brady
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Video - https://flosports.link/4nEhv83
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KICK-OFF
Saginaw Valley State University football aims for a third straight win as the Cardinals (3-3, 2-0 GLIAC) travel to the west side of the state for the Battle of the Valleys against Grand Valley State.
Last Time Out...
SVSU soared to a 55-10 win over Roosevelt on Saturday. The Cardinals (3-3, 2-0 GLIAC) dominated, piling up 560 total yards, including 374 rushing, against the Lakers (1-4, 0-2 GLIAC).
The impressive performance was due in large part to the Saginaw Valley offensive line, which fueled the Cardinals' 7.6 yards per carry average.
Mason McKenzie was 13-for-18 through the air with 186 yards and two touchdown passes. He also carried the ball for 58 yards on the ground, contributing to the SVSU rushing totals. Terrence Brown Jr. led SVSU on the ground and at receiver, recording 69 yards rushing on three carries and a rushing touchdown, and finishing with a team-high 62 yards receiving on three catches.
Nick Patterson scored twice in the opening four minutes to put the Cardinals up 14-0 against Roosevelt, and SVSU sailed to a win from there.
Michael Jamerson III scored twice and had a team-high 13 carries, which he moved for 58 yards. Jaquan Howard took the opening kickoff back 63 yards to set up the first SVSU score before scoring his own touchdown in the fourth quarter from 36 yards out.
Eric Craft and Braden Hill each caught touchdown passes from McKenzie. Craft hauled in a 35-yarder in the second quarter that capped a three-play, 60-yard drive, putting SVSU up by four scores. Hill added a 32-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
On defense, Jaden Bevier and James McDonald led the Cardinals with seven tackles each, with McDonald also intercepting a pass in the second quarter. Adom LeDuc made six tackles and broke up a pass. Junyoung Chung, Nathan Kibambe, Christian Boivin, Mason Nickel, and Jamil Thomas contributed five tackles apiece. Thomas also logged two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
1st-AND-10
• 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 1,164 passing yards and 518 rushing yards this season. McKenzie ranks 6th in NCAA DII, 1st in the GLIAC, in rushing yards per carry (7.73) and 24th in rushing yards per game (86.3). His GLIAC-leading 280.3 yards of total offense also ranks 19th in the nation.
• Four Cardinals have broken into the career leaders list: McKenzie is currently 6th in completion percentage (58.3%). He is 7th in total yards (4,628), 8th in completions (247), ninth in passing yards (3,379) and passing touchdowns (24), and 10th in pass attempts (446). Tylor McCoon is tied for 6th in average yards per punt with 39.0. Jaquan Howard remains 4th in all-time kick return yards (985). He is 106 yards short of moving into the top three of that chart. 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 58.0 tackles and ranks 18th in D2 with 9.8 tackles per game.
• Junyoung Chung has 36 tackles, second-most on the team, and 16 solo tackles.
• Adom LeDuc helps lead the Cardinal pass rush with two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He has 23 tackles total, which is the third-most on the team.
• Jaden Bevier leads with 2.5 sacks for the Cardinals. He has 24 tackles this season, 10 solo.
• James McDonald is fourth on the team in tackles with 26. He has a fumble recovery and is one of five Cardinals with an interception this season.
ABOUT THE LAKERS
Roosevelt enters this week in search of its first GLIAC win of 2025. The Lakers fell 66-0 to Ferris State at home last Saturday.
RU defeated Quincy in week one, 23-21, before defeats to Southwest Baptist, UW-Oshkosh, and top-ranked Ferris State.
Roosevelt leads the GLIAC in passing offense, averaging 257 yards per game. Running back Cam Davis ranks sixth in the league with 263 yards. Quarterback Zach Zella leads the GLIAC in passing yards per game with 239.5. He is completing 61% (82-of-134) of his passing attempts for 958 yards and eight touchdowns. Norion Espadron ranks fourth in receiving yards with 267.
Kamal Mukarram leads the Lakers in tackles with 35 (tied for sixth-most in the GLIAC). Brandon Harvey has the second-most tackles on the team with 28. He has 1.5 tackles for loss as well. Payton Orth leads the team with stops behind the line of scrimmage with 2.5.
THE SERIES
Grand Valley State enters this week after starting 2-0 in GLIAC play with wins over Davenport and Northern Michigan.
The Lakers (4-1, 2-0 GLIAC) lost a low-scoring contest to Pittsburg State, 17-14, in week three while boasting wins against Lincoln (Pa.) and Black Hills State (S.D.) to start the season.
GVSU recovered from a slow start in the first half to win 35-7 over Northern Michigan on the road last week. The Lakers entered the locker room at the half tied 7-7 with the Wildcats before rattling off 28 points in the second half (21 in the third) while pitching a second-half shutout on defense.
The Lakers are led by quarterback Andrew Schuster. He ranks second in the GLIAC in passing, completing 61.6% of his passes for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Syone Usma-Harper leads the Lakers with 159 rushing yards and one touchdown. Brady Drogosh has 150 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns on the year.
Kellen Reed and Lynn Wyche-El are the team leaders with three touchdown receptions. Reed has a team-best 243 receiving yards, while Wyche-El has 214. Sean Byrd and Donovan Johnson have caught two touchdown passes.
The GVSU defense is led by Anthony Cardamone with 35 tackles. He is tied for the team-high with two sacks and also has 4.0 tackles for loss. Jimmy Downs is the only other Laker with more than 30 stops (32). He has 5.5 tackles for loss, a team high, and 1.5 sacks. Josh Anderson leads the team with four pass breakups and is one of seven GVSU players with an interception.
the series
This is the 64th meeting between Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State. The Lakers hold the series lead at 42-11 and have won the last 12 meetings in the series. Five of the last 10 matchups have been decided by one score or less, with last year's meeting being one of those, with GVSU escaping out of Wickes Memorial Stadium with a 16-9 win.
The 2019 meeting in Lubbers Stadium was a 35-28 win for GVSU, and the 2018 showdown was a 31-28 close call. 2016 saw the only overtime meeting in the series, with the Lakers securing a double-overtime win of 62-56.
The last SVSU victory was a 55-52 shootout in University Center on November 10, 2012. The Cardinals have not won at GVSU since 2003.