August 27, 2005
Football
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cards Rally In Final Minute and Reclaim Axe, 9-7, over Northwood

MIDLAND, Mich. – The 31st annual Axe Bowl between Saginaw Valley State and Northwood turned into a tough defensive battle and ended in dramatic fashion as SVSU scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left to pull off a 9-7 win at Hantz Stadium.
    Sophomore quarterback Chris Dougherty (Grinnell, Iowa) in his first career start for the Cardinals looked poised on the final drive of the game which began at the SVSU 20-yard line with 1:08 remaining. He scrambled for eleven yards on first down and after two plays yielded no yards on third and nine from the 31-yard line, Dougherty found sophomore wideout Rick Cottengim (Elk Grove, Calif.) on the visitor sideline and threw over two defenders for a 69-yard TD reception and exuberance from the SVSU sideline. Northwood advanced to the SV 49-yard line and fittingly senior linebacker John DiGiorgio (Shelby Twp., Mich./Eisenhower) made the game's final tackle in the middle of the field and Northwood with no timeouts to stop the clock.
    DiGiorgio led a defense that held Northwood in check all day with 14 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also recovered a fourth quarter fumble early in the period. The Timberwolves managed to gain 335 yards of total offense (4.7 ypp) while the Cardinals offense held their own with 387 yards, including 259 passing yards from Dougherty. Dougherty led SVSU with 52 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also was 21-of-39 through the air with seven catches belonging to junior Bob Awrey (Freeland, Mich.) for 56 yards. Senior Jermaine Jackson (Detroit, Mich./Pershing) hauled in five catches for 66 yards. Cottengim had two catches for 85 yards and the game-winning score.
     The 21st-ranked Cardinals held the 10th-ranked Timberwolves to 167 rushing yards, a far cry from the team that averaged over 300 rushing yards a game last season. NU's Torris Childs led the team with 69 rushing yards on 13 carries. Eric Chrisinske was 9-of-11 passing for 164 yards and a TD pass to Yared Yearby in the third quarter which put NU ahead 7-3. The Cardinals opened the scoring in the second quarter on a Bobby Belmonte (East Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central) 37-yard field goal at the 11:15 mark. SVSU drove 13 plays and 63 yards taking off 5:09 from the clock, which was their most productive drive of the game to that point. The contest featured 16 total punts and was the lowest scoring game in the series since a 6-3 SV win in 1981.
    SVSU ran for 128 yards behind a line that at times featured four players with little or no game experience after Stephanol Santos (Saginaw, Mich./Buena Vista) limped off the field in the second half. The offensive line also allowed two sacks and provided good protection throughout the game. Senior Joe Hermann (Grosse Pointe, Mich./North) had a career-high 10 tackles from his end spot, including a 21-yard sack in the first quarter. Senior end Dan Fodrocy (Muskegon, Mich./Catholic Central) also had 10 tackles and excelled on special teams. Saginaw Valley State (1-0) will have a bye week and take to the field again on September 10 for their home opener against Wayne State at noon.

Stats

Contact: Ryan Thompson (989) 964-4053

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