On the road once again this past Saturday, the No. 25 Grand Valley State University football team (5-3) walked out of Detroit with a statement: the Lakers dominated Wayne State University (0-9) in a 59-13 competition.
The Warriors opened the game with a long, methodical drive, pushing all the way inside the Lakers’ 10-yard line. Even when GVSU appeared to have a stop, penalties extended the possession. Penalties were also the difference between a touchdown and field goal for the Warriors, as a touchdown was called back for illegal shift, forcing Wayne State to a 26-yard field goal.
GVSU answered calmly, as redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster spread the ball around, getting the game moving. Short completions to junior tight end Evan Furtney, senior wide receiver Kellen Reed and junior wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El got the offense into rhythm, and a 21-yard strike to Reed set the Lakers up deep in Wayne territory. The drive stalled in the red zone, giving sophomore kicker Mathew Bacik the chance to tie the game, 3-3.
In the second quarter, both defenses settled in early, but the Lakers kept creating problems for themselves with flags. A roughing-the-passer call on third down and pass interference near the red zone gave Wayne State extra yardage and fresh downs. Even with this advantage for Wayne State, the Lakers’ front tightened. Senior linebacker Anthony Cardamone and sophomore linebacker Torian Wyatt sacked the quarterback on third down, and Wayne State had to settle for a field goal again, hitting another short kick and going up 6-3.
That seemed to have sparked something in the Lakers. With under three minutes left in the half, Schuster found sophomore receiver Sean Byrd across midfield, then hit junior running back Derrick Woods underneath and watched him go 31 yards down to the one-yard line. Woods finished the touchdown himself on a one-yard run to give GVSU their first lead of the day.
The very next possession, the GVSU defense sent pressure, forcing a loose ball, and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ryder Gravenhof recovered the ball at the Warriors’ 8-yard line with just over a minute remaining. Behind an offensive line that seemed to have found its rhythm, it took senior running back Syone Usma-Harper three carries to score. In the span of 77 seconds, the score flipped from a 6-3 Wayne State lead to 17-6 in favor of the Lakers going into halftime.
When the Warriors attempted to convert on the ground, Wyatt punched the ball out, and sophomore defensive lineman Jibriel Conde fell on it. One snap later, Schuster found Wyche-El on a catch-and-run to the 23-yard line. Following that, sophomore running back Paschal Jolman went straight up the middle, untouched, for a 23-yard touchdown to put his team ahead, 24-6.
From there, special teams took over. Facing fourth-and-long deep in their own territory, Wayne State tried to run the punter instead of kicking. GVSU blew it up for a massive loss, jarred the ball loose and redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Scott recovered it in the end zone for another touchdown.
However, the Lakers weren’t satisfied with this lead, as Bacik followed that score with a recovered onside kick. Gaining possession of the ball, again, the offensive line went to work. This time, it was sophomore running back Kenneth Jones and redshirt freshman quarterback Zak Olejniczak on the ground, setting up first-and-goal. Jones finished the drive with a 1-yard score, making it 38-6 Lakers.
With under a minute left in the third, Wayne State dropped back to throw. Junior defensive back Jason Hardy jumped a careless Warrior pass, taking the interception 90 yards the other way for a pick-six. In the third quarter alone, the Lakers put up 28 points.
Head coach Scott Wooster complimented his team’s ability to play all three phases against Wayne State, which was a change from previous games.
“Two weeks ago at Saginaw Valley, it was the opposite,” Wooster said. “We made errors in all three phases. Last week, we had a clean special-teams day, and this week, we made big plays on special teams and defense, with two turnovers and the pick-six.”
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers managed to rotate some fresh legs in, and nothing really changed. The offensive line kept moving bodies, and the playmakers kept cashing in. Freshman cornerback Chris Little jumped the route perfectly, and diving, managed to intercept the ball and hand it back to his offense. Redshirt freshman running back Kellen Russell-Dixon ripped a 31-yard run to flip the field position to the goal line. Olejniczak bounced in for a five-yard touchdown to make the score 52-6. The next possession, the depth backs marched again. Russell-Dixon capped the drive with a two-yard score, and his touchdown marked the sixth different Laker to score during the game.
“Everybody eats,” said Wooster. “If you’re preparing and practicing at a championship standard, (everyone) will have opportunities to play on Saturday.”
The win keeps the Wooden Shoes Trophy in Allendale for the sixth straight season, extending the Lakers’ rivalry streak over Wayne State. The game was also a huge win for Wooster against his alma mater. The Lakers now turn toward the homecoming game at Lubbers Stadium, where they will host Michigan Tech University (7-2) Saturday.
