GVSU Post-Game Press Conference

#2 Grand Valley State claimed a 28-17 GLIAC home win over Findlay Saturday night before a crowd of 10,094 at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU improves to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in GLIAC action, while Findlay fall to 4-5 both overall and in league action. The Lakers will be at Saginaw Valley State next Saturday (Nov. 5) for a 3 p.m. GLIAC tilt. 

For the first time in the 2016 season Grand Valley State trailed in the first half of a game and gave up a first quarter point. Findlay returned the opening kickoff 47 yards and then drove 53 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Lakers trailed 7-0. The deficit was short lived as sophomore QB Bart Williams drove GVSU 82 yards in six plays. Sophomore RB Marty Carter tallied 21 rushing yards and Williams hit junior WR Brandon Bean with 15-yard pass, followed by a 36-yard TD pass to sophomore WR Nick Dodson. Senior PK Joel Schipper added the PAT to tie the game at 7-7. 

Findlay drove to the GVSU 25 yard line and faced a fourth-and-one, but sophomore CB Devin McKissic picked off a Rhys Gervais pass in the endzone to thwart the drive. 

B. Williams went back to work, driving the Lakers 80 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Dodson caught three passes for 28 yards on the drive and senior WR Matt Williams hauled in a pass from B. Williams, made a nifty move and scored from 35 yards out to give GVSU a 14-7 lead after the PAT by Schiipper. 

Findlay scored on the first play of the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14 and both teams missed field goals in the second stanza as they went to half tied 14-14. 

Following a Grand Valley State punt to open the second half Findlay drove 47 yards in 10 plays for a 39-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead. The Oilers drove to the GVSU 21 yard line on its next offensive possession, but senior DE Sydney Omameh blocked a field goal attempt. 

The Laker defense took over after the blocked field goal, forcing a pair of punts and stopping the Oilers on a four down attempt. 

Trailing 17-14 GVSU drove 74 yards in five play for a go ahead TD. B. Williams was 4-4 for 70 yards, the last of which was an 8-yard touchdown pass to M. Williams with 6:32 left in the game. 

The GVSU defense got a fourth down stop and Carter went 53 yards on the first play from scrimmage for a TD. Schippers PAT upped the Laker lead to 28-17. Senior safety Donte Carey picked off Gervais to seal the win. 

B. Williams completed 22-of-31 passes for 325 yards and three TDs. M. Williams caught a career-high 10 passes for a career-high 179 yards and two TDs, while Dodson caught four passes for 64 yards and a TD and Bean hauled in four receptions for 49 yards. Carter rushed for 110 yards and a TD on 15 carries. 

Senior LB Marquez Gollman led the defense with nine tackles and two pass breakups, followed by McKissic who tallied eight tackles, an interception and three pass breakups. Sophomore DB Jacob Studdard notched seven tackles, Omameh, Collin Schlosser and Alton Voss each contributed stops. The Lakers recorded 6.0 TFL (-18) and two QB sacks (-12). 

B. Williams has thrown for 6,439 yards and 65 TD passes. He ranks 5th all-time in TD passes and seventh in passing yards. 

M. Williams is now tied for ninth (Diriki Mose) in all-time receptions with 124, 6th in receiving yards (2,257) and fifth in TD catches (27). 

Joel Schipper is third in all-time points scored with 349, trailing former Laker great Eric Lynch by 13 points for second (362).