GLIAC Games Of The Week: No. 1 Grand Valley Looks To Avoid Letdown
GLIAC Games Of The Week: No. 1 Grand Valley Looks To Avoid Letdown
Fresh off its thrilling win to claim No. 1, Grand Valley looks to avoid a letdown against Northern Michigan in Week 8 of GLIAC play.
The Anchor-Bone Classic lived up to the billing last week, with No. 2 Grand Valley knocking off then-No. 1 Ferris State in a 22-21 thriller. The GLIAC now heads into the stretch run with two undefeated teams remaining — one of which no one saw coming.
Davenport, which sits at 6-0 overall and is the only team at 3-0 in conference, is the lone team to venture outside the GLIAC this week. The Panthers play host to Lincoln (CA) in what amounts to a tuneup for the late-season push.
This week’s three league games, meanwhile, see the two teams chasing Grand Valley squaring off in what’s likely an elimination game. GVSU for its part looks to avoid a letdown, while the fourth of four Top 25-ranked GLIAC teams remarkably seeks its first conference win of 2022.
Michigan Tech at Ferris State
After falling to Grand Valley State in a classic last week, there’s no rest for the Bulldogs. They turn around from the disappointment of a hard-fought loss to play host to a hot Michigan Tech team that’s won back-to-back league games.
The Bulldogs may be wondering what might have been after leading the rival Lakers by 12 with less than eight minutes to go, but surrendered two GVSU two rushing scores in a span of less than five minutes to pull out the win.
For the first time all season, Ferris State’s offense was held in check, converting just 13 first downs, and barely breaking the 300-yard mark. A 2-of-11 showing on third down didn’t help the cause.
Until the final two GVSU drives, however, Ferris State’s top-ranked defense played the part. Even with the late scores, Ferris State still held GVSU to its lowest offensive output all season.
That could bode well for the Bulldogs, as they prepare to take on a Michigan Tech team that, despite its 2-1 GLIAC mark, is the conference’s lowest-scoring team.
It’s not prolific offense buoying Tech, though, as last week’s contest demonstrated. The Huskies instead rode a smothering defensive effort to a 21-7 Miner’s Cup win over rival Northern Michigan, surrendering only a garbage time touchdown and just 220 yards of total offense. Tech shined on third downs, holding Northern to just one conversion on 11 attempts.
While the defense did its part, the offense did just enough with three touchdown passes of 20 or more yards: two from Will Ark to wide receiver Darius Willis, and one from Willis to Brandon Michalak.
Caught 2 and threw for 1. pic.twitter.com/QBtRbgWi6P
— Michigan Tech Football (@MTUFB) October 15, 2022
A similarly heroic defensive performance and a few of those explosive plays may be what Tech needs to have a shot at catching Ferris State off-guard.
Northern Michigan at Grand Valley State
On the other side of the Anchor-Bone Classic is Grand Valley State. With their dramatic, come-from-behind win, the Lakers are in the driver’s seat for the GLIAC championship and sit atop the Div. II poll.
The Lakers won nearly every offensive category last week against Ferris State, and had it not been for a pair of turnovers, might have added a little padding to the final margin.
With Ferris State in the rearview, GVSU looks to make its final push for the top overall seed in the Playoffs. Boasting a scoring defense that ranks fifth nationally at 11.7 points allowed per game and the ninth-highest scoring offense at 38.6 points a contest certainly helps the Lakers’ case.
While GVSU sits stop the world of Div. II football, Northern finds themselves reeling, having lost two in a row after opening league play with a win.
The struggle for the Wildcats has been on offense, where they’re the second-lowest scoring team in the league. Last week, they were held to 220 yards in a loss to rival Michigan Tech.
Still, Northern Michigan’s not an opponent for GVSU to overlook. The Wildcats took the Lakers to the brink a year ago before falling, 28-24.
Saginaw Valley State at Wayne State
It seems impossible that a team that’s 0-2 in league play could be ranked in the Top-25, but that’s the case for SVSU. Of course, the Cardinals’ two losses are to Ferris State and Grand Valley State, and they’re 5-0 against everyone else. Most recently, SVSU steamrolled past a UIndy team that came in ranked No. 8, 38-14.
The Cardinals ripped off 31 consecutive wins in the rout, and shined both in special teams and on defense. Derek Thomason returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to open the scoring, and four different Cardinals picked off passes.
@_nickwhiteside Has been working.
— Dan McKeown (@McKeownDB) October 17, 2022
?⬆️ The Working Breed ?⬆️. pic.twitter.com/eNFhLbU0uz
With GVSU and Ferris State out of the way, it sets up the Cardinals nicely for a potential run to close out GLIAC play with four straight wins. That could be enough to seal an at-large playoff berth.
For Wayne State, GLIAC play has been a tale of close but no cigar. The Warriors have lost five straight games to fall to 1-6, 0-3 in the conference with the league losses coming by four, one, and seven points.
Last week marked a heartbreaker against Davenport, 47-43, in which the Warriors took the lead with under five minutes to play only for the Panthers to answer and score the winning touchdown with nine seconds left. It was the Warriors’ second straight loss determined in the final minute.
Despite its record, Wayne State continues to impress on the ground. The Warriors racked up more than 270 yards in last week’s game and rank 32nd in Div. II at 193.3 rushing yards per game.