PREVIEW: Huskies welcome #1 Lakers on Senior Day

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech football welcomes top-ranked Grand Valley State to Kearly Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day and Tadych’s Kids Day. The Huskies enter the week 2-2 in conference play and return home following a 28-20 loss to No. 7 Ferris State at Top Taggart Field. Prior to kickoff, 23 graduating student-athletes will be honored on the field, including four-year starting quarterback Will Ark. Tech will be back on the road to finish the 2022 regular season at Hillsdale and No. 23 Saginaw Valley State in the first two weeks of November.

LAST TIME OUT

• Michigan Tech led at halftime against the defending Division II national champions but fell short to No. 7 Ferris State 28-20 Saturday afternoon. Carson Gulker’s three rushing touchdowns at quarterback were enough to lift Ferris State to a 6-1 overall record (3-1 GLIAC). The Huskies limited the high-powered Bulldogs to just 68 passing yards in the first half and scored on their first possession of the game, following a 74-yard completion to Brandon Michalak. 
• Michalak posted a career-high 155 yards receiving on eight catches. Darius Willis chipped in seven receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown. GLIAC leading tackler Marc Sippel led the defense with 15 tackles (two solo) and Braxton Blackwell finished with 12 (eight solo). Hunter Beuchel was visible with three tackles for loss and 11 total tackles.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LAKERS

• The Lakers and Huskies met twice last fall with GVSU winning both matchups. Most recently, the Lakers (then ranked No. 7 nationally) edged Tech 14-9 on Oct. 30, 2021 at Lubbers Stadium.
• The Huskies trailed 14-0 at halftime but rallied after the break.
• Drew Wyble converted a 30-yard field goal and Justin Davis pulled down a 14-yard touchdown catch from Ark.
• The Lakers took a defensive stand late in the fourth quarter and ran out the clock.
• GVSU quarterback Cade Peterson netted 181 yards and threw for a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 56 yards, including a 27-yard scramble.

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

• GLIAC teams continued to dominate non-conference matchups last week with Davenport winning 58-14 over Lincoln (Calif.). This season, GLIAC teams are 23-8 vs. opponents outside the conference.
• Michigan Tech and Wayne State are the only teams without winning non-conference records. 
• The Huskies faced an unusually difficult schedule to start the season, including No. 19 Midwestern State and Division I St. Thomas, which is 6-1 overall heading into this weekend. 
• Four GLIAC teams were ranked inside the AFCA Top-25 on Monday, including Grand Valley State (No. 1), Ferris State (No. 7), Davenport (No. 18), and Saginaw Valley State (No. 23). 
• Ferris State went undefeated (14-0) last season to win the NCAA Divison II National Championship.

ODDS AND ENDS

• The last time the Huskies defeated a No. 1 ranked opponent was October 30, 2010 (W, 20-17 vs. Grand Valley State).
• The Huskies continue to lead the GLIAC for the second straight season in fewest penalty yards per game (35.6). Tech earned just three penalties for 15 yards Saturday at Ferris State.
• Veteran quarterback Will Ark earned GLIAC Offensive player of the week two weeks ago for Tech. 
• Heading into his final start at Kearly Stadium, Ark currently ranks fourth on the school charts in career passing yards (6,444), fourth in career passing touchdowns (45), and fourth in career total offense (5,165 yards). 
• The Huskies last NCAA appearance came in 2014 under head coach Tom Kearly. The team finished 9-2 overall, good for second place in the GLIAC standings.
• AFCA All-American starting center Hayden Huttula remained out of the lineup against Ferris State after sustaining an apparent injury the week prior. Sophomore Hunter Chambers (Lake Orion, Michigan) got the start at center in his absence. Punter Brendan Lach left Saturday’s game after a collision at the sideline on a fourth-down fake punt play. The Huskies are playing without starting defensive end junior Sam Kinne this season (injured in spring).
• Kinne was named Fred Baird Defensive Player of the Year after appearing in all 10 games in 2021.

