GVSU Laker Football Playoff Preview Presented by Peppino's

GVSU - NWMST Gamenotes

#1-Ranked Grand Valley State (11-0) will host #8 Northwest Missouri State (10-2) in NCAA DII Super Region 3 Playoff action. Saturday's meeting between the Lakers and Bearcats will be the seventh playoff meeting since 2005 between the two programs. Grand Valley State (4) and Northwest Missouri State (4) have combined to win eight National Championships since 2002. 

THE SERIES
Grand Valley State and Northwest Missouri State have met seven times on the gridiron, with the Bearcats holding a 5-2 advantage. The last six matchups have come in the NCAA DII Playoffs and the Bearcats have won four of the six meetings. GVSU is 2-1 in NCAA DII National Championship games versus Northwest Missouri State. NWMST claimed a 42-17 victory over the Lakers in a 2018 contest played at Lubbers Stadium. 

Key Information For The Game:
NCAA Division II Playoffs - Second Round
#1 Grand Valley State (11-0) vs. #8 Northwest Missouri State (10-2)
Date: Saturday, November 26
Time: 1 p.m. (ET)
Site: Allendale, Michigan (Lubbers Stadium, 10,440)
Tickets: GVSU Tickets Online
Parking: GVSU Football Parking
Television: WXSP-TV Grand Rapids, Michigan (Ch. 15)
Live Video($): Flo Football
Live Radio: WLAV 96.9 (Steve Lloyd-Jones-PBP; Tim Nott-Analyst)
Live Stats: GVSU - NWMST

THE SERIES
Grand Valley State and Northwest Missouri State have met seven times on the gridiron, with the Bearcats holding a 5-2 advantage. The last six matchups have come in the NCAA DII Playoffs and the Bearcats have won four of the six meetings. GVSU is 2-1 in NCAA DII National Championship games. NWMST claimed a 42-17 victory over the Lakers in a 2018 contest played at Lubbers Stadium. 

LAST WEEK
Grand Valley State claimed a 49-7 victory at #18 Davenport after building a 42-0 halftime lead. The Lakers scored two special teams touchdowns as Grant Hart returned a blocked field goal 55 yards for a touchdown and Cole Patritto returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a score. Junior QB Cade Peterson completed 8-of-13 passes for 154 yards and two TDs, while junior RB Tariq Reid toted the ball six times for 90 yards and two TDs. Junior LB Abe Swanson led the defense with eight tackles, while Patritto and freshman LB Anthony Cardamone each tallied six stops.
• Grand Valley State has now been ranked #1 in the country for 93 weeks, which is 33 more than any other Division II team in the country. The Lakers are 85-6 as the top-ranked team in the country. 

DID YOU KNOW...
• GVSU is the only team in the country to rank in the top five nationally in scoring offense (5/41.7) and scoring defense (1/10.3).

• GVSU is the only team in the country to rank in the top seven nationally in 1st down offense (18/256) and 1st down defense (13/154). 

• GVSU is the only team in the country to rank in the top four nationally in rushing offense (8/241.1) and rushing defense (4/64.9).

• GVSU is the only team in the country to rank in the top 12 nationally in total defense (12/264.1) and total offense (9/466.7). 

NATIONS LEADING WINNING %
• Grand Valley State is the winningest  Division II program in the country, boasting a record of 430-148-3 (.742) in 50 years of playing football. In addition, GVSU is also the winningest GLIAC program all-time with a 310-77-3 mark (.795).

10 WIN SEASONS
• Grand Valley State has won 10 or more games 18 times in the 50-year history of the program, including 16 times since 2001.

• GVSU has won a total of four national championships (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) in program history.

• The Lakers have made six NCAA championship appearances (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009) in program history.

•  GVSU has made a total of 21 playoff appearances in program history, with the most recent coming in 2021.

• GVSU holds the Division II record for the longest winning streak at 40 consecutive wins from 2005-2007. The Lakers won two national championships during that span.

NCAA ATTENDANCE LEADERS
• GVSU has led the nation in attendance for eight consecutive years and the Lakers are off to another great start with the four games drawing a combined 64,717 fans (12,943).

 LAKER BYTES
• GVSU has limited its opponents to 714 rushing yards on 277 attempts (2.6 ypc). 252 of those 714 rushing yards have come on seven carries. GVSU has yielded 462 yards on 269 carries (1.7 ypc) outside of those six rushing attempts. 

• The Lakers have forced 49 three-and-out drives...Held opponents to 98 drives that have consisted of six plays or less...Limited opponents to 65 drives that have produced 12 yards or less.

• The Lakers have allowed two teams, SVSU (106 yds. reached on the last play of the game with a 9-yard run) & Davenport (115 yds.) to reach the 100-yard rushing mark. 

