Huskies Return to Sherman Field for Homecoming Showdown with Wayne State
Michigan Tech Game Notes (PDF) Wayne State Game Notes (PDF)
Sat., Oct. 21, 2017 • 1:00 p.m. (ET) • Sherman Field (3,200)
Michigan Tech (3-4, 2-3) vs Wayne State (2-5, 1-4)
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mtu/
Radio Broadcast: WKMJ 93.5 FM (Josh Ylitalo, Brad Isaacson)
Audio Webcast: Pasty.net
Live Stats: http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2017-18/schedule
WEEK 7 IN REVIEW
Week seven of the 2017 season was a tough for the Huskies who fell on the road at then 16th ranked Ashland University 48-0. The Eagles have since moved up three sports in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll and are now fifth in the D2Football.com poll. Ashland struck quickly for 14 points in the first quarter, but unlike previous weeks when Tech has fallen behind, the Huskies couldn't recover. Senior running back James Henderson led the Michigan Tech offense with 39 yards rushing and added 126 all-purpose yards on five kick returns. Sophomore linebacker Marvin Wright had 13 total tackles followed by junior defensive back Graham Hubbell with nine stops and a fumble recovery. On the defensive line, senior Cayman Berg-Morales finished with six tackles including one for a loss while Max Maloney recorded three tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two quarterback hurries.
THREE OF FOUR DOWN THE STRETCH
Michigan Tech will be in the friendly confines of Sherman Fileld for three of the final four games of the 2017 season. The Huskies host Wayne State Saturday, Davenport next weekend, and then Ferris State comes to town on November 11th for the season finale. The Huskies are 2-1 at Sherman Field this season thanks to a 38-14 win over Truman State in the season opener and a 28-21 triumph over rival Northern Michigan in week five to keep the Miner's Cup in Houghton for the eighth straight season. The Huskies have a chance to finish the 2017 season strong in front of the home crowd.
HOMECOMING HISTORY
History has been kind to the Huskies on Homecoming entering this weekend's annual contest. Michigan Tech has an all-time record of 46-31-2 in Homecoming games dating back to the inagural game which was played on October 19th, 1929. The Huskies battled Northern Michigan that day and the final result was a 0-0 tie. Mchigan Tech has won four of the last five Homecoming clashes which dates back to a 28-21 win over Northwood in 2012. The Huskies fell to Saginaw Valley State last season 17-16, but topped Northwood 30-14 in 2015, upended Saginaw Valley State 26-20 in 2014, and Walsh 29-7 in 2013. The longest Homecoming win streak is seven games (1990-96).
DEFENSIVE LINE
One of the bright spots from Saturday's game was the Michigan Tech defensive line, led by senior Cayman Berg-Morales. Morales registered six more tackles and one tackle for a loss against Ashland. Berg-Morales has 28 total tackles this season and is tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss with 4.5. Freshman Max Maloney had a solid afternoon with three tackles, a tackle for a loss, and nearly registered a couple of sacks with a pair of quarterback hurries. Sophomore Mattias Hoehnen did get to Travis Tarnowski once for a sack and added an additional quarterback hurry. The Huskies this season have accumulated 11 sacks and 45 tackles for a loss.
CENTURY MARK
The Michigan Tech offense has eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark in each of the seven games this season. The Huskies ran for 112 yards this past week at Ashland, with a season best 236 yards to kickoff the campaign in week one at home against Truman State. Tech has passed the 200 yard plateau three times with totals of 236 yards, 207 yards (Saginaw Valley State), and 210 yards (Northwood). The Huskies are averaging 173.7 yards per game on the ground which accounts for over half of their total yards per game totals. Senior running back John Williams has the bulk of the yardage, entering Saturday's game with 728 yards and a 5.5 yards per carry average. He is currently third in the GLIAC in yards per game at 104.0 and first in the GLIAC in rushing touchdowns (10).
IN THE RANKINGS
Williams leads the GLIAC and is 11th in NCAA Division II with 10 rushing touchdowns going into this weekend. Willams had one against NMU to go along with three at SVSU, one against GVSU, two at Hillsdale, and three in week one against Truman State. He is also first in the GLIAC in total TD's (10) and 16th nationally. Williams ranks third in the GLIAC in rushing yards (728) and is 27th nationally. He is averaging 104.0 yards per game which is third best in the GLIAC and 27th best in NCAA Division II. James Henderson leads the GLIAC and is 16th in the nation in combined kickoff return yardage (490). The Huskies are tops in the conference for fewest tackles for a loss allowed per game (3.86). The Huskies are one of the least penalized teams in the country, ranking first in fewest penalty yards (172) and penalty yards per game (24.57).