SCOUTING THE #1 LAKERS

• The Lakers stayed undefeated after dominating Northern Michigan at home 56-3 on Saturday. 
• On Monday, the conference announced sophomore Darrell Johnson as GLIAC special teams player of the week. Johnson racked up 172 return yards, including an 87-yard punt return, the second longest in program history, which gave GVSU a 6-0 lead. Johnson added 84 more yards on kickoffs for the Lakers.
• Head Coach Matt Mitchell is in his 12th year at the helm and entered the season with a 105-30 record, including six NCAA Division II Playoff appearances, two NCAA Division II National Semifinals, two GLIAC Championships, and three GLIAC North Division titles.
• The Lakers have four wins over top-25 ranked teams, including No. 4 Colorado School of Mines, No. 17 Saginaw Valley State, No. 1 Ferris State, and No. 21 Colorado State-Pueblo.
• Last week for homecoming, the Lakers dominated in every facet of offense, defense, and special teams. NMU managed just seven first downs and 146 yards of total offense, while GVSU posted 478 yards of total offense, 268 via the rush, and 210 through the air. Seven different players scored touchdowns.
• Quarterback Cade Peterson ranks second in the league with 179.5 passing yards per game and is fourth in touchdown passes (10), behind Jason Whittaker (Davenport - 21), Will Ark (Michigan Tech -13), and Andrew Brito (Saginaw Valley - 12). 
• Jahdae Walker has been Peterson’s favorite target. His 53.0 receiving yards per game ranks fifth in the GLIAC. He has found the endzone four times and accumulated 424 yards through eight games.
• Tariq Reid is the gold standard for the conference at running back. The junior from Davison, Michigan has a GLIAC-high 695 rushing yards (86.0 yards per game). He trails only Carson Gulker (Ferris State) with 12 rushing touchdowns.
• The Lakers (ranked No. 2 at the time) faced rival Ferris State (No. 1 at the time) in front of 12,661 fans on October 15 at Top Taggart Field for the ‘Anchor-Bone Classic’ and emerged victorious 22-21.
• GVSU snapped Ferris State’s 19-game overall win streak, 43-game regular season winning streak, and 32-game GLIAC winning streak in the process.
• The teams traded turnovers in the final three minutes, but the Lakers managed a four-down stop in the final minute to preserve the lead.

IF YOU'RE GOING

• If you have mobile tickets for today's game, before heading to the stadium, it is important to download your tickets to your mobile device in advance of game. This will ensure quick and easy access into the stadium in case you run into limited cellular service at and around Kearly Stadium.
• Outside food and drinks are not permitted within Kearly Stadium. Concessions will be available for purchase. Concessions accepts both cash and card payments.
• Parking is $5 cash per vehicle and $3 cash for Michigan Tech Students with a Student ID.
• Every VIP ticket comes with preferred parking in Lot 24. When you go to park, show the parking attendants your VIP ticket and they will let you in to park. If you purchased parking in Lot 85, you will show the parking attendants at Lot 85 your parking pass, and they will let you in to park.
• Visitor Guide
• Mobile Ticket Guide
• Concession Menu
• Ticket Office Home

DIRECTIONS TO KEARLY STADIUM

• From the South/ East: Enter Houghton via US-41. Turn left (south) at the first stoplight (MacInnes Drive). Continue on MacInnes Drive past the Student Development Complex. Stadium will be on the right. Main event parking is in Lot 24 (before stadium).
• From the West: Enter Houghton via M26. Turn right on Sharon Avenue. Go about 1.5 miles down the road. Stadium will be on the left. Main event parking is in Lot 24 (past stadium). 
• The Central Ticket Office at the Student Development Complex will be open before and during the game for any of your ticketing needs. If you need to pick up tickets at Will Call they will be located at the office within the Student Development Complex. If you have any issues with your tickets you may visit the ticket office for assistance or stop by one of the ticket booths at the entrances of the stadium.

HUSKY MERCHANDISE - 100 YEARS OF FOOTBALL BOOK

• Looking for new Huskies gear? Make sure to visit University Images located in the Student Development Complex for all your Michigan Tech merchandise and apparel needs. University Images is open extended hours during sporting and other special events.

• University Images has a new book on sale, "Michigan Tech Football, The First 100 Years." You can purchase the book for $24.95 in the store or online at MichiganTechHuskies.com/ FootballBook. All proceeds from the book will benefit the Michigan Tech Football program.

  Authored by Willam J. Sproule, the book explores Michigan Tech football history, teams, coaches, players, awards, and records, and will bring back many memories of Husky football. Football is a special part of Michigan Tech history. Michigan Mining School students played local high school and community teams in the 1890s, but it was not until 1920 that a club team played another college when it scheduled two games against Northern State Normal (now Northern Michigan University). That season marked the start of intercollegiate football, and then prior to the 1924 season, football was "officially" recognized as a varsity sport.

• University Images Hours