Huskies Dominant in Homecoming Victory over Northwood
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northwood (3-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
|
Michigan Tech (5-0) | 7 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. — Michigan Tech held the ball for more than 43 of the 60 minutes in a dominating 30-14 victory over Northwood in Homecoming football today at Sherman Field. The Huskies were a combined 20-of-25 on third and fourth downs to improve to 5-0 for the second straight season.
"Except for the long pass play that they got in the first quarter, the first half was as fine as we've played," said Tech coach Tom Kearly. "We had the ball nearly the entire half and scored on four of six possessions.
"Overall, our defense was outstanding. A few things here and there, but we did a nice job getting off the field and getting a couple takeaways."
Tech held a big advantage in total yards with 439 compared to the Timberwolves 209. A large part of that was total plays. The hosts ran 53 more plays than their opponents, limiting Northwood to just 13 offensive plays from scrimmage in the opening 30 minutes.
The Huskies set the tone on the opening play from scrimmage as Kevin Miller found a gap and ran 61 yards. The drive ended with a missed field goal, however.
After a NU three-and-out, Tech drove 61 yards on nine plays. Brandon Cowie hit John Williams on a wheel route for a 11-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Northwood answered with a 65-yard touchdown pass on the next play from scrimmage to tie the score. It would be the Timberwolves' only first down of the half.
Tech put together a 20-play drive that chewed 9:55 off the clock and resulted in a two-yard Cowie run with 12:31 left in the half.
Eric Kostreva added to the home lead with a two-yard run with 8:58 to go in the frame. Josh King connected on a 24-yard field goal on the half's final play for a 24-7 gap at the break.
Tech had a 17-play drive in the third quarter result in a touchdown as Cowie found David Walter of a five-yard TD to make the score 30-7.
The visitors drew within two scores (30-14) on a 14-yard run with 10:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. They never had much chance to come back, however. The Black and Gold had a seven minute drive, held the T'wolves on downs at midfield, then killed the final 1:56 off the clock for the victory.
Cowie, who entered the game as the nation's leader in completion percentage, connected on 21-of-30 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He added 37 yards and a score with his legs, helping Tech convert 18-of-23 third downs and both fourth downs it faced in the game.
John Williams was one yard shy of his first 100-yard game of the season. Miller added 88, and the Huskies racked up 231 yards on the ground compared to just 69 for Northwood, a traditional power in the running game.
Brandon Hutchison had a team-high five tackles as the Tech defense played just 37 plays in the game. Brett Gervais and Jaylyn Williams-Boone both had interceptions of NU quarterback Mark Morris, who was 8-of-18 in the contest.
Michigan Tech, which has played four of its first five games at home, will now play four of its final five on the road. The first of those is next Saturday (Oct. 17) night at Grand Valley State. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Notes: Tech honored more than 20 members of its 1963 and 1965 conference champion football teams at halftime including the coach of those teams, Bill Lucier … The Huskies have won six straight games vs. Northwood, and 15 of their last 16 GLIAC games overall dating back to the 2013 season.