 
• Grand Valley State leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing 10.3 points per game. The GVSU defense has allowed six rushing and seven passing TDs in 11 games.

• The GVSU offense has rushed for 39 touchdowns (3.5 pg) - (2-Mines; 5-CSU-Pueblo; 5-Lincoln; 4-WSU; 2-SVSU; 4-AIC; 2-FSU; 5-NMU; 3-MTU; 4-WSU2; 3-Davenport).  

• GVSU opponents are averaging 14.0 first downs per game, with four squads (Lincoln-9; WSU-9; NMU-7; MTU-8) being held under 10. The Lakers are averaging 23.1 first downs per game.

• The Laker defense ranks 4th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (64.9), while the rushing offense is eighth nationally (241.1). 

• GVSU leads the nation in scoring defense (10.3) and ranks 5th  nationally in scoring offense (41.7). 

• The Lakers rank 9th nationally in total offense (466.7) and 12th in total defense (264.1).   

• 18 different receivers have caught a pass, while 16 different players have at least one rush.

• The Laker defense ranks 7th nationally in third-down conversion defense (.257).

• The Laker secondary has eight interceptions and 59 pass breakups.

• The GVSU defensive line has and 60 QB hurries, 47.0 tackles for loss (-195) and 23.5 QB sacks (-144).  

• GVSU ranks 18th nationally in offensive first downs (256) and 13th in defensive first downs allowed (154). 

• The Lakers' redzone offense ranks 4th nationally with a .927 conversion rate, while the defense ranks 15th nationally (.667).
 
• GVSU ranks 8th nationally in net yards per punt (39.3).  


• The GVSU offense is 50-for-54 in red zone scores, 45 of which have resulted in a touchdown. Laker opponents are 10-for-15 in redzone opportunities with seven TDs and three made field goals.

• Balanced Attack - The Laker offense is averaging 241.1 yards per game rushing and 225.6 yards per game passing for a total offensive output of (466.7 ypg). 

• The GVSU defensive line (12 players) have combined for 164 tackles, 45.0 tackles for loss (-193) and 23.5 QB sacks (-144) and 60 QB hurries through 10 games.

• The GVSU offense has converted 31-of-63 (.492) third down opportunities in the second and third quarters this season. GVSU is 16-for-33 in the second quarter and 15-for-30 in the third quarter. 

First-Team All-GLIAC
• Junior RB Tariq Reid ranks second in the GLIAC in rushing yards (851 yards) and rushing yards per game (77.4 ypg)...Leads the GLIAC in yards per carry (6.6)...Ranks 11th nationally and second in the GLIAC with 16 rushing TDs...Rushed for 148 yards and two TDs at CSU-Pueblo en route to being named the GLIAC Player of the Week...Tallied 140 yards and three TDs at Wayne State...Rushed for 144 yards and three TDs on 10 carries at AIC...Tallied 90 rushing yards on 15 carries at Ferris State...Rushed for 90 yards and two TDs on six carries at Davenport...Reid has rushed for 1,985 yards and 25 TDs in his career.   

GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year
First-Team All-GLAC
• Junior QB Cade Peterson has completed 135-of-221 passes for 2,076 yards and 16 TDs, while rushing for 456 yards and seven TDs...Averaging 188.7 yards passing  per game and  completing 61.1 percent of his passes...Recording a GLIAC-best 230.2 yards of total offense per game...Leads the GLIAC in pass efficiency rating (162.1)...Leads teh GLIAC in passing yards per attempt (9.39) and passing yards per completion (15.3)...Named GLIAC Player of the Week after accounting for 255 yards of total offense and accounting for four TDs vs. Wayne State...Passed for 183 yards and two TDs, while rushing for 73 yards and two TDs...Named the GLIAC Player of the Week after completing 18-of-19 passes for 304 yards and two TDs at Michigan Tech. ..His 94.7 completion percentage set a GLIAC and GVSU single-game record...Also rushed for 64 yards for 368 yards of total offense...Peterson has passed for 4,752 yards and 47 TDs, while rushing for 1,171 yards and 15 TDs in his career...Became the fourth GVSU QB to reach the 1,000-yard rushing and 4,000-yard passing mark...Accounted for 5,923 yards of total offense in his career.  

All-GLIAC HM
• Senior RB Jack Provencher has rushed for 365 yards on 45 carries and is averaging 8.1 yards per carry... Rushed for 95 yards on four carries with a 78 yard TD at AIC...Rushed for 76 yards and one TD, while catching three passes for 49 yards and a TD at Ferris State...Became the eighth player in GVSU program history to rush for over 1,000 yards (1,263) and catch 50 or more passes (56) in his career (511).

