Game Highlights

Press Conference

#16 Grand Valley State claimed a 63-10 non-conference win over GLVC foe William Jewell Saturday afternoon at Lubbers Stadium. The Lakers improve to 8-1 overall and will head to Big Rapids next Saturday (Nov. 9) to take on #2 Ferris State in the annual Anchor-Bone game. Kickoff has been moved to 12 noon. 

William Jewell scored on its opening possession of the game with the help of the drive being continued due to a Laker penalty on third down. The Cardinal drive was 40 yards in length, 20 of which were penalty yards, and ended with a 47-yard field goal off the foot of Dalton Dye for a 3-0 lead. GVSU struck back quickly when QB Cole Kotopka connected with WR Brandon Wadley on a 63-yard touchdown pass on first offensive play of the game for the Lakers. PK Josh Gorball added the first of his six PATs for a 7-3 lead. Kotopka connected with Wadley again in the first quarter, this one covering 39 yards for a score to conclude a 9-play, 89-yard drive. Wadley also hauled in an 18-yard reception on third down to keep the drive alive.

The Laker special teams blocked a punt for the second consecutive week as LB Nick Foster busted through for the block that fellow LB Damon Wesley recovered at the William Jewell 15 yard line. RB Aryuan Cain-Veasey toted the ball for runs of seven and the final two yards to up the Laker lead to 21-3. The Grand Valley State defense got a quick stop and forced a punt and the Lakers took over on the WJC 37 yard line. Kotopka completed passes of 21  and 16 yards to Wadley, the second of which went for a touchdown and a 28-3 halftime lead.

GVSU limited the Cardinals to 42 yards of total offense on 30 plays in the open two quarters, while GVSU rolled up 278 yards on 34 plays. 

Grand Valley State took the second half kickoff and drove 69 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. Kotopka hit WR Austin Paritee with a 15 yard completion and connected with Wadley for a 33-yard pass and catch. RB Bryce Young-Walls hauled in a short pass and scampered nine yards for a touchdown that concluded play for the first-team offense. RS Freshman QB Cade Peterson engineered a 4-play, 48-yard scoring drive that RB Jack Provencher ended with a four-yard TD run. Peterson had a 24 yard run to set up the touchdown. 

Peterson connected on touchdown passes in the fourth quarter that covered 26 yards to TE Jack Driscoll and 37 yards to WR Daevon Anderson. Following a William Jewell touchdown, GVSU CB Rummell Johnson picked off a pass and ran it back 46 yards for a touchdown to conclude the scoring for the Lakers. Senior PK Bryce Lovelace kicked the final three PATs for GVSU. 

The GVSU defense, which limited William Jewell to 99 yards through three quarters, tallied 13.0 tackles for loss (-45) and three QB sacks (-26). DE Jake Hlava tallied five tackles, 3.0 TFL (-13) and two QB sacks (-11), while LB's Derrick Hubbard and Abe Swanson recorded eight and six tackles, respectively. 

Wadley hauled in eight catches for 212 yards, the seventh-best, single-game total in Laker football history. Driscoll hauled in the first two passes of his career, the second of which went for a TD, while Kotopka completed 11-of-22 passes for 244 yards and four TDs. Peterson completed 4-of-5 passes for 85 yards and two TDs and rushed for 42 yards on four carries. Cain-Veasey toted the ball 10 times for 65 yards, followed by Johnt'e Crawford's eight carry, 60-yard effort.