Sept. 3, 2005

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - #2 Grand Valley State dominated Gannon from the start en route to a 61-10 victory Saturday night at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU improves to 2-0 overall and in the GLIAC, while Gannon falls to 1-1 overall and in league action. Grand Valley State improves to 60-9 since the 2000 season.

Grand Valley State opened the game with a seven-play, 50-yard drive to the Gannon two yard line, but junior running back Astin Martin fumbled and Gannon's Kevin Scott picked up the ball and ran 95 yards for a TD to give Gannon the early lead. That was the last hightlight for Gannon as the Lakers reeled off 27 straight points to take a 27-7 lead. Cullen Finnerty hit Brandon Langston with a 34 yard pass and catch to tie the game on the Lakers' next possession. Grand Valley's Astin Martin scored his first TD of the season with a 20-yard jaunt to paydirt to give the Lakers a 13-7 lead. Finnerty upped the Laker lead to 20-7 with a two yard run and then Jeff Dock threw a 19 yard scoring pass to junior Terry Mitchell to give the Lakers a 27-7 lead. Gannon drove down inside the Laker five and had a 1st and goal, but three plays netted minus four yards and the Golden Knights had to settle for a 25 yard field goal. GVSU answered with a Scott Greene 39 yard field goal and Finnerty then hit Mitchell with his second TD catch of the night, this one covering 19 yards with 59 seconds left in the first half to give the Lakers a 37-10 lead heading into the lockerroom.

GVSU managed just a Scott Greene 22 yard field goal in the third quarter to take a 40-10 lead. Sophomore Preston Garris scored from six yards out to cap an eight-play, 99-yard drive early in the fourth. Garris then scored from seven yards out before Terry Mitchell hauled in a 17 yard TD reception, his third of the game, from Jeff Dock to give GVSU a 61-10 lead.

The GVSU defense held the opponents offense out of the end zone for the second straight game and yielded just 163 yards of total offense on 67 plays. Mike McFadden led the defense with 12 tackles and his fourth sack of the year, while Dan Skuta added 10 tackles, three tackles for loss and one QB sack. GVSU notched 14 tackles for loss (38 yards). The Laker offense notched 680 yards of total offense, the most since a 651 yard outing vs. Findlay in 2002. GVSU rushed the ball 46 times for 288 yards and four TDs and completed 21-of-38 passes for 392 yards and four more scores. Astin Martin rushed for 129 yards and one TD on 14 carries, while Ryan Hukill (55 yards) and Preston Garris (51 yds/2 TDs) combined for 106 yards on 17 carries. Finnerty completed 15-of-26 passes for 247 yards and two TDs, while Dock was 6-for-12 for 145 yards and two TDs. Eric Fowler tallied a career-high in catches (7) and yards (152), and Terry Mitchell hauled in six catches for 122 yards and three TDs in just his second game as a Laker. It marked the second straight year that the Lakers had two receivers break the 100 yard receiving mark against Gannon.