#2 Grand Valley State scored early and often and dominated in every facet of the game for a 73-14 GLIAC road win at Northern Michigan Saturday afternoon in Marquette, Michigan at the Superior Dome. GVSU will now host Michigan Tech next Saturday (Oct. 28) in the annual homecoming contest. The 59-point margin of victory was the largest in the series, eclipsing the 53-point win a year ago in Allendale.
The Laker offense produced 609 total yards on just 66 plays, 352 on the ground and 257 through the air. Every offensive player on the trip made an impact as 13 different players caught a pass, from three quarterbacks and eight Lakers were involved in the running game. Senior RB
Tariq Reid toted the ball 10 times for 80 yards and a touchdown, while catching one pass for seven yards and a TD. Reid eclipsed the 2,500-yard rushing mark for his career on a 59-yard run in the first quarter.
Derrick Woods added 76 yards on six carries and
Syone Usma-Harper added 57 yards on four carries. Tight end
Drew Peterson hauled in a career-high four receptions for 31 yards and touchdown, while WR
Cody Tierney caught three passes for 44 yards and a score, while rushing one time for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Cossou added three catches for 40 yards and WR
Kyle Nott pulled in three catches for 29 yards. GVSU was 9-11 in third down conversions. QB
Cade Peterson completed 17-of-21 passes for 192 yards and three TDs, while
Avery Moore was 5-10 for 52 yards and a touchdown.
The GVSU defense limited Northern Michigan to 279 yards on 74 plays, 91 coming via the ground and 188 through the air. Junior LB J.T. Popp led the defense with a career-high 10 tackles, while Riley Simson chipped in a career-high eight tackles and two tackles for loss.
Jack Grice tallied six stops and
Jake Archbold four. The Laker defense forced three turnovers that led to 21 points, including two defensive touchdowns. LB
Damonte McCurdy returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown and LB
Tommy Barnett returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown. Senior LB
Abe Swanson returned an interception 39 yards that led to a Laker touchdown.
GVSU got on the board with its first offensive possession, driving 75 yards in five plays for a score. RB
Tariq Reid hauled in a swing pass out of the backfield from
Cade Peterson for the 7-yard TD reception. Tierney raced 31 yards for a TD on the Lakers' second possession and
Tariq Reid added a short touchdown run for a 21-lead.
Drew Peterson caught a 5-yard TD pass from
Cade Peterson and senior kicker
Josh Gorball ended the first half with a 52-yard field goal as time expired, the second longest field goal in Laker football history. Tierney hauled in a 30-yard TD reception on GVSU's first possession of the second half to push the lead to 38-0. RS freshman WR
Kellen Reed finished a 5-play, 74-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run and Woods caught a 6-yard pass from QB
Avery Moore. Reed also hauled in a 13-yard pass for a touchdown from QB
Alex Thole.