Sept. 6, 2008

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Allendale, Mich. - #2 Ranked Grand Valley State opened the 2008 season in fine fashion with touchdowns in its first four possessions and never looked back en route to a 49-21 victory over GLIAC foe Indianapolis (1-1) before the fourth-largest crowd in Lubbers Stadium history (13,201). GVSU (1-0) will hit the road for a GLIAC contest at Saginaw Valley State (1-0) next Saturday (Sept. 13). GVSU also improved to 18-1 all-time versus Indianapolis.

Grand Valley State took its opening possession of the 2008 season and drove 82 yards in seven plays for a score. Junior QB Brad Iciek hit junior wide receiver Ryan Bass with a 2-yard pass and Todd Carter converted the first of his seven PATs for a 7-0 Laker lead. The GVSU defense dominated the Indianapolis offense on its next three possessions, holding the Greyhounds to 11 yards on nine plays. Meanwhile, the Laker offense was rolling. Sophomore running back James Berezik scored on a 4-yard run to conclude a 5-play, 81-yard drive that took just 1:46 off the clock. Junior P.T. Gates capped a 6-play, 45-yard drive with a 5-yard TD run to give GVSU a 21-0 lead. Berezik tallied his second TD run of the first half on a 1-yard score to up the Laker lead to 28-0 with 8:50 left in the second quarter.

"I was pleased with what we did offensively on our first four possessions and I thought our defense set the tone with a good first half," said fifth-year head coach Chuck Martin.

Indianapolis scored with 1:46 left in the second quarter, but the Lakers looked to counter with a two-minute drive of its own. GVSU drove 44 yards in six plays, but junior RB Blake Smolen was stuffed on a fourth and one play to thwart the Laker drive.

GVSU rolled up 233 yards in the first half, while Indianapolis was limited to just 65 total yards. Iciek completed 13-of-18 passes for 233 yards in the opening two quarters, while TE Jonn Mathews hauled in five passes for 66 yards.

Sophomore TE Tony Carreri hauled in his first collegiate catch, which just happened to cover 16 yards for TD at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter. Indianapolis answered with a TD of its own early in the fourth quarter, but Iciek directed a 7-play, 70-yard scoring drive that junior RB Blake Smolen ended with a 1-yard TD run. The Greyhounds scored midway through the third quarter to pull within 42-21, but GVSU went 68 yards in nine plays for its final points of the night. Redshirt freshman Greg Gay scored on a 4-yard run to put the finishing touches on a 49-21 win.

"I am pleased with the victory and thought we played well," said Martin. "We have a lot of room for improvement in all facets of the game, but I will take the win and move on to next week."

Berezik led the Laker offense with 144 yards and two rushing TDs on just 11 carries. Gates added 36 yards and a TD on six carries, while Smolen chipped in 33 yards and a score on seven carries. Iciek completed 18-of-27 passes for 285 yards and two TDs. Senior TE Jonn Mathews hauled in six catches for 82 yards and led a core of eight receivers that caught passes. Berezik hauled in four receptions for 34 yards, while Ryan Bass pulled in two catches for 78 yards.

Sophomore DL Danny Richard led the defense with a career-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 QB sacks (-10), three tackles for loss (-12) and two QB hurries. Safety Jacob McGuckin and LB Justin Victory each collected seven tackles. GVSU notched three QB sack (-23) and nine tackles for loss (-35).

Notes...

Season Openers Grand Valley State is 22-16 in season-opening games...The Lakers are 12-6 when opening the season at home, 10-9 when opening the season on the road, and 0-1 at a neutral site.

Home Openers

Grand Valley State is 24-12 in home openers, including a 5-0 mark under Chuck Martin...GVSU is 94-6 in its last 100 games with four National Championships (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006). GVSU is 99-10 since the start 2000...The 2007 GVSU senior class is 41-1 with two National Championships and three GLIAC titles...Grand Valley State has won 33 consecutive regular season games. The Lakers' last regular season loss was 10/23/04 to Northwood (35-14)...Since 2001, the Lakers are 53-3 at home, 37-3 in their last 40 road games and 41-4 in all games away from Lubbers Stadium in their last 45...Grand Valley State is 64-3 in its last 67 GLIAC games. The Lakers have won a league record 31 straight GLIAC?games dating back to the 2004 season...The Lakers' last GLIAC loss was a 35-14 decision to Northwood on 10/23/04 at Lubbers Stadium.