That was the case for three quarters Saturday, but GVSU (4-3, 3-3 GLIAC) used 28 fourth-quarter points to put away Lake Erie (1-6, 0-5 GLIAC) and stamp the ticket to a 61-31 victory, GVSU’s third straight.

“Eventually, what happened was we were able to keep running our zone (running) play, and we kind of wore them out and got some really big gains,” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell. “I think Norman Shuford played his best game at Grand Valley, and a couple of turnovers late may have made the score maybe a bigger differential then the game was.”

Led by the career-best performance of running back Norman Shuford, the Lakers found a way to pull away from the persistent Storm early in the fourth quarter. The junior’s 49-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter helped spark the first of four unanswered touchdowns.

Shuford, who finished with a whopping 285 yards of total offense, had two touchdowns of more than 40 yards in the game and teamed with junior Hersey Jackson to give the Lakers a strong running game on a night where winds gusts reached 22 mph.

Jackson, who sat out last week’s game against Northern Michigan University with a shoulder injury, put together a productive game in his return, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought both guys played well, but the dimension that Norman added, besides being able to consistently rip off big runs, was by making some good catches,” Mitchell said. “We had a third-and-long and we ran him down the middle of the field and Heath hit him for a touchdown. He had a good approach all week, and he played very well.”

Sophomore quarterback Heath Parling finished the game only 9-of-20 passing for 201 yards, but Shuford’s three receptions for 118 yards helped give the offense a spark.

While the offense found a way to move the ball, the defense – coming off a four-interception game last week – struggled early. The Lakers allowed 320 yards in the first half before finding their footing in the second, giving up just 162 yards and forcing two turnovers.

“It’s very important for us to get turnovers, and it shows us that we can play better than we have these previous four weeks,” said senior defensive end Andre Thomas. “That gives us the right mentality that we can go out there and play against anybody.”

Lake Erie quarterback Sean Bedevelsky finished the game 22-of-38 for 280 yards passing and two touchdowns, and freshman running back Rod Smith finished the game with 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Despite Lake Erie’s offensive production, the Laker defense came to the forefront in the fourth quarter, intercepting Bedevelsky twice, including one by safety Erik Thompson that was returned 49 yards for the game’s final touchdown.

“The turnovers are a big momentum changer, especially when we give the offense better field position or even just with scoring by putting points on the board with our defense, which is even better.” said Thompson, who leads the team with four interceptions.

Thompson’s level of play has gone up along with his team’s. The sophomore has scored touchdowns on interception returns in consecutive weeks, and his 100-yard kickoff return score Saturday showed off his versatility with the team.

“He’s basically a really dangerous athlete when he gets the ball in his hands,” Mitchell said. “There’s still some things he an improve on – he missed some tackles tonight – but when he has the ball in his hands, he’s a dangerous athlete.”

His 35.2-yard kickoff return average now ranks first in the GLIAC and third in the nation. Mitchell cited the team’s special teams play, highlighted by Thompson’s return and a blocked field goal at the end of the first half, as a major contributor to GVSU’s victory.

“All six of our special teams were critical, and I could go through all of them,” Mitchell said. “We missed on extra point, and the wind affected the kicking game, but we made two field goals and blocked another before the half.”

The Lakers will return to Allendale looking to prepare for a rivalry game against Ferris State University on Saturday.

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