Posted: Oct 31, 2025
Game 9: Saginaw Valley at Davenport
Saturday, November 1, 2025 | Noon ET
Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex | Caledonia, Mich.
Preview Interview: Coach Brady
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Video - https://flosports.link/4nEhv83
Live Stats - https://dupanthers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Radio - https://alphamediaplayer.com/wsgwsports
KICK-OFF
Saginaw Valley State University football looks to remain unbeaten in GLIAC play and extend its four-game winning streak this weekend against Davenport. The Cardinals (5-3, 4-0 GLIAC) continue to battle for the top spot in the conference, posting a perfect 4-0 record in October.
LAST TIME OUT...
The SVSU defense dominated, allowing just 157 yards of total offense, including only 23 rushing yards, in the 28-7 win over Wayne State last week. The Cardinals held the Warriors (0-8, 0-4 GLIAC) to 0-for-14 on third downs in the winning effort.
Mason McKenzie (Caledonia, Mich. / Caledonia HS) posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game (fifth this season). McKenzie rushed 17 times for 118 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback accounted for all four SVSU scores, including a touchdown pass to open the scoring. He finished 18-of-26 passing for 176 yards, totaling 294 yards of offense.
Terrence Brown Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS) led Cardinal receivers with seven catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. Michael Jamerson III (Flint, Mich. / Davison HS) added 13 carries for 54 rushing yards.
James McDonald (Warren, Mich. / De La Salle HS) and Christian Boivin (Traverse City, Mich. / Traverse City West HS) led the defense with 11 tackles each. This marks McDonald's second straight and third overall double-digit tackle game this season. Boivin also achieved the feat three times and posted a team-high four tackles for loss with two sacks. McDonald added one tackle for loss.
Junyoung Chung (Berrien Springs, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) added seven tackles and one quarterback hurry. Jaden Bevier (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti HS) contributed six tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss.
1ST-AND-10
• Mason McKenzie leads the team in both passing (1,480 yards) and rushing (733 yards) this season. He has completed 60.7% of his passing attempts and is involved in over 50% of the total team touchdowns (18-of-35). He leads the GLIAC in total offense (276.6), ranking 20th in NCAA Division II. His 733 rushing yards rank third in the GLIAC and 23rd in the country.
• McKenzie made his first collegiate start in the game at Davenport two seasons ago. He went 22-for-31 for 156 yards and a rushing touchdown in that debut. He had the Cardinals in position to win the game late, but the Panthers scored a touchdown in the waning seconds to steal a 24-21 win.
• Terrence Brown Jr. is tied for the top spot in the conference in receiving yards (481) and touchdowns (5). Brown's move to the slot has proven beneficial for both him and the team, as he is McKenzie's favorite target with a team-high 39 catches. He is also the team's leading scorer with 54 points.
• Christian Boivin leads the defense with 74.0 tackles. He has compiled 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, one interception, and four pass breakups this season. He ranks fourth in the GLIAC in tackles and anchors a Cardinal defense that allows the second fewest rushing yards per game and has held opponents to under 50 yards rushing twice this year.
• Junyoung Chung has 49 tackles, tied for second-most on the team, with 22 solo stops. He has 1.5 tackles for loss and two breakups to his credit as well.
• Adom LeDuc helps lead the Cardinal pass rush with 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He ties Chung with 42 tackles and has one forced fumble and a pass breakup.
• James McDonald is tied with Chung with 49 stops this season. He has recorded double-digit tackles three times, including the last two games.
• The Cardinals are 1-1 on the road this season. They fell 35-28 to NCAA Division I New Haven on September 20 in the team's only game outside the state of Michigan. SVSU upset then seventh-ranked Grand Valley State, 20-19, two weeks ago in the Battle of the Valleys.
• The Cardinals are on a four-game winning streak and are currently tied with Ferris State for the top spot in the conference with a 4-0 start in league play.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Davenport comes into today's contest after back-to-back GLIAC wins. The Panthers defeated Wayne State 49-14 on the road before cruising past Roosevelt at home last week, 75-23.
Davenport set a school record for points in a game during the win over the Lakers last week. Cephus Harris also set three new individual records for the Panthers with his 181 rushing yards, four touchdown runs, and longest run of 87 yards.
Harris led DU with 780 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns. He is averaging 7.6 yards per carry and has led the team to back-to-back games with 200+ rushing yards, including a season-high 387 last week against Roosevelt.
D'Wan Mathis is the quarterback for Davenport. Mathis is completing 63.9% of his pass attempts (71-111) for 1,024 yards and six touchdowns.
Keonta Nixon is the primary target for Mathis with a team-high 16 catches and 333 yards with two touchdowns. George Sims is right behind him with 16 catches for 210 yards. Earnest Sanders has two touchdown catches.
Latrell Scott leads the defense with 55 tackles and a pass breakup. The trio of Kennedy Nelson, Austin Stief, and Jamon Gibson leads the Panthers in tackles for loss. Nelson and Stief have 7.0 TFLs, while Gibson has 6.0. Nelson also leads DU with three sacks. Jermaine Young adds 2.5 sacks to the stats, and Gibson adds another two.
Ian Jenkins is 2-for-3 in field goal attempts with a season-long of 32 yards. Davenport has two punt returns for touchdowns, with one from Asher Gregory and another from Kevin Underwood. George Sims has a kick return for a touchdown to bring the total special teams scores to three for DU.
THE SERIES
This is the eighth meeting between the Cardinals and the Panthers. The series is currently tied at 3-3 (the SVSU win from the first meeting in 2017 was vacated).
Saginaw Valley has snapped a two-game skid against DU with last year's 24-14 win. Davenport has won three of the previous five meetings. The Cardinals are 2-1 against the Panthers on the road.
The road team is 4-2 in this series; however, the home team has won the last two matchups.
Series Meetings
Oct. 7, 2017 - SVSU 33, DU 0 (Win vacated)
Nov. 10, 2018 - SVSU 24, DU 17
Nov. 16, 2019 - DU 33, SVSU 23
Oct. 30, 2021 - SVSU 24, DU 3
Oct. 29, 2022 - DU 29, SVSU 28
Oct. 28, 2023 - DU 24, SVSU 21
Nov. 2, 2024 - SVSU 24, DU 14
Overall: 3-3 | H: 1-2 | A: 2-1 | Avg. Margin: 8.67