“Defense wins championships” is a commonly used adage in sports.

If it rings true, the Grand Valley State University football team (10-2, 7-2 GLIAC) is off to a good start.

With a little help from the inclement weather, the GVSU defense completely shut down Saginaw Valley State University (9-3, 9-1 GLIAC) and its GLIAC-leading offense in a 40-7 victory in the first round of the Division II playoffs.

“Can’t say enough about our guys,” GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell said. “We just stick together. This team has turned into a team. There’s really no individuals, no stars that are out there making plays. We got a bunch of guys that keep fighting and battling.”

SVSU finished the regular season averaging 40.5 points per game, and it boasted the conference’s top quarterback in Jonathon Jennings and wide receiver in Jeff Janis. But you wouldn’t have been able to tell from watching the Cardinals on Saturday.

SVSU’s league-leading aerial attack (298.5 yards passing per game) was never able to take off. The Cardinals struggled with the 25 mph winds and cold weather all day long. Jennings’ first completion of the game didn’t come until midway through the second quarter, and the 2013 GLIAC Football Player of the Year finished the day completing 13 of 28 passes for 156 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

“We didn’t take advantage of some of those opportunities in the first quarter when we had the wind at our back and great field position,” SVSU head coach Jim Collins said. “I think then we battled two quarters into the wind, and we weren’t able to throw the ball as effectively as you need to in a game like this against a good defense… The conditions were tough, and we couldn’t overcome them.”

Even though the conditions weren’t friendly for a pass-happy offense, it was the adjustments Mitchell and his staff made from last week’s game that were a major factor in limiting the Cardinals’ offensive attack.

Unlike last week, when Jennings ran for three touchdowns, the GVSU defense made a stronger effort to contain him and swarm him when he dropped back to pass.

“As defensive coaches, we came up with a few more things, especially regarding pressuring Jennings,” Mitchell said. “I felt like our defensive line provided more pressure. We got some of our linebackers more involved in the pressure schemes, and so I think that was the biggest thing that you saw was us pressuring more.”

Junior cornerback Deonte’ Hurst was the first Laker to intercept Jennings, and he led GVSU with 12 tackles on the game. Junior defensive tackle Isiah Dunning was the other Laker in double digit tackles, racking up 10.

Senior linebacker Jordan Kaufman and sophomore De’Ondre Hogan hauled in interceptions of their own, as well.

“As a whole defensive unit, we felt like we had something to prove even though we did win last week,” Hurst said. “We still made a lot of mistakes, and we just wanted to come out and prove ourselves and improve as a team and get it done as a unit, so we got it done today.”

While Jennings, struggled in the wind and cold, his quarterback counterpart enjoyed much more success through the air.

GVSU junior quarterback Heath Parling converted 15 of 27 passes for 205 yards and threw for three touchdowns, including two that went into the wind.

“Anytime you get to go out and face a good opponent and compete against a great opponent in the playoffs, it doesn’t really matter what the weather is,” Parling said. “You’re just excited and ready to go, so I’m real proud of our guys.”

After being limited to its season low on the ground last week (111 yards rushing) and a weather forecast that called for unfavorable passing conditions, GVSU made it a point in practice to be successful on the ground. And they did it.

Senior running back Chris Robinson ran for 124 yards on 24 carries to lead the team. Sophomore running back Kirk Spencer was featured in a running back role for the first time since breaking his hand against Ferris State University, and he finished with 46 yards on eight carries, including a 10-yard run for a first down in the fourth quarter. Spencer fought through numerous tackes on third down to keep the drive alive, which eventually resulted in a GVSU touchdown.

“We knew we had to do some things from a schematic standpoint to give our guys an advantage to run the ball,” Mitchell said. “With the forecast being the wind and the snow, we knew we had to establish the run a little bit more. I thought (offensive coordinator) Coach Morrison and the offensive staff did a great job manipulating some things from a schematic standpoint to give our guys a little bit more of a chance to run the ball.”

The win now gives GVSU a 4-0 record against SVSU in the playoffs and an 8-0 record at Lubbers Stadium this year. The team could return to its home turf in a couple of weeks if it beats the No. 3 team in the country Colorado State Pueblo-University (11-0) and West Texas A&M University defeats Ohio Dominican University.

“I was glad for our guy, our seniors, that they were able to win the back-to-back games,” Mitchell said. “That was big for our senior class and big for our program that two times in seven days, we were able to get victories over Saginaw Valley.”

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