October 9th, 2026 5:00am
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Sherman Field at Kearly Stadium sets the stage for a marquee Top 25 showdown this Saturday as No. 24 Michigan Tech welcomes No. 5 Grand Valley State. The Huskies enter at 4‑1 overall and 1‑0 in GLIAC play, having opened the season with non‑conference wins over Bemidji State and Midwestern State, followed by an overtime thriller against Upper Iowa. Their conference slate began with a victory over Roosevelt last week. The lone blemish came in Week Two at Emporia State, a team that remains undefeated and sits at No. 10 in the latest D2Football.com poll. The Huskies are looking for their first win over Grand Valley State since 2014.
Grand Valley State arrives in Houghton riding an eight‑game winning streak dating back to last November. The Lakers opened 2026 with three opponents from three different leagues, starting with a 38‑10 road win at Charleston (MEC). They followed with a dominant 56‑14 victory in the home opener over West Texas A&M (LSC) and then a 20‑10 road win at former GLIAC rival and current G‑MAC leader Ashland. Their last two outings were overwhelming performances, defeating Judson and Wayne State by scores of 96‑0 and 69‑3.
Buoyed by those lopsided results, GVSU leads the nation in scoring offense at 55 points per game and ranks second in scoring defense at just 7.4 points allowed. The Lakers’ balanced attack averages 235 rushing yards and 289 passing yards. Quarterback Andrew Shuster has been nearly flawless, throwing 18 touchdowns against only one interception. His top target, Kellen Reed, is the national leader in receiving touchdowns (14), total receiving yards (735), and receiving yards per game (147).
Michigan Tech counters with an offense producing 37 points per game. The Huskies utilize two quarterbacks: Alex Buono as the primary passer and Elliott Larner as a key component of the run game. Tech leans heavily on the ground attack, averaging 214 rushing yards per contest, but will face a stiff test against a Laker defense surrendering fewer than 100 rushing yards per game. Defensively, the Huskies are anchored by Chase Koch, who leads the GLIAC in total tackles (54) and tackles per game (10.8).
Witt and Tony broke down this matchup in detail on the latest episode of GLIAC Weekly. Their full segment is available in the video below. The episode features an interview with Michigan Tech coach Dan Mettlach.
For more on the Top 25 Matchup in Houghton, here are some resources to get you ready.