Tiffin @ Davenport

Tiffin "got right" last week...playing Lake Erie will do that for you. Now, they face a Davenport squad that has been, in all honesty, surprisingly underwhelming thus far. I'm not intending to disparage them, and things may look quite a bit different by the season's end. That said, they have a few D1 guys on the roster and they figured out how to win some ballgames last year. No, NAIA teams aren't the same, but there are schollie guys on those clubs nonetheless so it's not like those outfits are all loaded with guys who can't play. DU did give Tiffin a rough go in last season's tilt, so you have to think they will sport some confidence coming in. In reality, this comes down to the Tiffin offense getting comfortable ino what it wants to do. Nick Watson is settling in at QB, and as long as he can find Charles Holland anytime he wants it'll be a long day for the Panthers. The bigger concern I have if I am DU is the overall ineffectiveness of their offense thus far. Not sure if starting QB Hunter Krause will be back after missing the GV game or not...if he isn't, this seems like an affair that definitely favors Tiffin.


Ashland @ Northwood

The Eagles rebounded nicely last week. Look, Gang, ODU is no slouch of a team...I'm sure we all remember that. Grant Russell can play, and defending the offense he runs is no small feat. For Ashland to handle them the way they did after the gut-punch loss they took at IUP is respectable. Their reward for that impressive recovery? A trip to Northwood to face a Timberwolf outfit that has jumped out to a 2-0 start. Make no mistake, this may not be your father's Woodbone offense, but its tenets are similar: Run the ball, and control tempo. Through two games, NU has possessed the ball for roughly 37 minutes per contest, and they are averaging 57 rushing attempts per game. They aren't ripping people in the run game, but they are grinding them down to stumps. They'll have to do that to perfection here, as this is going to be easily the best defense they have faced thus far, and some of the new skill guys in that AU offense should be settling in. This one might be a bit tougher than the Eagles expect, but I still see them as the favorite.


GVSU @ Tech

We just talked about a gut-punch loss (GPL) that Ashland took in Week 1. The Week 2 GPL in the GLIAC had to be Tech blowing a 17-point fourth quarter lead at Hillsdale. As I mentioned last week, picking Hillsdale games has been the bane of my existence for more than ten years. When I was writing the column or even in the pick'ems, figuring out what those guys will do (or not do) from week to week is a unique challenge. Suffice it to say that after picking them, I saw the score entering the fourth quarter and was like "well, you're screwing me again, Costanza...er, Hillsdale". I digress.

So, what we have here is two teams that have a decent rivalry over the years, as well as a pair of clubs that probably feel like they should be 2-0. Tech fell apart late in their loss, and GV was underwhelming in theirs. Some of that "underwhelm" continued last week for the Lakers, as the offense was ineffective to the tune of four three-and-outs in the first half against Davenport. I suppose if we look at "momentum", we see that Grand Valley was a bit more effective in the latter stages of last week's game while Tech was less so. I don't think that plays here. Look, at the end of the day there isn't anyone in a football role in this league that doesn't understand that Grand Valley enters this game as the more talented, and certainly deeper team. Whether the Lakers execute or not, is something I think a lot of folks are waiting to see. I'm taking the Lakers, but doubt this one will be a runaway. Tech is always up for GV, especially up in Houghton...Tech winning would not surprise me.


SVSU @ Wayne St

Like the game above, I expect this one to be a slugfest. Saginaw Valley seems to be continuing on its trend of improvement, and has handled its business against its first two opponents...likely teams they should have beaten, but you still gotta go and do it. Wayne let one get away against a good Indianapolis club last week (another GPL, frankly) and they need to recover from that because they will get a serious test from the Cardinals. SV has only allowed 46 yards per game on the ground thus far...but they led throughout both games and neither run game was anywhere near the caliber of what they'll face today. I also think that Wayne is becoming increasingly more capable through the air than they may get credit for, and they can surprise folks with their ability to achieve offensive balance. On top of that, Wayne's run defense is better than people think...the same UIndy bunch that gashed GV for 300+ on the ground two weeks ago only mustered 95 yards last Saturday in Detroit. I think the Warriors ability to keep Tommy Scott in check is the difference here, along with this game being at The Jewel.


Northern @ Ferris

Our first look at Northern under their new coach produced some bright spots...not the least of which was junior RB Jake Mayon racking up 205 yards on the ground. The problem is that the issue that plagued them last year (a VERY porous defense) is still present. The 'Cats yielded nearly 500 yards via the air, and 660 in total. Not a good trend as they get a Ferris bunch that posted 653 yards a week ago. I'd like to think that the whole "former assistant returns to his recent home" jazz will make this one interesting. We all know it won't. Reggie Bell was over two-hundy in both passing and rushing last week...I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar here. This battle of 'Cats and 'Dogs will easily "go to the 'Dogs".


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