Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University's football team, ranked eighth nationally, will travel to face Northern Michigan in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup on Saturday, October 11. The Lakers are coming off a 37-14 win against Davenport, while Northern Michigan recently lost 47-25 to Saginaw Valley State.

The two teams have met frequently over the years, with Grand Valley State holding a 28-17-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Lakers have won nine straight games and 20 of the last 21 meetings against the Wildcats. In recent matchups, GVSU has averaged over 45 points per game while allowing just under 12.

In their victory over Davenport, sophomore quarterback Brady Drogosh rushed for 71 yards and scored three touchdowns on eight carries. Quarterback Andrew Schuster completed 11 of his 23 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. On defense, linebacker Anthony Cardamone led with ten tackles, while Jimmy Downs contributed nine tackles, including one and a half tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.

Scott Wooster is in his third year as head coach of Grand Valley State's football program. Under his leadership, the Lakers have compiled a record of 25 wins and five losses, reached the NCAA Division II playoffs twice, and secured a GLIAC title during his first two seasons.

Against Davenport, the Lakers' rushing offense accumulated 254 yards and four touchdowns on 38 attempts from quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs combined. Seven different players rushed for at least 20 yards. Ten different receivers caught passes in that game; Sean Byrd led with three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Senior punter Trace Hrgich leads the nation with an average of 48.9 yards per punt this season. He has recorded five punts of at least fifty yards and five inside the opponent's twenty-yard line out of eleven total punts.

Riley Simpson set a school record earlier this season with a ninety-six-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Pittsburg State. Placekicker Mathew Bacik remains perfect on extra point attempts this year.

Kellen Reed is approaching two thousand career all-purpose yards as he enters the Northern Michigan game with nearly two thousand combined kickoff return, receiving, and rushing yards.

The Laker defense held Davenport to just over one hundred fifty total offensive yards outside of two scoring drives last week. In pass coverage, they allowed only four completions out of nineteen attempts by Davenport’s quarterbacks.

Additional defensive highlights from earlier games include strong performances from linebackers Anthony Cardamone and Torian Wyatt as well as defensive back Quin Wills and linemen Jamari Buddin and Khamani Potts.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for three hundred ninety-one yards—setting a freshman record—and four touchdowns against Black Hills State. He has completed sixty-four passes for nine hundred sixteen yards with eight touchdowns through his first four starts.

Grand Valley State has consistently drawn high attendance figures at home games for thirteen consecutive years; more than forty-one thousand fans attended their first two home games this season.

Historically, Grand Valley State leads NCAA Division II football programs in winning percentage among teams that have played more than five hundred games. The program has recorded four national championships (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and made six NCAA championship appearances overall since its inception fifty-three years ago.