The Grand Valley State University football team was firing on all cylinders against Assumption University on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Lubbers Stadium, with a dominant 43-7 victory. The Assumption Greyhounds, ranked twenty-third in the nation, visiting from Massachusetts to challenge the number four-ranked Lakers for the school’s first-ever matchup.
The game was ultimately decided by the end of the third quarter, with AU’s defense having no game plan to combat Lakers’ senior quarterback Cade Peterson. The explosive GVSU offense started off both halves with scoring drives, allowing the defense to minimize any hopes of a comeback.
The Lakers stormed out of the gates on a huge opening game score, with Peterson connecting with redshirt freshman wide receiver Kellen Reed for a 67-yard touchdown.
“We talked about getting off to a great start, so definitely getting in there and making a big play at first, it sets the right tempo,” Reed said.
The early 7-0 lead did not change until GVSU scored a 21-yard field goal with three minutes left in the half, giving the Lakers a 10-0 advantage. AU held on for as long as possible before a 91-yard drive by GVSU resulted in a red-zone passing touchdown to receiver Darrell Johnson. As the first half came to a close the Lakers led 17-0.
The beginning of the second half was no better for AU, as Peterson ran a 20-yard touchdown in to take a 23-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
“We’re the best first and fourth-quarter football team in the country, and we just have not played a third quarter,” Wooster said. “The way we started the second half, I couldn’t be more proud of and excited.”
After a few back-and-forth empty possessions from both teams, AU would find themselves in the red zone for the only time during the game, punching in a touchdown pass to make the score 23-7. GVSU, however, responded with authority after just six plays and 81 yards with a rushing touchdown by senior running back Tariq Reid. The Lakers’ 30-7 lead going into the final quarter was a deficit too great to overcome for the visiting team from Worcester, Mass.
GVSU’s momentum would carry on through the fourth quarter with both Peterson and running back Derrick Woods scoring a touchdown on the ground, pushing the score to 43-7 by the time the clock hit zero.
The Laker’s combined attack on the ground and in the air proved to be too much to handle for the Greyhounds. Peterson said the success can be sustained in the coming weeks by “trusting players to do their job when we need them to.”
Peterson was taken out of the game halfway through the fourth quarter, still managing to throw for 237 yards with two passing touchdowns and another two touchdowns running, Peterson added 60 yards rushing as well.
While AU may be a region away, the Greyhounds and the Lakers are connected through GVSU’s former Head Coach Brian Kelly, who coached at both programs well before his current position as the head coach for Louisiana State University. Kelly was the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach for the Greyhounds from 1983-86 before he took the head coaching position at GVSU in 1987.
While the history is there to be appreciated, AU would likely prefer to forget their first matchup with GVSU, who will undoubtedly be in high spirits following the big win on Saturday.
The Lakers look to build on the two-game winning streak on Sept. 30 at Saginaw Valley State University. GVSU finds themselves at 2-1 heading into week four of the season as they get closer to the highly anticipated rematch against Ferris State University on Oct. 14.
