October 18th, 2025 7:20pm
From Saginaw Valley sports information:
ALLENDALE, Mich. — The Saginaw Valley State University football team upset No. 7 Grand Valley State 20-19 in the Battle of the Valleys inside Lubbers Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (4-3, 3-0 GLIAC) overcame three turnovers to pull off the one-point victory over the Lakers (4-2, 2-1 GLIAC). The win is the first for SVSU since 2012 and the first road victory at Grand Valley State since 2003.
"[I am] really happy for our players, proud of our coaches. They did it. I couldn't be happier for those guys. The feeling that they are feeling right now is special," said head coach Ryan Brady. "Really proud that our guys hung in there. Stayed in the fight, stayed positive, and just found a way at the end to get it done."
Meijer Player of the Game James McDonald (Warren, Mich. / De La Salle HS) led SVSU with 12 tackles, anchoring a defense that allowed just 38 rushing yards.
Mason McKenzie (Caledonia, Mich. / Caledonia HS) was 11-of-25 for 131 passing yards and rushed 17 times for 100 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
The Cardinals forced a three-and-out on the Lakers' opening drive, then drove 30 yards to the GVSU 35. Teagen Lenderink (Rockford, Mich. / Brentwood Academy TN) hit a career-long 53-yard field goal, putting SVSU up 3-0 at 9:18 in the first quarter.
After SVSU's early field goal, Grand Valley State responded with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Schuster to Pascha Jolman. This completed a six-play, 66-yard drive at 5:50 of the first quarter and gave GVSU a 7-3 lead.
On the next possession, a running into the kicker penalty awarded SVSU five yards and a replay of fourth down. Lenderink then punted 53 yards, and Terrence Brown Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS) stripped GVSU returner Lynn Wyche-El, giving SVSU the ball at the Laker 31. Brown Jr. also led with four receptions for 60 yards and had three carries for 28 yards.
Six plays later, Lenderink hit his second field goal of the quarter, a 25-yarder, to cut the lead to 7-6. The score held for the rest of the first quarter.
Later in the second quarter, Schuster connected with Kellen Reed for a 25-yard touchdown, putting the score at 13-6 with 6:46 left in the first half. After Tyree Hill (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Ann Arbor Huron HS) blocked the PAT, Sean Hodges (Detroit, Mich. / Cass Tech HS) returned it for two points, bringing the score to 13-8.
McKenzie led a 14-play drive that ran off the last 3:02 of the half. He went 6-of-7 for 67 yards and added a nine-yard rush during the drive. Lenderink made his third field goal of the half, a 49-yard kick, as time expired in the second quarter.
Saginaw Valley State had the first opportunity to score in the third quarter, taking the opening drive to the Laker 14-yard line on nine plays, but McKenzie's pass intended for Drew Kaeckmister (Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley HS) was picked off in the end zone, and the score remained at 13-11, GVSU.
Grand Valley State drove the ball to the SVSU 19-yard line as the clock hit zero in the third quarter. The 48-yard field goal to begin the final quarter was no good, and the Cardinals took over from the Laker 30-yard line with a chance to take the lead.
Turnovers continued to plague the Cardinals as McKenzie fumbled at the GVSU three-yard line. Three plays later, on a 3rd-and-9 from the Laker 4-yard line, Schuster was called for an intentional grounding penalty in his own endzone, resulting in a safety for SVSU, and the score was tied, 13-13, with 10:24 left on the clock.
Two drives later, McKenzie scooted for 41 yards on a 3rd-and-6 to score and give the Cardinals their first lead since the first drive of the game. The run completed McKenzie's fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and put SVSU ahead 20-13 with 3:06 left to play in regulation.
The Lakers responded with a nine-play drive that ended in a four-yard touchdown pass from Schuster to Wyche-El to put the score at 20-19, in favor of the Cardinals. GVSU was thwarted on the two-point try by DJ Voltz (Saginaw, Mich. / Carrollton HS), who batted down the pass and preserved the lead for SVSU.
Hodges recovered the onside kick attempt and returned it to the Laker 14-yard line, and Michael Jamerson III (Flint, Mich. / Davison HS) ran for three yards for a first down that allowed the Cardinals to kneel out the clock and seal the victory. Jamerson III tied McKenzie for a team-most 17 carries, totaling 69 yards.