All it took was a little Kirk Spencer to get the Grand Valley State football team back on track.

The Lakers (3-1, 2-1 GLIAC) stomped Lake Erie 65-23 on Saturday afternoon in Painesville, Ohio.

Going into the game, Lake Erie (1-3, 1-3 GLIAC) was ranked last in the GLIAC in rushing yards per game at 293. It didn’t take long for GVSU to exploit the Storm’s biggest weakness.

Spencer rushed for 164 yards and four touchdowns, and threw a 29-yard touchdown to Jamie Potts on his only pass.

“Both the offense and defense played great,” Spencer said. “The offensive line got a great push and were able to push the defensive line back four or five yards at a time.

“The line was just creating holes. I was just reading what the coaches told me to read. A lot of help came from Martayveous Carter taking some of the weight off me.”

Both defenses struggled to keep the offenses in check in the first half, but the Lakers were the only ones able to keep the offensive firepower flowing through the whole game.

GVSU racked up 678 total yards on offense, while Lake Erie picked up 566.

GVSU got off to a quick start, as quarterback Bart Williams hit sophomore receiver Brandon Bean for a 73-yard touchdown pass reminiscent of Bean’s touchdown against Ferris State last week.

Four minutes later, Spencer punched in his first touchdown of the day, and GVSU was up 14-0, seemingly in control.

The Storm, however, wouldn’t leave. GVSU and Lake Erie traded punches for much of the first half, and the Storm held tight.

Lake Erie outgained GVSU 389 yards to 358 yards in the first half, but the Lakers took a 34-23 lead into the locker room.

The second half was a different story.

The GVSU defense was a different unit in the second half. The Lakers didn’t allow a point in the half, while the offense hung 31 on the Storm.

“The second half we didn’t give up big plays,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “Our red zone defense was good. We got a couple fourth downs, blocked a field goal. In the first half we didn’t have opportunities to play red zone defense because they were scoring on big chunk plays. We did a great job in the second half.”

GVSU quarterback Bart Williams didn’t put the ball in the air much, but when he did, he was effective. Williams completed 12 of 17 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Williams didn’t throw an interception for the first time this season.

“That’s probably the most important stat honestly,” Williams said about the turnovers. “I don’t know yards, completions or attempts, but I know every time I threw the ball it was either a touchdown or we got to snap the ball the next play. It feels good to get through four quarters without turning the ball over.”

Led by Spencer, the Lakers rushed for a season-high 387 yards, including an 8.8 yards per carry total. Freshman Martayveous Carter rushed for 93, while backup quarterback Ollie Ajami dashed for 90 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown.

Potts led the Lakers in the receiving game. The senior hauled in four catches for 102 yards to go with his touchdown catch from Spencer.

“I really think today was kind of the first time that I got back into it,” Potts said. “My first game last week was pretty tough, but today kind of felt like the old me.”

Spencer scored on runs of 6, 6, 10 and 68 yards. Bart Williams connected with wide receiver Matt Williams on a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Defensive back Marquez Gollman snagged a 35-yard pick six to put the Lakers up 55-23 in the fourth quarter.

Junior kicker Joel Schipper nailed a 28-yard field goal to expand GVSU’s lead to 58-23, before Ajami’s 58-yard scramble pasted the final score of 65-23 on the scoreboard.

GVSU next hits the gridiron against Hillsdale (1-3, 1-2 GLIAC) on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Lubbers Stadium.