Grand Valley State University’s football team traveled to Michigan Tech University on Saturday, Nov. 9 to take on the Huskies. The Lakers were able to control the entire game, and earn a 20-0 shutout win.
A big aspect coming into this game was the return of starting quarterback Avery Moore, who was previously out due to concussion protocol. He was able to return to the field and take back command of the Lakers’ offense.
The game started a bit stagnant, as both teams were unable to get a real rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. The crowd saw five straight drives end in a punt before the first points of the game were scored.
The first score belonged to the Lakers. After leaning on junior running back Syone Usman-Harper for the early stages of the drive, the Lakers turned to sophomore Khalil Eichelberger to capitalize on it. Eichelberger powered his way in from the one-yard line and gave GVSU a 7-0 lead.
The Huskies got the ball back, but weren’t able to do much with the drive. A large part of this was due to the fact that GVSU senior Ian Kennelly had three solo tackles in a row. This completely stalled the MTU drive, and forced a punt.
Moore showed up big during this drive, making plays on the ground and through the air. The only issue was that halftime was approaching rapidly. After several runs from both Eichelberger and Usman-Harper, the Lakers found themselves within scoring range.
At this point in the game, Moore was able to find senior Kyle Nott for a 14-yard touchdown pass. GVSU was now up 14-0 with just 25 seconds remaining. This was the score going into the half.
Out of the half, GVSU opened up with an impressive drive from their offense. The Lakers were able to drive the ball all the way down to the Huskies’ five-yard line. Once there, MTU was able to force GVSU into a fourth down situation.
GVSU coach Scott Wooster elected to go for the touchdown on fourth down and sent his offense back onto the field. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they were unable to convert. However, the aggressive play calling should not go unnoticed, as GVSU was playing to win.
Many times when a head coach goes for it on the fourth down, it says more about their trust in defense than anything else. The Lakers’ defense knew that and went out strong on the field. Michigan Tech had the ball for not even a minute, and was forced to punt the ball back after a quick three and out.
This felt like the turning point in the game. After getting a short field to work with, the Lakers’ offense took full advantage of the gift their defense gave them. They went eight plays down the field and scored on a quarterback scramble by Moore. The point after was missed, and the score was now 20-0. This was the only score of the third quarter and the last score of the game.
The final score remained 20-0– the first time GVSU shutout MTU since the 1980s.
“We love this trip (to Michigan Tech),” said Moore. “Getting the win means the world.”
The Lakers have stayed perfect in the month of November, and Wooster was pleased with his team’s efforts.
“(It was) a ‘we all we got’ win,” said Wooster, making an allusion to the team’s phrase “We All We Got.” “This (was) a brotherhood trip.”
GVSU football will travel to Illinois to take on Roosevelt University for their final regular season game on Saturday, Nov. 16.