First-Team All-GLIAC
• Sophomore WR Jahdae Walker ranks third in receptions (23) and receiving yards 451 yards (19.6 ypc) and receiving TDs (4)...Walker is averaging 50.1 yards receiving per game...He hauled in four catches for 132 yards vs. Mines and four for 97 yards vs. Pueblo.   

Second-Team All-GLIAC
• Sophomore WR Jaylon Tillman ranks second in receptions (27) first in receiving yards (496) and TD catches (4) for the Lakers...Caught 10 passes for 191 yards and one TD at Michigan Tech. Both totals rank 10th all-time in a single -game...Hauled in five catches for 99 yards and a TD at Wayne State...Hauled in the 10th longest TD pass (88 yards) at Davenport...Tillman has 34 receptions for 617 yards and five TDs in his career. 

• Senior WR Jacob Miller has 10 receptions for 154 yards and one TD this season...Hauled in a 58-yard TD pass vs. SVSU...Tallied 52 receptions for 702 yards and eight TDs in his career.

• Sophomore WR Cody Tierney leads GVSU in receptions (30), ranks second in yards (468) and TD catches (4) this season...Recorded first 100-yard receiving game in his career with three for 101 yards and two TDs at AIC...Hauled in five receptions for 106 yards and a TD at Michigan Tech...Caught five passes for 87 yards and a TD vs. Wayne state...Tierney has 64 career receptions for 879 yards and six TDs. 

• Sophomore WR Kyle Nott has 14 carries for 126 yards and three TD's, while catching six passes pass for 70 yards...Four kickoff returns for 102 yards and four punt returns for 70 yards...Completed a 15-yard pass to Avery Moore at FSU...Rushed for a career-high 76 yards and a TD at Michigan Tech, including a 51-yard TD run...Tallied 133 all-purpose yards at Michigan Tech...Recorded 368 all-purpose yards in 2022.

• Sophomore QB Avery Moore has toted the ball 53 times for 278 yards and three TDs this season...Completed 4-of-8 passes for 29 yards and two TDs. 

First-Team All-GLIAC
• Redshirt freshman punter Trace Hrgich leads the GLIAC in punting (41.5 ypp) with a long of 61 yards...Hrgich has dropped 14 punts inside the opponents 20 yard line, with five over 50 yards and 10 being fair caught...Named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 48.5 yards on four punts vs. SVSU...The 48.5 ypp average ranks sixth all-time in a single-game...Averaged 45.5 yards on two punts, dropping both inside the 20 at Michigan Tech.  

• Sophomore PK Kollin Kralapp hit a career-long 40-yard field goal and was 9-fo-9 in point after attempts versus Lincoln...Named the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week...Kralapp is 3-for-3 this season and 5-for-5 in his career in field goals...Converted 43-of-46 PATs.
GLIAC Defensive Skill POY
First-Team All-GLIAC
• Junior LB Abe Swanson leads GVSU in tackles with 73, while recording 6.0 TFL (-22), 2.5 QB sacks (-11), seven QB hurries, one interception and a forced fumble...Named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording seven tackles, 1.5 TFL (-6) and recovering a fumble at Ferris State...Named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after his 12-tackle, 1.0 TFL (-5) and one interception performance vs. SVSU...Swanson has 199 career tackles, 18.0 TFL (-74), 5.5 QB sacks (-31) and three interceptions in his career...Named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week five times in his career.

All-GLIAC HM
• Senior safety Antonio Strong has tallied 20 tackles, 2.0 TFL (-3) and FIVE pass breakups...Strong has 136 tackles, four interceptions, seven PBU's and three forced fumbles in his career.

GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year
First-Team All-GLIAC
• Junior DE Christian McCarroll has 29 tackles, leads the squad in TFL with 9.5 (-50) and 4.0 QB sacks (-30), nine QB hurries, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery ...Recorded 7.0 tackles, 2.0 TFL (-15), 1.0 QB sacks (-14) vs. SVSU...Named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week with three tackles, 3.0 TFL (-18), 1.0 QB sacks (-4) and a forced fumble vs. WSU...McCarroll has 86 tackles, 14.5 TFL (-62) and 7.0 QB sacks (-40) in his career.

Second-Team All-GLIAC
• Junior DE Colton Hyble ranks third among defensive linemen 25 tackles, 5.5 TFL (-39) and 4.0 QB sacks (-37) this season...Hyble tallied 59 tackles and 11.5 TFL (-56) in his career. 

All-GLIAC HM
• Junior DT Seth Hoonhorst has 17 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss (-16) and 2.0 QB sacks (-15) this season..Hoonhorst tallied four tackles, 1.0 QB sacks (-8) and 1.5 TFL (-8) versus Mines...Recorded 54 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 3.0 QB sacks in his career. 

