Things went relatively according to script yesterday...including Grand Valley imploding on itself once again. While I'll admit that it's hard to call that GV's "script", so far that's what the 2011 Lakers have consistently put on the field. Until we something different, it's hard to expect much else.

Hillsdale 35, Lake Erie 26

We talked last week that The Storm gave Hillsdale fits a year ago, and they did so once again as the entered they fourth quarter with the lead. But the Chargers responded by stuffing LEC on three straight fourth quarter possessions, and Joe Glendening added his fourth and fifth TD's on the day to seal the road win. Anthony Mifsud continues to progress at quarterback for HC, as he was mistake-free and completed passes to ten different receivers.


Michigan Tech 28, Indianapolis 16

The return to Houghton did the Huskies some good as Tyler Scarlett was virtually flawless running the offense, while the defense returned to its suffocating self. Three of the four MTU scoring drives lasted ten plays or more, and Tech racked up more than 37 minutes of possession time in a game that saw neither team put up big offensive numbers. Ryan Forney had eight grabs for 103 yards and a score in the loss for the Greyhounds.


Ferris 48, Tiffin 13

No real surprises here, as the Bulldogs handled their business on the road. Tom Schneider had three scoring tosses to lead the Ferris offense, while his defense backed him up by holding the Tiffin ground game to 32 net yards on the afternoon.


Ashland 45, Northern Michigan 16

The Eagles were rather hospitable hosts in the early going. They coughed up the opening kick-off, which Northern promptly turned into a TD. After falling behind 13-0 at the end of the first, the Eagles then turned into my buddy Marty after one of our college parties..."It's 2:00, I'm tired, EVERYBODY OUT!!!" In other words, AU was less than gracious from there. They pounded the Wildcats on the ground, forced a pair of Carter Kopach interceptions, and even cashed in a blocked punt for a touchdown on their way to a convincing victory. D.J. McCoy returned for a few carries, including finding the end zone twice. However, the heavy lifting for AU was once again done by Jordan McCune, who also scored twice on his way to 143 rushing yards.


Wayne State 31, Ohio Dominican 24

Wayne States first road test of the year was just that. Despite dominating the game statistically, the Warriors really didn't put ODU away until the fourth quarter as the Panthers found ways to hang around deep into the game. Both ground games faired well in this one...ODU's Mike Noffisnger was able to notch 100 yards on the ground for the fourth straight game to open the season, but it wasn't enough as both Toney Davis and Josh Renel surpassed the century mark for Wayne. The difference was the overall balance WSU achieved with their 231 yards passing, 163 of which went to Troy Burrell on eight grabs (TD).


Saginaw Valley 28, Northwood 20

We talked last week that the rivalry nature of this one would keep it close despite these two clubs heading in opposite directions...and we were right. Even though they held a nearly two-to-one edge in total offense, the Cardinals had to get a fourth down stop inside their own ten yard line with less than a minute to go to keep Northwood from notching a potentially tying score. The Cardinal defense shut down The Woodbone to the tune of 69 total rushing yards, and the SV offense was based by Nick Gallina's five grabs for 88 yards and a pair of scores.


Findlay 26, Grand Valley 20

The Lakers returned home after a pair of heartbreaking losses, only to suffer a third straight. Grand Valley out-gained and out-possessed the visiting Oilers, but could not overcome a mistake-prone offense that turned the ball over six times. Conversely, the Oilers protected the ball well and executed their game plan patiently on their way to knocking off Grand Valley for the first time since 1972. Monterae Williams led the Oilers with 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns, despite having 15 of his 22 carries go for four yards or less (including five for losses). The lone bright spot for the Laker offense was Hersey Jackson, who had the best effort of his young career with 124 yards and a pair of TD's on 28 totes.