Oct. 4, 2008

Box Score

Tiffin, Ohio - #2 Grand Valley State built a 42-0 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 49-0 shutout win over Tiffin University Saturday. GVSU improves to 5-0 on the year and will likely move up to the #1 spot in the next AFCA coaches poll with Valdosta State losing to Delta State.

The Laker offense got on the board early as LB Matt Flutur returned the opening kickoff 43 yards to the Tiffin 27 yard line. QB Brad Iciek hit Jonn Mathews with a 10-yard scoring pass on the fourth play from scrimmage and PK Todd Carter kicked the first of his seven PATs for a 7-0 Laker lead just 1:32 into the game. Redshirt freshman safety Zach Breen picked off a pass and returned it 80 yards to the Tiffin 5-yard line midway through the first quarter. Iciek hit Redshirt freshman Greg Gay with a 5-yard pass for a TD and GVSU led 14-0. Following three plays for a -4 yards for the Dragons, Iciek drove the Laker 65-yards in six plays and hit RB Blake Smolen with a 33-yard TD pass on the final play of the first quarter.

Sophomore DL Danny Richard blocked a Tiffin punt that was recovered by the Lakers on the Tiffin 24 yard line. Iciek found Gay in the corner of the end zone four plays later with a 16-yard scoring pass for a 28-0 GVSU lead. The Laker defense continued to dominate and forced another three and out. Iciek finished an 8-play, 55-yard drive with his fifth TD pass of the day and his third to Gay that covered 10 yards. Reserve QB Marquel Neasman finished the first half for the Laker offense and hit WR Carlos Clark with a 15-yard TD pass to up the GVSU halftime lead to 42-0. The second half consisted of Neasman handing the ball off to sophomore RB Justin Sherrod and the reseve defense holding on to the shutout. Tiffin moved inside the Laker 10 yard line on its opening drive of the third quarter, but the defense held Tiffin on nine plays inside the Laker 10 to keep the shutout alive. Sherrod broke loose with a 44-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.

Sherrod led the Laker ground game with 99 yards and TD on 19 carries, while sophomore James Berezik added 75 yards on 10 carries. Iciek completed 9-of-16 passes for 115 yards and five TDs, while Neasman completed 2-of-3 for 38 yards and a TD. Smolen hauled in three receptions for 61 yards and a TD, while Gay turned all three catches into TDs that covered 31 total yards. Freshman LB Blair Hollis led the defense with nine tackles and two tackles for loss (-9), while Kris Sitgraves chipped in five tackles and an interception. Senior DL Dan Skuta picked up three tackles and a QB sack. His QB sack tied him for third all-time in Laker annals with 26 career QB sacks. GVSU recorded a season-high eight QB sacks (-55) and 13 tackles for loss (-76). GVSU held Tiffin to -15 yards rushing, the fourth lowest rushing total for an opponent in GVSU football history.

Notes...GVSU is 103-10 since 2000, including a 45-1 career record the Laker senior class...GVSU has won 37 consecutive regular season games and 35 straight GLIAC tilts...The Lakers are 68-3 in their last 71 GLIAC games.