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Wayne State enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 2-5 and 1-4 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Warriors have lost four straight games, but two of those losses were at the hands of 8th ranked Grand Valley State and 15th ranked Ferris State. Wayne State suffered a 20-10 loss at home last week against Northwood.
The Warriors offense is averaging 24.6 points and 349.7 yards per game entering Saturday's battle with the Huskies. Wayne State's attack is very balanced, with rushing (174.3) and passing yards (175.4) accounting for just about an equal share of the total yards. The Warriors have three running backs averaging 52 or more yards per game, led by senior Romello Brown at 69.1 yards per contest. He has added a pair of touchdowns and picks up just under four yards per carry. Senior Demetrius Stinson has found the end zone on the ground for a team best three TD's. Junior quarterback D.J. Zezula has completed 86 passes for 1,161 yards through seven games of the season. He has fired 15 touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions. His favorite target has been sophomore wide out Darece Roberson who has reeled in 18 catches for 325 yards and six scores.
Sophomore defensive back Kyle Toth powers the Warriors with 50 total tackles and is averaging 7.1 tackles per game through seven weeks. He also has one of the six Warriors interceptions, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Junior linebacker Anthony Pittman has 41 stops, 2.5 sacks, and a team high 10 tackles for a loss. Senior defensive back Ronny Brant leads the team with two interceptions and has 34 total tackles. As a team, the Warriors are surrendering 33.7 pints and 389.7 yards per game to opponents.
SERIES VS. WAYNE STATE
Michigan Tech and Wayne State will meet for the 28th time on Saturday at Sherman Field for the annual Homecoming game. The Warriors hold a 17-10 lead in the all-time series, but the Huskies have won four in a row and six of the last seven. Wayne State won 10 games in a row at the beginning of the series with the first game being played in 1967. Tech's first win came in 1995 in a 43-3 triumph in Houghton. The Huskies' last three wins over Wayne State have been by seven points or less, including a 20-15 deicision in favor of Tech the last time the teams met in Houghton to open the 2015 season. That day, the Huskies rolled out to a 20-2 lead through three quarters, but had to hold off the Warriors who stormed back with 13 fourth quarter points to get within striking distance. Quarterback Brandon Cowie passed for 178 yards and two touhdowns while running for an additional 64 yards and one touchdown. Ian Fischer caught six passes for 105 yards and one touchdown.
HOMECOMING TAILGATE
The Michigan Tech Student Activities Department will be hosting a Homecoming Tailgate party from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. prior to Saturday's kickoff against Wayne State. Attendees can mingle with athletes, take photos with the Michigan Tech photo frame, play yard games, and much more. Free food and beverages will be available and strudents will need their HuskyCard ID to get into the game and tailgate. The event is being sponsored by Athletics, Dining Services, Alumni Engagement, Wellness, and Student Activities.
CAPTAINS
Huskies' team captains for the 2017 season are defensive lineman Cayman Berg-Morales, running back John Williams, quarterback Jake Brown, and defensive back Mitchell Ryan.
HUSKIES 6TH IN GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
Michigan Tech is picked to finish 6th (38 points) in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, announced at the beginning of August by the conference office. Grand Valley State and Ferris State are at the top of rankings at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The Lakers edged the Bulldogs for the top spot by two points with 77 points. Ashland (#3, 67 points), Wayne State (#4, 54 points), and Saginaw Valley State (#5, 41 points) round out the top five in this year's poll.
COACH OLSON YEAR ONE
New Head Coach Steve Olson takes the reigns of the program after serving as an assistant coach under Tom Kearly for six seasons, including the past three as defensive coordinator. Olson's defenses have been some of the best in the GLIAC year in and year out in multiple statistical categories.
HUSKIES BITES
The Michigan Tech coaching staff went through some transition during the offseason. Steve Olson was named the head coach after serving as the defensive coordinator during the 2016 campaign. Dan Mettlach returned to Tech to join the coaching staff after an outstanding career as a player. He was named the offensive coordinator after Eric Ieuter joined the staff at the University of Florida. Former Husky running back Phil Milbrath returned to Tech as the new running back's coach earlier this month and Ken Klein returned as an assitant coach on the defenisve side of the ball. Bryan Thomas and Josh Wood were promoted to co-defensive coordinator roles. David Sartin continues in his role as offensive line coach with Tim Callahan assisting on the offesnive side of the ball while Michael Donnelly is an assistant coach for the defense.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will play the second of two straight home games when they entertain Davenport next Saturday at Sherman Field. Davenport is new to the ranks of NCAA Division II and the GLIAC, picking up their first division two win with a 27-24 OT victory last week against McKendree. Davenport plays at Northwood on Saturday.