Box Score Box Score

Grand Valley State's offense struck early and often, while its defense stifled one of the nation's top rushing attacks in a 66-28 rout of Lake Erie at Lubbers Stadium Saturday (Sep. 27) night.
 
The Lakers racked up season-highs in total yards (640), including 12 plays of over 20 yards – four resulted in touchdowns – and rushing yards (399). Four different GVSU running backs – Hersey Jackson, Michael Ratay, Chris Robinson and Kirk Spencer – ran for over 80 yards and scored at least once.
 
Spencer, who also tallied 46 receiving yards, led the trio with 149 yards on 15 carries, and a pair of touchdowns. Robinson punched in a game-high three rushing touchdowns and amassed 88 rushing yards on only eight rushes. Ratay toted the rock nine times for 81 yards and a score, while Jackson accrued 88 yards on 12 carries.
 
The team's aerial assault was just as potent. Isiah Grimes went 13 for 23 with 232 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns, both of which were to Jamie Potts, in his second consecutive start.
 
Defensively, the Lakers held the Storm, who were averaging 326.7 rushing yards, a figure that ranked seventh nationally entering the game, to just 123 yards on the ground. Lake Erie's Anthony Bilal, the nation's leader in rushing touchdowns (12) and second-leading rusher (588 yards through three games), to a mere 38 yards on 11 rushes.
 
Things did not get off to a great start for GVSU, however, as it saw Lake Erie's Tony Andrews return the opening kick 93 yards for a touchdown.
 
It took less than three minutes for the Lakers to answer the Storm's lightning-quick strike with a thunderous touchdown of their own. Grimes found Spencer for a 27-yard reception to open the five-play, 72-yard scoring drive, which ended with a six-yard run into the end zone by Robinson.
 
Thanks to a forced fumble by senior nose guard Frank Boenzi on the first play of the ensuing Lake Erie possession, GVSU set up shop deep in opposing territory. Ratay only needed one play – a 22-yard scamper – to put the Lakers on top 14-7 with 12:07 left in the first quarter.
 
Following an 11-play, 86-yard scoring drive by the Storm, and a drive of its own that stalled out near midfield, reserve outside linebacker Marquez Gollman stripped Bilal to give GVSU the ball back at the LEC 25. Grimes connected with Potts from 24 yards out on second down to put the Lakers back on top 21-14 late in the opening frame.
 
GVSU went on to score another 42 unanswered points on six drives of 57 yards or more. On those possessions, the Lakers never needed more than six plays to find the end zone. Potts' 25-yard reception that gave GVSU a 28-14 edge was the only one of those scores that came through the air. The final scoring play during that span came on a 63-yard dash by Spencer with 2:44 left to go in the third quarter.
 
Lake Erie halted the run with a lengthy touchdown drive, but sophomore kicker Joel Schipper capped a five-play, 53-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal to make it 59-21 early in the closing stanza.
 
In his first career appearance, freshman quarterback Bart Williams tossed a touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Matt Williams near the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter. The nine-yard strike gave the Lakers a 45-point advantage, their largest of the game.
 
A late touchdown by Mitchel Hokavar, the Storm's lone score on the ground, finalized the scoring. 
 
Saturday night marked the first time since 2011's 61-31 blowout of Lake Erie that GVSU scored more than 60 points in a game. The Lakers whopping yardage total was their most in a game since they compiled 640 yards in 2012's 51-43 shootout victory at Michigan Tech. GVSU's rushing total was its highest since 1989, when it rushed for 396 yards against California (Pa.), while its 66 points were the ninth-most in school history.
 
Exactly 14,515 fans, the seventh-largest crowd in Lubbers Stadium history, took in the dominant victory.
 
The win lifts the Lakers' overall record to 1-3, their GLIAC mark to 1-2 and their all-time record against Lake Erie to 3-0. GVSU now turns its attention to next Saturday's (Oct. 4) league contest at Hillsdale College. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m.