Second-Team All-GLIAC
• Sophomore DT Jack Gilchrist leads GVSU defensive linemen in total tackles with 29, while also recording 5.5 TFL (-20) and 3.5 QB sacks (-16)...Gilchrist has 53 career tackles, 9.5 TFL (-47), 6.0 QB sacks (-39) in his career. 

All-GLIAC HM
• Senior DT Nate Umlor has 11 tackles, 2.5 QB sacks (-8), 2.5 TFL (-10), three pass break ups and one QB hurry...Umlor has 31 stops 3.0 TFL and 3.0 QB sacks in his career. 

• Sophomore SS Ian Kennelly has 13 tackles, one fumble recovery and a forced fumble this season...Kennelly tallied six tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble vs. Mines...Missed two games with an injury...Kennelly has 46 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in his career. 

• Redshirt freshman Jay'viar Suggs has recorded 16 tackles, 3.0 QB sacks (-17) and 5.5 TFL (-19) this season...Tallied one QB sack (-8) and a TFL (-8) at Ferris State...Recorded 2.0 QB sacks and 2.0 TFL vs. Mines in season-opener. 

• Sophomore SS Damonte McCurdy ranks second on the squad in tackles with 44, while picking off one pass and recording six pass break ups...McCurdy has 99 tackles, 4.5 TFL and two INTs in his career.  

Second-Team All-GLIAC
• Redshirt freshman CB Terez Reid has 25 tackles, 3.5 TFL (-7) and four PBU...Recorded five tackles and 2.0 TFL (-5) at Ferris State.  

First-Team All-GLIAC
• Sophomore CB Nyzier Fourqurean has 31 stops, one interception, one fumble recovery...Ranks second in the GLIAC and leads the team with 10 pass breakups this season...Tallied three pass breakups and picked off a pass vs. SVSU...Notched three pass breakups at AIC...Recorded four tackles and a TFL (-1) at Ferris State.
 

First-Team All-GLIAC
• Senior LB Damon Wesley has 35 tackles, 4.0 TFL (-10) and a QB sack (-9)...Wesley recorded four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss (-10) and 1.0 QB sacks vs. WSU...Wesley has 92 stops and 7.0 TFL in his career.

• FS Cole Patritto has recorded 29 tackles and tallied two pass breakup this season...Recorded 7.0 tackles vs. SVSU. 

• Anthony Cardamone has 32 tackles, 5.5 TFL (-33) and 3.0 QB sacks (-29) this season....Cardamone tallied 4.0 tackles, 1.0 TFL and a QB sack vs. SVSU.

• Kollin Kralapp's 40 field goal vs. Lincoln was the first time since 2016 that GVSU has connected on a field goal of 40 yards or more. Joel Schipper converted a 47-yard field goal in 2016.

• The Laker defense has produced 76 tackles for loss (-337), 36 QB sacks (-226), 59 QB hurries and 60 pass break ups.

• Scoring by quarter for the GVSU offense.

1st - 124 points (11.2)
2nd - 139 points (12.6)
3rd - 110 points (10.0)
4th - 86 points (7.8)

• Scoring by quarter for the GVSU defense.

1st - 33 points (3.0)
2nd - 21 points (1.9)
3rd - 29 points (2.6)
4th - 30 points (2.7)

2022 GVSU GLIAC HONORS 

Offensive Back of the Year - Cade Peterson
Offensive Lineman of the Year - Quinton Barrow
Defensive Lineman of the Year - Christian McCarroll
Defensive Back of the Year - Abe Swanson

First-Team All-GLIAC
Cade Peterson (Jr) - Quarterback
Tariq Reid (Jr) - Running Back
Jahdae Walker (So) - Wide Receiver
Quinton Barrow (Sr) - Offensive Line
Jordan Davis (Jr) - Offensive Line
Garrett Carroll (Jr) - Offensive Line
Christian McCarroll (Jr) - Defensive Line
Abe Swanson (Jr) - Linebacker
Damon Wesley (Sr) - Linebacker
Nyzier Fourqurean (So) - Cornerback
Trace Hrgich (RFr) - Punter

Second-Team All-GLIAC
Jayk Slager (Sr) - Tight End
Jaylon Tillman (So) - Wide Receiver
Gabe Brown (So) - Offensive Line
Colton Hyble (Jr) - Defensive Line
Jack Gilchrist (So) - Defensive Line
Terez Reid (RFr) - Cornerback

Honorable Mention All-GLIAC
Joel Linden (Jr) - Offensive Line
Jack Provencher (Sr) - Running back
Seth Hoonhorst (Jr) - Defensive Line
Nate Umlor (Sr) - Defensive Line
Antonio Strong (Sr) - Defensive Back