Tech Football handled by No. 18 Davenport, 28-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 18 Davenport (4-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
|
Michigan Tech (3-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. -- The Michigan Tech football team was outmatched against No. 18 Davenport as the Huskies fell 28-0 at Kearly Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Michigan Tech (3-1, 0-1 GLIAC) struggled to find an offensive rhythm with just 117 yards of total offense, while Davenport (4-0, 1-0 GLIAC) amassed 356 yards of total offense.
"Hats off to Davenport, I thought they played really well today in all three phases," head coach Dan Mettlach said. "I thought our guys had a great week of practice and showed up this morning ready to go. I appreciated our effort throughout the game.
"I felt like the offensive execution was lacking. Our defense played really well to only be down two scores going into the half. We need to regroup and make sure that our guys are ready for the speed and athleticism we'll start seeing in league play moving forward."
Davenport scored a touchdown in each quarter with a lot of its offense coming on the ground, with 50 rushing attempts averaging 4.1 yards per rush.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard with Caleef Jenkins rushing seven-yards to find the endzone and cap a nine-play 70-yard drive that ate up five minutes of playing time. Quarterback Jason Whittaker opened the drive, with a 17-yard pass to Demetrius Garrett and two quarterback carries for eight yards and 16 yards, respectively.
DU continued to eat the clock in the second quarter with a 15-play drive going for 86 yards, resulting in a touchdown to end the quarter 14-0.
The Huskies' defense was unable to stay off the field for long, as the Panther's total time of possession was 41:07 compared to the Huskies' 18:53, with much to do with the 206 yards rushing Davenport produced.
Out of the half, the Panthers fumbled the ball on the kickoff, only to be recovered by DU at the 31-yard line.
The Panthers would once again look to their rushers to drive the length of the field, resulting in Jenkins scoring his second touchdown off a one-yard run to the end zone, knocking 8:34 off the clock on that drive alone.
Micah Wilson would score the final touchdown of the contest, returning a punt 72 yards.
The Huskies' offensive woes continued in the fourth quarter after running back William Marano put together four plays, including back-to-back plays of 10 yards, quarterback Alex Fries would throw an untimely interception on 3rd & eight on Davenport's eight-yard line to conclude the game.
Davenport went 7-of-15 on third down, which played a big part in the time of possession advantage. The Panthers also had 73 plays of total offense compared to the Huskies 43.
Michigan Tech had six penalties for 37 yards compared to Davenport's 12 penalties for 106 yards.
Darius Willis was the main target for Michigan Tech, with five catches for 43 yards. Marano led on the ground with seven carries for a total of 20 yards.
Myren Harris led Davenport offensively with 112 yards on 26 carries with a long of 25-yards.
A trio of Huskies accounted for double-digit tackles led by Marc Sippel with 12 total tackles, Hunter Buechel racked up 11, while Dante Basanese had a career-high 10 total tackles.
DU's Jamar Mills and Daniel Wheeler accumulated two tackles for losses totaling five yards a piece.
Up Next
The Huskies continue league play with a trip to Detroit, Michigan, next Saturday (Oct. 7), facing Wayne State at 1 p.m.
