Tech Football Travels to No. 3 GVSU Saturday

• 10.24.23 Dan Mettlach Press Conference

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech football team travels downstate for the final time in the regular season for a tilt against the No. 3 nationally-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers at Lubbers Stadium, slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday (Oct. 28). 

This marks the second consecutive week that the Huskies face a top-10 opponent.

Watch the Huskies 

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The Series 

Grand Valley State leads the all-time series 31-4, with Michigan Tech's last win coming at home on Oct. 18, 2014, where the Huskies won 25-14.

About the Lakers 

Grand Valley State welcomes the Huskies to Lubbers Stadium bolstering a six game win-streak, most recently thumping Northern Michigan 73-14 at the Superior Dome (Oct. 21). The No. 3 Lakers are 6-1 overall and 3-0 within the GLIAC.

Senior kicker Josh Gorball was tabbed Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Wildcats. He went 10-for-10 in points after attempts and connected on a 53-yard field goal in the first half. Gorball's field goal was the second-longest in Laker football history and his 10 made PATs is the second most in a single-game in GLIAC football history.

Quarterback Cade Peterson conducts the offense with 1,318 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, which leads the league. He averages 188.29 yards passing and averages 5.5 rushing yards per game. 

Tariq Reid controls the ground with 374 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He averages 53.4 rushing yards per game, with his eight touchdowns ranking third in the league.

Cody Tierney has 26 receptions on the year, averaging 17.88 yards per reception with five touchdown receptions.

Defensively, Christian McCarroll and Abe Swanson have each recorded 35 tackles. McCarroll has 11 tackles for loss totaling 54 yards, while Swanson has two interceptions and four quarterback hurries. 

About the Huskies 

Michigan Tech concludes its last regular season road trip with a ledger of 4-3 and 1-3 in the loop. Most recently, the Huskies fell at Kearly Stadium to No. 9 nationally-ranked Ferris State 35-21 on Saturday (Oct. 21).

Quarterback Alex Fries has thrown for over 1,500 yards, averaging 219.1 passing yards per game, which ranks best in the GLIAC. The Saginaw, Michigan, native is responsible for 84 points this season, with the Huskies averaging 29.6 points per game. His main target, Ethan Champney, averages 22.12 yards per reception, which ranks second in the conference and 12th nationally.

Fries joins running back William Marano with four rushing touchdowns this season, with Marano averaging 65.6 rushing yards per game.

Wide receiver Darius Willis is averaging 114.6 all-purpose yards per game with over 500 yards receiving and 225 yards off of kick returns. He ranks second in the league with 22.5 yards average on kick returns and first in the GLIAC with 5.9 receptions per game.

Marc Sippel leads the Huskies with 67 total tackles, averaging 9.7 total tackles per game, ranking 11th nationally. Similarly, Hunter Buechel has 58 total tackles this season, with two sacks and seven tackles for loss, totaling 41 yards.

One Last Thing

Punter Brenden Lach has been on another level this season, with his average punt of 45.7 remaining the best in the country. He has 13 punts within the 20 and a long of 72 yards coming in the season opener.