Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) secured a 24-7 victory against Davenport University in their opening Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game on Saturday. This win brings GVSU's record to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the GLIAC, while Davenport falls to 3-2 and 0-1. The Lakers are set to host Northern Michigan next Saturday at Lubbers Stadium with a kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

The game began with a strong offensive performance from the Lakers following a defensive stop on Davenport's first possession. Sophomore running back Khalil Eichelberger made a significant impact with a 52-yard run, leading to Mathew Bacik's successful field goal that capped off a seven-play, 63-yard drive.

Davenport managed to advance into GVSU territory but was halted by junior cornerback Terez Reid who intercepted a pass in the end zone. GVSU capitalized on this momentum with an efficient ten-play, 80-yard drive concluded by Kenneth Jones' touchdown run and Bacik's extra point. Eichelberger further extended the lead by catching a five-yard pass from Moore, making it 17-0 early in the second quarter.

Davenport scored midway through the second quarter; however, GVSU responded promptly with an eleven-play, 89-yard drive ending in another Moore-to-Eichelberger touchdown pass, securing a halftime lead of 24-7.

In the second half, GVSU's defense proved dominant by allowing only 89 total yards and four first downs. Senior linebacker Jake Archbold led defensively with eight tackles. Cornerbacks Devin Pringle and Ian Kennelly each contributed seven tackles, while Reid and safety Kobe Hayward recorded interceptions. Senior defensive tackle Jack Gilchrist added four tackles including two for loss.

Freshman punter Evan Sunderman averaged an impressive 53.5 yards per punt over two attempts, highlighted by his career-long punt of 65 yards.

Offensively, GVSU amassed a total of 513 yards—273 rushing and 240 passing—and converted ten out of eighteen third-down attempts while maintaining possession for over thirty-seven minutes.

Eichelberger accumulated over one hundred rushing yards across thirteen carries along with five receptions totaling thirty-three yards resulting in two touchdowns. Jones also delivered eighty-seven rushing yards alongside three catches for thirty additional receiving yards. Quarterback Moore completed nineteen out of twenty-eight passes for two hundred forty yards paired with two touchdowns and rushed for thirty-one more.

Other notable contributions included Nott’s three receptions totaling forty-nine receiving yards plus ten rushing; Kenyon Owens’ two catches amounting to thirty receiving yards; senior tight ends Drew Peterson’s pair of catches covering eleven receiving yards and Gavin Cossou’s single catch spanning twenty-five receiving yards; junior wide receiver Jordan Johnson’s forty-five yard reception; Darrell Johnson’s single catch adding four more receiving yards.