Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University (GVSU), ranked third, secured a 24-21 victory in a non-conference road game against the 22nd-ranked Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) on Saturday night. This win brings GVSU to a 2-0 record for the season. The team will host Wisconsin-La Crosse at Lubbers Stadium on September 21, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

CSU-Pueblo began the game strongly with a 53-yard drive over six plays, but their progress was halted by Grant Hart's critical tackle and junior defensive end Niles King's quarterback sack on fourth down. Sophomore running back Khalil Eichelberger then made a significant impact with a 47-yard run on GVSU's first play, setting up quarterback Avery Moore's two-yard touchdown run. Placekicker Mathew Bacik added the extra point, giving GVSU an early lead of 7-0.

Following another stop by the Laker defense, Moore connected with sophomore wide receiver Kellen Reed for a 24-yard touchdown pass, extending GVSU's lead to 14-0. Despite CSU-Pueblo advancing to GVSU’s 20-yard line later in the quarter, sophomore defensive end Josh Schell recovered a fumble to end their drive.

Moore continued his strong performance by hitting wide receiver Kyle Nott with a 24-yard pass and junior running back David Holloman contributed a notable 19-yard run. Although the drive stalled, Bacik successfully converted a 41-yard field goal to push the score to 17-0.

Junior cornerback Terez Reid intercepted a pass midway through the second quarter, preventing CSU-Pueblo from scoring before halftime.

In the third quarter, CSU-Pueblo responded with an impressive six-play, 96-yard drive that included a key 65-yard completion and resulted in their first touchdown of the game after consecutive defensive holding penalties against GVSU.

Late in the third quarter, GVSU executed another scoring drive spanning seven plays and covering 53 yards. After Kenneth Jones’ apparent rushing touchdown was nullified due to holding, Moore's subsequent runs set up Jones for a four-yard touchdown run. Bacik’s PAT extended GVSU’s lead to 24-7 heading into the final quarter.

CSU-Pueblo quickly answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that reduced their deficit to ten points (24-14). A pivotal moment occurred when WR Donovan Johnson forced and recovered a fumble following another turnover by GVSU at their own six-yard line. Though unable to secure a first down afterward, Trace Hrgich delivered an impactful punt of 61 yards.

The Thunderwolves managed another late-game surge with five plays covering 71 yards resulting in a touchdown with only four seconds remaining on the clock. The Lakers were penalized four times during this sequence.

Overall, GVSU accumulated 401 yards of total offense including 239 rushing yards while maintaining possession for approximately twelve minutes longer than CSU-Pueblo. In comparison, CSU-Pueblo recorded just three successful third-down conversions out of eleven attempts and failed their sole fourth-down attempt.

Eichelberger led all rushers with ninety-five yards on fourteen carries; Moore added sixty-four yards and one touchdown over twelve carries; Holloman contributed forty-nine yards from seven attempts; Jones gained thirty-one yards and one touchdown across nine carries. Through the air, Moore completed fourteen out of twenty-two passes totaling one hundred sixty-two yards including one touchdown.

Reed topped receiving stats with fifty-four yards from four receptions along with one touchdown; Johnson secured two catches for twenty-two yards among others who also contributed valuable yardage gains throughout various plays.

Hrgich’s punting average stood at forty-six-and-a-half-yards per punt across eight attempts—three of which landed inside CSU-Pueblo’s twenty yard line.

Safety Kobe Hayward led defensively recording six tackles followed closely behind by Jake Archbold who had five tackles alongside King whose notable contributions included three tackles-for-loss resulting negative twelve-yards overall plus two quarterback sacks amounting negative eleven-yards altogether joined additionally significant inputs via Ian Kennelly Jimmy Downs Deven Pringle Anthony Cardamone each making four stops respectively throughout gameplay duration meanwhile despite achieving victory ultimately however Lakers faced disciplinary challenges marked notably highest ever program history recording total twenty-one penalties cumulatively accounting hundred ninety-four penalty-yards incurred particularly during final-quarter wherein called infractions alone summed collective hundred-yards correspondingly counterpart Thunderwolves registered lesser extent flagged eight occasions totaling fifty-four penalty-yards overall concluded matchup accordingly