The 49-24 victory over the Cardinals (7-3, 7-3 GLIAC) was the team’s seventh straight win in the series and helped GVSU (8-3, 7-3 GLIAC) to finish atop the GLIAC North division.

“We just wanted to come out and focus on what we had to do to win this ball game and have fun doing it,” said senior linebacker Brad Howard. “I’m obviously not happy about the beginning of the season, but we improved a lot during the season, won seven straight games and I couldn’t ask for any more – maybe just getting a playoff spot.”

Despite the 25-point victory and a seven-game winning streak to end the season, Howard and the Lakers will not get that chance to play in the postseason.

It will be the first time since 2000 that GVSU will not vye for a national championship. The team’s three-game losing streak to open the conference season proved too much to overcome, and the Lakers were left on the outside looking in.

Wayne State University and Saginaw Valley, the team the Lakers defeated Saturday, were the selections from the GLIAC.

Playoffs or not, the Lakers played their game on Saturday as if it were the playoffs. They out-gained the Cardinals 541-338 on offense and forced them into four turnovers, three of which were fumbles.

“It’s Grand Valley-Saginaw – we hate them, they hate us – so that was our mentality,” said senior defensive lineman Andre Thomas. “I feel like it was a successful season, we lost our three games in the beginning of the season and we came back and fought. I’m proud about it, I’m happy.”

After allowing Saginaw Valley quarterback Jonathon Jennings to break a 60-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, the GVSU defense locked down and held the opposition to 179 yards of total offense in the half.

“If you ask me the difference in that ball game, turnovers were obviously a big factor in the ball game, but the other thing was just the physicality,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “Grand Valley was by far the more physical team in that game. Near the end of that game, some of their guys weren’t even out on the field just because I think we were so physical and kept coming after them.”

That physicality was apparent on defense, but the Lakers did much of the same on offense. Redshirt freshman tailback Chris Robinson put together a career day, rushing for 175 yards and three touchdowns with 150 of those yards coming in the second half.

“It was a great day with Chris Robinson,” Mitchell said. “He was the hot hand so we just kept going to him. Chris has been very humble. He knows he’s talented, but he’s been very humble through the process, and I thought he carried himself very well today for being a redshirt freshman in that type of environment.”

On top of the production on the ground, the game also featured a battle between the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks. Assisted by his team’s effort on the ground, sophomore quarterback Heath Parling threw for 224 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while Saginaw Valley counterpart Jennings threw for 172 yards, a score and an interception.

Benefiting from Parling’s day was a pair of GVSU receivers, who set 1,000-yard milestones on Saturday. Junior Charles Johnson’s five receptions for 53 yards put him at 1,030 yards receiving for the season; and senior Jovonne Augustus caught three passes for 34 yards and got to 1,006 yards for his career.

With all of the ups and downs of the season, the Lakers finished the season strong. They won’t have these seniors, but those returning will have their chance at redemption in 2012.

“I’m especially proud of our seniors, just a bunch of warriors,” Mitchell said. “You lose three games and you’ve got a bunch of stuff going on and people doubting things, and the guys just kept showing up to work. I’ve said that all along, but our senior class was the reason we were able to finish the year with a seven-game win streak and be where we’re at. I appreciate our seniors setting the tone heading into 2012.”

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