The No. 20 Grand Valley State football team took a giant step forward with a comeback win against No. 7 Ohio Dominican on Saturday afternoon.

The Lakers (2-0) beat the Panthers 27-24, after falling to ODU (1-1) in consecutive seasons in 2013 and 2014.

“I think the right word is grit,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “We talked about that through fall camp and we showed a lot of grit throughout.”

GVSU forced five turnovers in the second half, but scored just six total points off the changes in possession.

Down 24-17 midway through the fourth, the Lakers capped a 71-yard drive with Kirk Spencer’s second touchdown rush of the day.

On the ensuing kickoff, GVSU forced a fumble, and Jacob Studdard recovered.

Joel Schipper nailed a 22-yard field goal to put the Lakers up 27-24 with 3:32 to go.

Then, it was Marquez Gollman’s turn. ODU drove down to the GVSU 28-yard line, but Gollman and Tre Walton layed a lick to ODU’s Dez Stewart, and GVSU’s Donte Carey recovered the fumble.

From there, the Lakers were able to run out the clock.

GVSU’s defense surrendered just seven points in the second half. More importantly, GVSU’s defense forced five turnovers in the second half.

“Our first hallmark on defense is relentless pursuit to the football,” Gollman said. “(The coaches) tell us anything good that’s going to happen is going to happen at the end of the play. We had a big party at the football today.”

ODU outgained the Lakers 415-323 yards in the contest, but GVSU outscored ODU 10-0 in the fourth quarter to secure the upset win.

In last season’s loss in Allendale, a blocked punt doomed the Lakers. This year, the Panthers blocked two GVSU punts.

But the Lakers endured.

On a day where the offense struggled to capitalize on good field position, resilience showed through.

Spencer led the charge, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts. Spencer also returned three kickoffs for 81 yards.

“It’s a great win against a great team,” Spencer said. “We showed a lot of grit and played through adversity.”

Quarterback Bart Williams neither stood out nor shrunk down, throwing for 195 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 15-31 attempts.

Williams’ lone touchdown was to his favorite target – Matt Williams – on a 16-yard toss.

Brandon Bean, however, was the standout of the GVSU receiving corps, hauling in seven catches for 124 yards.

The Lakers turned the ball over just once, winning the turnover battle by four. Despite the disparity in turnovers, the time of possession stats showed GVSU at 30:01 and ODU at 29:59.

Schipper – the picture of consistency – stayed steady for the Lakers, nailing field goals of 44 and 22 yards to help GVSU snag a three-point win.

Schipper’s 44-yard bomb was his career-long,

Gollman also snagged an interception. Senior Matt Judon recorded one sack and a recovered fumble, while cornerback Devin McKissic secured an interception of his own.

“Right now I’m enjoying this win on the road,” Mitchell said. “We’ll get in on the tape and tell the truth on Sunday… From a fan perspective you’re going to want to be there next Saturday. It’s going to be a great atmosphere with two of the top teams in the GLIAC going.”

The Lakers improve to 1-0 in the GLIAC, while the Panthers fall to 1-1. GVSU moves to 2-0 and will battle No. 6 Ferris State at Lubbers Stadium on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.