Dec. 14, 2002

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Florence, Ala. - Harlon Hill Award winner Curt Anes hit All-American wide receiver David Kircus with a 10-yard scoring pass with 1:04 left in the game to lift Grand Valley State to a 31-24 victory and the 2002 NCAA Division II Football National Championship. The National Championship is the school's first-ever in a varsity sport.

Valdosta State opened the scoring with a field goal at the 6:23 mark of the first quarter. The field goal capped an 8-play, 89-yard drive and put the Lakers behind for just the second time in 2002. The VSU lead didn't last long as GVSU went 58 yards in just two plays. Anes hit Kircus with a 49-yard pass play, and Reggie Spearmon carried the ball in from 9-yards out to put the Lakers up 7-3. The Blazers were forced to punt on its ensuing drive and the Lakers struck quickly again. Anes hit Kircus again, this time with a 54-yards out and David Hendrix added the PAT to put the Lakers up 14-3. GVSU drove 23 yards in five plays and Hendrix hit a 38-yard field goal to put GVSU up 17-3. VSU added a field goal late in the second quarter to pull the Blazers within 11 (17-6) at the half.

The Lakers forced a three and out to open the second half and the GVSU took advantage as Anes hit Kircus with a 67-yard scoring pass. Hendrix added the PAT and GVSU led 24-6. VSU scored it first TD of the game midway through the third quarter as Aaron Jenkins rambled in from seven yards out to cap a 14-play, 56-yard drive. GVSU missed a pair of scoring opportunities and the Blazers capitalized to close the margin. Will Rhody kicked a 43-yard field goal and on the Lakers next drive QB Curt Anes mishandled a shotgun snap and VSU's Tim Thompson jumped on it for TD. Buster Faulkner hit C.J. Lofton with the two-point conversion to tied the game at 24-24 with 3:09 left.

Terrence Banks put the Lakers in good field position with a 30-yard kickoff return. Anes and Kircus then went to work. Anes hit Kircus with an 8-yard completion, then a 33-yard stop-n-go that covered 33 yards. Facing a third and nine from the VSU 26 yard line, Anes hit Kircus with a 10-yard completion. Spearmon ran six yards to the Blazer 10 yards to set up the winning score. Anes checked from a run play to pass play and hit Kircus with the National Championship winning score.

Anes completed 23-of-36 passes for 361 yards and three TDs. Kircus caught a championship game record 11 passes for record 270 yards and three TDs. Terrence Banks caught nine passes for 66 yards, while Brent Lesniak rushed eight times for 56 yards. Spearmon rushed 14 times for 29 yards. DB Melvin Estes and DL Keyonta Marshal led the defense with a combined 24 tackles and 12 tackles for loss (37 yards). Estes notched 12 tackles, six tackles for loss (-21) and 2.5 QB sacks, while Marshall chipped in 12 stops, six tackles for loss and one QB sack. LB Orlando Williams notched eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one QB sack. CB Darren Smith snagged a pair of interception and notched two pass deflections.

GVSU completed the 2002 season with a perfect 14-0 record, including wins in 33-of-its-last-34 games.

Game Notes and Quotes...QB Curt Anes became the NCAA Division II all-time total offense leader with 11,881 yards...Anes passed for a championship game record 361 yards...Anes has now passed for 10,581 yards and 114 TDs in his career...WR David Kircus finished the 2002 season with a single-season record 212 points...Kircus concluded his career with an NCAA all-division record 76 career TD receptions...Kircus set a NCAA playoff record with 12 TD receptions...Kircus' 11 catches vs. Valdosta State set an NCAA championship game record...Kirucs' 270 receiving yards set a championship game record...Kircus tied the single-game record with three...GVSU set a playoff record with 199 points in four games.

Head coach Brian Kelly "The thing I am most proud of is the resiliency. This game had some great flow to it. Valdosta State has a great football team, it showed by the way it charged back at the end. Resiliency is the word I would use."

QB Curt Anes "Valdosta State was the best defense we played all year. I think we have the best offensive line and they were still getting to me."

WR David Kircus "This means a lot after last season. We set the goal at the beginning of the season to win a national championship and seeing it come true is an unbelievable experience."