Panthers upend Huskies 52-38
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan Tech (1-4) | 17 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
|
Davenport (4-0) | 0 | 14 | 21 | 17 | 52 |
CALEDONIA, Mich. – Jason Whittaker passed for five touchdowns and rushed for a sixth as Davenport used a strong second half to down Michigan Tech 52-38 Saturday afternoon at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex (The Farm). KyShawn Richards needed just five rushing attempts to post 147 yards and a touchdown to assist Whittaker and the Panthers.
"I was proud of our ability to take advantage in our first couple of possessions on the road," said head coach Steve Olson. "Unfortunately, it just didn't finish in our direction. We were converting third downs so well in the first half which was great to see. But this is a Davenport team that brought in a lot of new players and a veteran quarterback who sees things on the field very fast and adjusts on the fly at a high level. On the other hand, there were some things defensively that I was disappointed in. Some of our tackling wasn't good which led to big runs. We can't leave our feet and slide off tackles so that is something that is going to be important for us to improve."
The Huskies (1-4, 0-1 GLIAC) started the game on an 11 play, 75-yard drive, bookended with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Will Ark. Owen Watson recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Tech turned it into another seven points when Ark found Darius Willis on a 26-yard pass.
Kicker Drew Wyble tacked on another three points to make it 17-0 but the Panthers began to turn the momentum near the end of the second quarter with passing touchdowns from Whittaker to Preston Smith (12 yards) and Jake Livingstone (20 yards) before the teams headed to the locker room.
The second half belonged to the Panthers. Whittaker's accuracy in the pocket improved and the Huskies' secondary struggled to contain Livingstone and Demetrius Garrett.
Trailing by 14 late in the fourth quarter, the Huskies marched down the field with an eight-play drive, then through some contact downfield, Ark's pass was intercepted with 5:58 to play. Brandon Gielow made it 45-31 from 32 yards after a 10-play drive to effectively put the game out of reach.
Despite the loss, Ark played one of his best games this fall, completing 21 of 39 passes for 267 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Will Marano and Alec Moriarty combined for 82 yards at tailback and Ark added 13 yards on the ground.
Brandon Michalak posted his third touchdown reception of the season and nearly eclipsed 100 yards with 97 on three receptions. Willis was Ark's primary target with eight catches, 87 yards, and one score.
"It was really good to see Will come out and make good decisions, manage the clock and do things the right way," Olson said. "Overall, I felt he had a good game and hopefully he just continues to progress moving forward.
Davenport (4-0, 1-0 GLIAC) piled up 556 yards of total offense, despite trailing MTU in time of possession 35:28 to 24:32. DU relied heavily on Whittaker in the pass game and after setting the school record with six combined touchdowns in his first start last week. He completed 24 of 40 passes for 361 yards with one interception. Smith collected 143 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. Ferris State transfer Sy Barnett also contributed six receptions and 99 yards.
The Huskies return home on Saturday, October 8 for Homecoming. The weekend features a special celebration commemorating 100 years of Michigan Tech football. Davenport looks to remain undefeated at Northern Michigan.
"It's critical that we are able to move past this game and hopefully we can get some guys healthy as well," Olson said. "We have to put together good practices as well. If we work hard and make tackles and out execute the opposition, we'll give ourselves a good chance to win against Wayne State.
