Sept. 7, 2002

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - #1 Grand Valley State won the 2002 season opener, 24-17, over #2 UC-Davis Saturday (Sept. 7) before a packed Lubbers Stadium. A GVSU record 12,361 specators showed up to watch the spectacle between the two top teams in Division II. The Lakers jumped out to a 24-8 lead midway through the third period, but had swart off a late rally by UC-Davis to preserve the victory. It was the 17th straight regular season victory for the Lakers.

Defense dominated the first quarter as the score remained scoreless heading into the second period. The Lakers struck first with a 26-yard touchdown strike between the All-American combo of QB Curt Anes and WR David Kircus to give GVSU a 7-0 lead with 10:57 left in the half. After Grand Valley forced an Aggie punt, the offense again drove 36 yards in eight plays before Dave Hendrix hit a 31-yard field goal that boosted the Laker lead to 10-0.

UC-Davis forced the Lakers to punt from their own end zone and recorded a safety when GVSU punter Matt Regnery ran out of the endzone after a bad snap. The Aggie offense put together an 11-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with an eight-yard pass from Kenny Kearns t Kevin Freeman. The two point conversion failed and GVSU took a 10-8 lead into he lockerroom.

Sophomore free safety Joe Ballard then put the Lakers up 17-8 when he picked up a fumble in mid air and went 60 yards to paydirt. Senior defensive tackle Shad Risk forced the turnover. UC-Davis then fumbled on its first play from scrimmage that set up an Anes to Kircus seven-yard scoring play. UC Davis pulled to within seven (24-17) on an O.J. Swanigan five yard TD run and a 22-yard field goal by Dusty Apocotos. Strong safety Scott Mackey ended a UC-Davis threat in the closing seconds when he picked off a fourth down pass in the Laker endzone to preserve the GVSU win.

"I can't think of a better way to evaluate your team," said head coach Brian Kelly. "We were thrown into the fire against an outstanding team tonight and pulled out the win."

Anes completed 19-of-31 passes for 224 yards and two TDs, while Kircus caught five passes for 73 yards. Senior Terrance Banks haulded in a team-high seven catches for 89 yards and senior running back Reggie Spearmon rushed for 68 yards on 16 carries. The Laker defense forced six turnovers (3 fumbles/3 interceptions). Ballard picked off a pass and recovered a fumble, while Melvin Estes and Dan Vaughn recovered fumbles. The Laker recorded 10 tackles for loss (-39 yards), including six QB sacks.

Quoting the Lakers...

Senior QB Curt Anes on the game... "That (UC Davis) was an outstanding team. They did a great job of taking away what we wanted to do offensively, but we were still able to do enough to get the win. Our defense was the difference and came up big when the offense stalled in the second half."

Anes on playing for the first time since his knee injury... "I was so excited running onto the field and what a boost when we saw the crowd. I felt rusty, but it was great being back on the field, in the competitive situation."

Senior Defensive end Dan Vaughn... "The defense still has a lot of work to do, but I felt we stepped up and made plays when we needed to."

Head coach Brian Kelly... "This is a nice win for our program. UC Davis is a class program and we enjoy competing against them. I'm proud of how we competed for 60 minutes never wavered on what we wanted to do. The defense was outstanding."