Grand Valley State University’s football team welcomed the University of West Florida Argonauts, ranked twentieth, to Lubbers Stadium for a blackout-themed game. After a slow first half, the Lakers picked up the pressure against the Argonauts with a second half shutout, and won 31-7.
The Lakers started the game with dominance. Their opening drive was on the shoulders of running back Khalil Eichelberger, who got five touches for 52 yards. Once the Lakers got within scoring range, they turned to Eichelberger, who would then punch it in to give GVSU a 7-0 lead.
In all four games this season, GVSU has scored on every one of their first drives. At the same time, the Lakers have not allowed a first quarter point this season. The Lakers have outscored opposing teams 49-0 throughout the four games’ opening quarters.
“After these fast starts, (we’ve) got to keep pouring it on,” said head coach Scott Wooster. “(We’re) super proud of our start this year, and especially today.”
After the quick start and a rapid drive to score, the game stalled significantly. Both teams’ defenses were getting in the backfield and shutting down plays. Following the GVSU touchdown, the crowd saw eight straight punts, and no points for either side.
Then, a game changing play was made by West Florida when GVSU fumbled the ball, and as a result, the Argonauts scored a touchdown. The crowd was dead silent, as many were confused by what had happened. The Lakers were knotted up 7-7.
However, championship level teams know how to respond when adversity hits, and that’s exactly what GVSU did. After the offensive struggles, and giving up a defensive score, the Lakers marched down the field on the very next possession. This drive was in large part due to the 30-yard pass from Avery Moore to Kyle Nott.
The drive ended with a Moore rushing score, and the Lakers took back the lead 14-7. This ended up being the score going into halftime after a late drive by West Florida was abruptly ended by an interception from Jason Hardy.
The second half started much like the first ended, with Moore being effective on the ground. The first play from scrimmage was a 37-yard scramble from the senior quarterback. Once the Lakers were in the red zone, they called his number again. On a quarterback run, Moore scored to extend his team’s lead to 14.
West Florida responded with a 48-yard drive, and got into GVSU territory late in the third. While driving, the Argonauts would be met with a fourth down decision, which they elected to go for. However, the Lakers pass rush was too strong and, like many drop backs, there was a black jersey in the backfield.
GVSU was just one sack away from tying their record in a single game. They finished with nine sacks behind the brilliant play of Niles King, who finished with six total tackles and two assisted sacks.
“We started smelling blood in the water,” said King.
Then, on the second play following the turnover on downs, Nott would make a 32-yard one-handed snag, eerily similar to the one he made during the game against Ferris State University a season ago.
At this point, the Lakers were in control of the game. The nail in the coffin would come in the fourth quarter when, once again, Eichelberger made a 50-yard touchdown. The final score was 31-7, extending the Lakers’ winning streak to 4-0.
On Oct. 5, GVSU will take the short trip to Davenport to take on the Panthers for the University’s second away game of the season.
