Tech Football Hosts Angelo St. in NCAA Playoff Saturday

THIS WEEKEND'S NOTES

SECOND POSTSEASON APPEARANCE FOR TECH
Michigan Tech is making just its second NCAA Playoff appearance in school history. The last came 10 years ago in 2004 as the Huskies earned the No. 1 seed in Super Region 3. Tech ended up hosting North Dakota in the second round and, playing without the services of its starting quarterback Dan Mettlach and future NFL lineman Joe Berger, fell 20-3 at Sherman Field. Tech is now in Super Region 4 and again hosting an NCAA Playoff.

NINE WINS TIES RECORD
Michigan Tech has tied a school record with nine wins on the season. Three previous teams have made it to the nine-win plateau: 1974 (9-0), 1992 (9-1) and 2004 (9-2). If the Huskies can win one more game, it will be the first football team in school history to reach double digits in wins.

SCOUTING ANGELO STATE
Tech's first-round opponent is Angelo State, a member of the Lone Star Conference. ASU, which is located in Angelo, Texas, enters with an 8-2 record and a five-game winning streak. The Rams average 41.7 points (12th nationally) and 486.0 yards (18th nationally) per game. Quarterback Kyle Washington is third in the country in total offense, averaging 357.0 per game (267 passing and 90 rushing). On the defensive side of the ball, ASU gives up an average of 30.1 points and 460.8 yards per contest.

EIGHT ALL-GLIAC HUSKIES
Eight Michigan Tech players earned All-GLIAC First or Second Team as the league announced its postseason awards this week. Senior defensive end Nelson Wienke (Kingsford, Mich.) was named GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year. Senior cornerback DeShawn Nelson (Kentwood, Mich.) and junior left guard Frank Vruwink (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) joined Wienke on the All-GLIAC First Team. Tech members of the All-GLIAC Second Team were wide receiver Brandon Cowie (West Bend, Wis.), linebacker Paul Kuoppala (Iron Mountain, Mich.), running back Charlie Leffingwell (Midland, Mich), quarterback Tyler Scarlett (Clarkston, Mich.) and center Bruce Tebelman (Dearborn, Mich.). Wienke's selection as the Defensive Lineman of the Year was Tech's third in the last five years (Todd Storm in 2010 and 2011). Tech's eight All-GLIAC honorees was the third-most in school history.

SCARLETT ADDS TO CAREER NUMBERS
Quarterback Tyler Scarlett eclipsed the 10,000-yard mark for total offense during the week nine win over Ashland and bumped it up to 10,264 after last Saturday's (Nov. 15) victory over Lake Erie. The four-year starter has amassed 9,483 yards passing and 781 rushing with 89 total touchdowns to his credit (78 passing, 11 rushing). Scarlett owns Tech's game, season and career records for both passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also possesses the season and career marks for total offense and touchdowns responsible for. Perhaps Scarlett's best stat is his 29-12 mark as a starting quarterback.

Michigan Tech Career Passing    Yards    Pct     TDs    Ints
1.     Tyler Scarlett (2011- )    9,483    .620    78    26
2.     Steve Short (2006-10)    7,471    .579    59    44

TECH DEFENSE IS NO. 2 IN GLIAC, AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Michigan Tech possesses the GLIAC's No. 2 unit in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. The Huskies are surrendering 329.2 total yards, just 17.8 points and 121.0 yards per game. Tech's defense will be called upon in a big way this Saturday with the nation's No. 18-ranked total offense coming into Sherman Field.

HOW WE GOT HERE
Michigan Tech finished the regular season at 9-1, but if not for a few key plays would not have gotten to nine wins nor likely the NCAA Playoffs. Tech drove 69 yards in the final two minutes of the season opener at Wayne State, converting two fourth downs along the way before Garrett Mead hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired for an 18-17 win. After a decisive win at Malone and a hard-fought home win vs. Saginaw Valley State (26-20), a 39-yard Mead field goal broke a 31-all deadlock on the game's final play at Northern Michigan. Tech kept Northwood out of the endzone in a 21-6 win in week five and dominated Grand Valley State 35-14 in week six. Ferris State handed the Huskies their lone loss in week seven before Tech bounced back with decisive victories in their final three games, outscoring their opponents a combined 122-43.

LEFFINGWELL LOOKS TO JOIN 3,000 YARDS CLUB
Charlie Leffingwell turned in his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game with 145 on just 18 carries vs. Lake Erie last Saturday. The senior has gone over the century mark six times this season including five times in the last six weeks. His 124.0 yards-per-carry average ranks third in the GLIAC and 15th nationally. Leffingwell, who is sixth all-time in rushing at Tech, is just the seventh player in school history to reach the 3,000 milestone.

