Postgame Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKhluRLGVow
#2 Grand Valley State claimed an impressive 55-32 playoff victory over #8 Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday afternoon at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU improves to 12-0 with the win and will host GLIAC rival Ferris State (11-2) next Saturday (Dec. 3) at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU upped its all-time playoff record to a 35-14, including a 35-9 mark since 2001.
The Lions decided to take the ball to open the game and the Laker defense forced a quick three-and-out. Sophomore RB
Marty Carter gave everyone a glimpse of what his day would entail when he took his opening carry 36 yards to the TAMC 10 yard line. Senior PK
Joel Schipper booted 23 yard field goal to give GVSU a 3-0 lead.
Texas A&M-Commerce tied the game at 3-3 with a 37 yard field goal, but that would be as close as the Lions would get the rest of the day. Sophomore QB
Bart Williams drove the Lakers 41 yards in four plays as he connected with sophomore WR
Nick Dodson with a 13-yard TD pass and Schipper added the PAT. Senior SS
Donte Carey picked off TAMC QB Luis Perez on the first play and returned it 24 yards. B. Williams then hit junior WR
Brandon Bean with a 25-yard TD pass that Bean turned into a SportsCenter highlight when he jumped over a defender and scored to give GVSU a 17-3 lead.
Following a Texas A&M-Commerce score, B. Williams concluded a 12-play, 96-yard scoring drive with a 28-yard TD pass to senior WR
Matt Williams. GVSU answered a long TD pass by the Lions with a 9-play, 81-yard TD drive when Williams hit WR
Brandon Bean with a 7-yard TD pass to up the Laker lead to 31-17 at the half.
GVSU took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove it deep inside TAMC territory, but Yusef Sterling-Lowe picked off a pass and returned it 97 yards for a TD to pull the Lions within seven 31-24.
However, the Laker offense never blinked and Williams drove GVSU 71 yards in 10 plays as senior RB
Terrell Dorsey scored on a 2-yard run. The GVSU defense sniffed out a fake punt by TAMC and Williams guided GVSU on a 9-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard TD run by Carter and upped the lead to 45-24. Schipper added a 38-yard field goal and Dorsey ran for his second TD on the day, this one covering 12 yards to complete a 4-play, 45-yard drive after junior FS
Garrett Pougnet returned an interception 40 yards.
The Laker offense churned out a GVSU playoff record 598 yards of total offense, bettering the previous record of 562 versus East Stroudsburg in the 2005 NCAA DII Semifinals. The Lakers rushed for 287 yards and passed for 311 yards en route to 30 first downs.
Carter rushed for 217 yards and one TD on 33 carries, while catching two passes for 21 yards. Carters' 217 rushing yards ranks second all-time behind his 231 rushing yards at Colorado-Pueblo last season. Carter also became GVSU's all-time single-season rushing leader (1,807). Dorsey rushed for 71 yards and two TDs on 17 carries.
B. Williams completed 17-of-26 passes for 311 yards and four TDs, while Bean led the receiving unit with six catches for 109 yards and two TDs. Junior WR
Urston Smith hauled in four catches for 82 yards, Dodson three for 60 yards and a TD and M. Williams two for 39 yards and a TD.
Pougnet led the defense with 10 tackles and a pick, followed by six stops for CB
Tre Walton, LB
Collin Schlosser and
David Talley. The Lakers had six pass breakups, two interceptions and five QB hurries.
