Nov. 13, 2010

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University Center, Mich. - No. 6 Grand Valley State (10-1, 9-1) captured the 2010 GLIAC Championship Saturday afternoon at Wickes Stadium with a 28-7 victory over Saginaw Valley State before a crowd of 8,927. GVSU has now won a GLIAC record six straight conference championships and 16 football conference titles overall. GVSU will now await word from the NCAA DII selection committee Sunday to see who and when the Lakers will open the 2010 NCAA DII playoffs. GVSU is the only school in the country to appear in each of the last 10 NCAA DII playoffs.

The game opened with both Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State being stopped on fourth down plays on their opening possessions. GVSU thwarted a Saginaw Valley State fourth and 10 play inside the GVSU 20 yard line and the Laker offense went to work. GVSU drove 88 yards in 11 plays, concluding with a 7-yard TD run by senior QB Kyle McMahon on third and goal. McMahon spun out of trouble and raced into the end zone to give GVSU a 7-0 lead.

Saginaw Valley State drove inside the GVSU 30 yard line again, but senior LB Justin Victor forced a fumble by QB Justin Jennings that FS Matt Bakker recovered. The Laker offense continued to click and drove 72 yards in nine plays, finished by a Justin Sherrod 3-yard TD run to up the lead to 14-0 following Ryan Stokes' second PAT of the day. The Lakers picked up a key first down after a penalty that put GVSU in a second and 23 situation. McMahon hit junior WR Jovonne Augustus with consecutive completions of 10 and 14 yards to the SVSU six yard line to pick up the first down.

The Laker defense once again came up with a defensive stop in the final seconds of the first half, forcing a 37 yard field goal attempt that came up well short.

"We left some points on the board in the first half with turnovers, but I really like the way our defense stepped up and made some stops," said first-year head coach Matt Mitchell.

Saginaw Valley State took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 58 yards in five plays for a touchdown. Jennings hit WR Andrew Beaver with the 17-yard scoring pass and the PAT was good to cut the GVSU lead to 14-7.

After trading possessions, GVSU punter Ryan Stokes dropped a 30 yard punt inside the SVSU five yard line to set up the Lakers' third score. Saginaw Valley State picked up one first down, but the GVSU defense forced a punt. Freshman safety Charles Hill came off the edge and blocked Ryan Carpers punt and sophomore cornerback Myron Puryear recoved the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Stokes added the PAT for a 21-7 GVSU lead at the 6:17 mark of the third quarter.

Grand Valley State sealed the win with a 7-play, 68-yard scoring drive that took 3:44 off the clock. McMahon hit a wide open Andrew Lorman with a 46 yard scoring pass to up the Laker lead to 28-7 with 4:53 left in the game.

"I am extremely proud of this football team and what they have accomplished thus far in the season," added Mitchell. "Winning outright conference championships is not easy in a league that is as competitive as the GLIAC. We will enjoy this win, but Sunday we will move forward to a second season that means a lot to the kids in our program."

GVSU racked up 465 yards of total offense with a balanced attack of 252 rushing yards and 213 passing yards. Justin Sherrod rushed for 88 yards and a TD on 13 carries, while McMahon added 83 yards and a TD on 16 carries. Sophomore RB Norman Shuford tallied 74 yards on 10 carries. McMahon completed 14-of-24 passes for 213 yards and one TD. Junior WR Jovonne Augustus caught a season-high five passes for 64 yards. Junior WR Greg Gay caught four passes for 30 yards. Defensively, GVSU limited the Cardinals to 322 yards of total offense. Senior LB Justin Victor notched a career-high 14 tackles, while sophomore safety Jarod Cox added a career-high 11 stops.

Notes...ESPNnews will televise the NCAA DII football selection show at 3 p.m. Sunday...Justin Sherrod moved into the 17th spot on the GVSU all-time rushing list with 1,889 yards. Sherrod moved past Bruce Calhoun (1994-97)...Junior WR Greg Gay moved past former Laker and Detroit Lion great Jeff Chadwick (1980-82) into 21st in all-time receptions with 76...GVSU first-year head coach Matt Michell is the first Laker head football coach to record 10 regular season wins in his first season at the helm...GVSU has now won 10 or more games for 10 straight years.