All-Time Leading Rushers    Att    Yds    Avg    TD    Lg
1. Jim VanWagner, 1973-76    958    4788    4.9    55    77
...
5. Larry Ras, 1968-71    833    3761    4.5    40    82
6. Charlie Leffingwell, 2011-    593    3085    5.2    19    77    

NOT BEATING OURSELVES
The Huskies have committed the fewest penalties in all of Division II with only 27 infractions in 10 games (2.7 per game). Additionally, Tech is tied for the national lead in fewest turnovers lost (nine). The Huskies did not have a penalty in their week 10 matchup vs. Lake Erie and have only been penalized twice in the last four games of the year.

STILL GOT THE TIME
Michigan Tech possessed the ball for 33:33 of the 60 minutes vs. Lake Erie last Saturday. The Huskies lead the GLIAC and rank fifth nationally in time of possession (35:14).

THE TECH-ANGELO STATE SERIES
Michigan Tech has never played Angelo State in football. In fact, the Huskies have never faced any team from the state of Texas. A quick geography check revealed that the farthest south any Michigan Tech opponent called home was Rolla, Mo. (Missouri S&T, located 100 miles southwest of St. Louis).

SHERMAN IN NOVEMBER
Michigan Tech is playing its third home game in the month of November (a school record). The Huskies have won six of their last seven home games in the month of November. The lone loss was to Saginaw Valley State last fall (Nov. 2).

MILLER SCORES FIRST TWO TDS
Sophomore running back Kevin Miller scored his first two career touchdowns with runs of three and five yards in last Saturday's (Nov. 15) win over Lake Erie. The 6-1, 195-pound Miller had carried the ball 126 times over two seasons for the Huskies before he got his first score—a three-yard run with 3:56 left in the third quarter. Miller owns 478 career yards on 135 attempts in his two-year career.

HUSKIES BITES
Michigan Tech is playing an 11th game in a season for just the fifth time in school history. The last was in 2011, when Tech went 7-4 in the regular season … Tech's senior class is 29-12 (.707) over their four-year careers  … The Huskies are +11 in interceptions this season with their defense gaining 15 and the offense throwing just four … A quarterback with a last name beginning with "S" has started 51 consecutive games and 93 of the last 100 games the Huskies have played. Tyler Scarlett is in his fourth year as starter. Drew Schaft started the streak in 2005. Steve Short then took over four games into the 2006 campaign. Only when Short was injured three games into the 2009 season did Brent Heim break the trend for seven games … Tech won two of its games this season on the final play. Garrett Mead kicked field goals at Wayne State (25 yards) for an 18-17 victory and at Northern Michigan (39 yards) for a 34-31 triumph.

IN THE RANKINGS
Michigan Tech is ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll at No. 18 this week. The Huskies entered the top 25 at No. 23 in the Sept. 29 poll, marking the first national ranking for the Huskies since 2012.

Ranking by week    AFCA Poll    D2Football.com Poll
Sept. 29    23    —
Oct. 6    22    —
Oct. 13    20    24
Oct. 20    13    19
Oct. 27    21    —
Nov. 3    20    —
Nov. 10    20    24
Nov. 17    18    23

COACH KEARLY
Michigan Tech head coach Tom Kearly is in his ninth season as head coach and 15th overall with the Huskies program. The skipper owns a 59-34 record (.634 winning percentage) and has coached Tech to two of the eight eight-win seasons in school history. Kearly, a Hancock native and 1979 Winona State graduate, coached at Central Michigan for 19 seasons before returning to the Copper Country in 2000. He was the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2010.

CAPTAINS
Huskies' team captains for the 2014 season are defensive end Cameron Allen, cornerback DeShawn Nelson, center Bruce Tebelman and quarterback Tyler Scarlett. All four are seniors.

SUPERIOR PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Superior National Bank sponsors the Superior Player of the Game. Following each football game, a player is chosen. A list of the 2014 Superior Players of the Game is below.

Sept. 4 at Wayne    Garrett Mead: 4 FG (23, 29, 21, 25); game-winner
Sept. 13 at Malone    Tyler Scarlett: 16-of-20, 175 yds, 4 TD
Sept. 20 vs SVSU    Tanner Agen: 8 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 blk kick
Sept. 27 at NMU    Garrett Mead: 2 FG (39, 39); game-winner
Oct. 11 at NU    DeShawn Nelson: 2 Interceptions, 4 tackles
Oct. 18 vs. GVSU    Charlie Leffingwell: 23 rushes, 202 yds, 2 total TD
Oct. 25 vs. Ferris    Anthony Root: 8 receptions, 59 yards
Nov. 1 at Tiffin    Charlie Leffingwell: 26 rushes, 221 yds, 5 total TD
Nov. 8 vs. Ashland    Charlie Leffingwell: 29 rushes, 112 yds, 1 TD
Nov. 15 vs. LE    Tyler Scarlett: 10-of-16, 201 yds, 3 TD; 1 rush TD