Weekend football results

October 30, 2006 —

Lakers ruin Ferris State's playoff hopes

No. 1 Grand Valley State scored a touchdown in every quarter and held the Bulldogs to just 238 yards of offense in its 28-6 win in Big Rapids. With the win, the Lakers sent Ferris to 6-3 on the season and 5-3 in GLIAC play, effectively knocking them out of the playoff chase. The Bulldogs had been ranked seventh in the Northwest Region rankings, one out of a playoff spot.

Senior quarterback Cullen Finnerty was an efficient 11-of-15 for 182 yards with four touchdowns, two in the second half to senior receiver Eric Fowler, and an interception. The Lakers also got big contributions on the ground, as redshirt freshman Blake Smolen gained 110 yards on 16 carries and senior Astin Martin carried 11 times for 86 yards.

The Bulldogs were effective on the ground, gaining 152 yards on 36 carries, a 4.2-yard average. However, senior quarterback Ryan Kaul was just 10-of-20 for 86 yards with three interceptions, including one in the GVSU end zone while the Bulldogs were driving at the end of the first half.

Northwood bounces back against Wayne State

Fresh off the 45-7 beating they took from Grand Valley last week, the Timberwolves rushed for 495 yards to beat the Warriors 48-34 in Midland. Three Northwood runners went over 100 yards, and a fourth, Antoine Ivy, gained 92 yards and scored four times. The two teams combined for 692 yards of rushing offense, as the Warriors' redshirt freshman running back Joique Bell led his team with 179 yards on 30 carries.

Northwood took a 34-13 lead late in the second quarter, but the Warriors scored to end the half and once in the third quarter to claw back within seven at 34-27. But the Timberwolves held the Warriors out of the end zone until eight seconds remained in the game and scored twice themselves for the win.

Bell showed his all-around game in the loss. In addition to the 179 rushing yards, which included a two-yard touchdown run, Bell also scored on a 20-yard pass and opened the scoring in the game with a 40-yard halfback pass to Jake Weingartz.

Gannon goes for win, misses two-pointer against Tech

Looking for its second conference win of the season, hosts Gannon decided to go for two after scoring with 10 seconds left against Michigan Tech. A pass from Vinnie DeLuca failed, though, giving the Huskies their fifth consecutive conference win.

Senior Lee Marana rushed 45 times for 192 yards and a score for the Huskies, who held the Golden Knights scoreless until six and a half minutes remained in the game. The game was stopped for 30 minutes due to lightning with about seven minutes to play, and Gannon capitalized on the break, scoring two plays later to bring the score within seven.

After the Huskies took more than four minutes off the clock with seven consecutive Marana runs, punter Billy Koenig shanked a punt just 11 yards, giving the Golden Knights hope at their own 36. On fourth-and-10 at the Tech 33, DeLuca scrambled for a touchdown that would have won the game for Gannon had he been able to convert the two-pointer.