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Printer-Friendly ModeCardinals avenge loss to Mercyhurst
October 10, 2005 —
Turns out revenge sometimes results in a 44-14 blowout win.
Last year, one week before a big game against Grand Valley State, the SVSU football team was caught looking ahead and lost a game to Mercyhurst that ended up costing the Cardinals a chance at their fifth straight playoff appearance. This year, that just was not going to happen.
The Cardinals came out strong, scoring on their first play from scrimmage, a 63-yard touchdown pass from junior Vinnie Miroth to sophomore Rick Cottengim. A field goal and another touchdown pass later, SVSU was up 16-0 and did not look back. In last year's loss, the Cardinals mustered just 15 points.
"We were able to get back at a team that beat us last year that shouldn't have," coach Randy Awrey said.
The Lakers offense scored a touchdown with a minute and a half to go in the second quarter, making the score 16-7 at halftime. Against a defense that came in averaging just 4.6 points per game against, the early touchdown was an accomplishment. The Mercyhurst offense, though, was the best the Cardinals had played against so far.
"They moved the ball the best of any team we've faced so far," Awrey said. "I thought we played okay the first half, but we played great the second half."
The second half is when the Cardinals exploded for 28 points, scoring on two Miroth passes and two runs by senior running back Logan Barnhart. The scoring began, though, with a play that no one saw coming.
Backed up on their own four on third-and-eleven, Miroth dropped back and sent a deep ball over the middle to Cottengim, who was double covered. The ball was tipped by both Lakers defenders, and Cottengim, behind them, somehow came away with it. He pulled away from the rest of the Lakers for the score.
"It was almost like slow motion," he said. "I didn't think I was going to get to it, but I didn't want to let them get to it either. When you see the goal line like that, you just want to run."
The 96-yard score was the longest in school history, and took away any possible momentum from the Lakers, completely deflating their sideline. To make matters worse for the Lakers, the Cardinals recovered the ensuing kickoff on a designed onside kick. Three plays later, the score was suddenly 30-7.
"We showed we were really explosive today," Cottengim said. "If we come to play like we did today, we'll be fine."
Cottengim finished with four catches for 217 yards and the two scores, while Miroth, starting for injured sophomore Chris Dougherty, completed 17-of-26 passes for 393 yards and four scores.
Dougherty was a "game-day decision," according to Awrey. He wouldn't discuss the specific injury, but said, "I don't ever take a chance with a kid." Miroth practiced all week with the first-team, as Dougherty was day-to-day throughout the week, Awrey said.
Senior Mark LaFreniere was hurt during the game, as well. After catching a three-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, "Laffy" landed hard on his knee into the turf. Awrey said he was on his way to the hospital to check on LaFreniere after talking to reporters, and did not know about his status.
Barnhart, who had his breakout game last year against Mercyhurst, carried the ball 18 times for 132 yards and two scores.
The 14 points was the most that has been scored against the Cardinals all year. In fact, SVSU had only given up 13 points the previous three games.
Lakers quarterback Mitch Phillis completed 23-of-43 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Nine of those completions and 106 of those yards went to junior Jeff Nowling, who as the quarterback last year threw for 323 yards against the Cardinals.
"They just keep coming after you," Awrey said. "I wasn't really comfortable until near the end of the game."
Grand Valley, finally
Cottengim said after the game that there simply was not anything more he could say about this Saturday's game at Grand Valley.
"It's Grand Valley," he said. "It's a big game. Two seconds after the clock went off, it was all about Grand Valley."
Both teams come into the game undefeated. GVSU, 6-0, is ranked first in the nation in the American Football Coaches Association poll, while SVSU went into the Mercyhurst game fourth. Both North Dakota and Valdosta State (Ga.), ranked ahead of SVSU, won their respective games Saturday. However, the Cardinals are ranked just ahead of Grand Valley in the Division II Regional Rankings, which determine the seeding for the playoffs.
The Cardinals have won the last two regular season meetings between the two teams. Two years ago they went into Allendale and defeated the Lakers 34-20.
Just like that time, the game will be played under the lights, at 7 p.m.
"The odds of beating them at their place are stacked against us," said Awrey, who also spoke to the significance of both teams being ranked in the top five.
