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Printer-Friendly ModeWin over Tech has Cards talking playoffs
October 31, 2005 —
Controlling its own playoff destiny, the SVSU football team did what it needed to do - win.
In what could be considered an "ugly" game, the Cardinals defense stepped up several times to lead a 17-10 victory over Michigan Tech on Saturday.
The defense had no choice but to step up. The Cardinals' offense gained just 203 yards on the day, compared to the Huskies' 326. Put in almost the same position it was against Grand Valley two weeks before, the SVSU defense was on the field a majority of the game, but this time made the plays it needed to for the victory.
After forcing the Cardinals into a turnover on downs late in the third quarter, the Huskies, down 9-3, had advanced the ball to their own 45-yard line when junior safety Joe DiGiorgio intercepted sophomore quarterback Donovan Dooley at the SVSU 41. DiGiorgio took the ball back 42 yards to the Tech 17.
"We needed a spark," DiGiorgio said. "The offense wasn't getting it done, so we had to make some big plays."
Dooley had just entered the game for freshman Drew Schaft, but DiGiorgio said regardless of the quarterback, the Cardinals had been prepared for Tech's basic passing offense.
"We were preparing for a run-first offense this week instead of pass-first," he said. "We knew that they would run a lot of go and hitch (routes) in the 18- to 22-yard range, and that was exactly what the pass was."
Two plays later, sophomore tight end Steve Brander caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Chris Dougherty. The Cardinals converted the two-point conversion on a reception by senior wide receiver Jermaine Jackson, putting them ahead 17-3.
The Cardinals' cause was certainly helped by a first-quarter injury to Huskies running back Lee Marana. The previous week against Ferris State, the junior carried the ball 51 times for 333 yards and four touchdowns to earn him GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Marana, who appeared to have hurt his knee when trying to cut on an early run, was replaced by sophomore Daryl Graham, who was banged up as well and did not play the week before.
Graham, a shiftier runner than the powerful Marana, finished the game with 117 yards on 27 carries, while Schaft and Dooley combined for 44 yards from the quarterback position. In all, Tech finished with 178 yards on the ground, 87 yards less than their season average. Both DiGiorgio and coach Randy Awrey sang the praises of the Cardinals' defensive line and junior nose tackle Damion DeRosia, who came back from a hand injury that kept him out for two games. The 6'6", 320-pounder had a large cast on his hand.
"Damion is such a force inside," Awrey said. "You have to double team him even if he only has one arm because of his ability to move along the line."
Awrey was concerned with the play of the defense in the fourth quarter, when Tech controlled the ball for 11 minutes and gained 167 yards. If it were not for forcing the Huskies into a turnover on downs at the Cardinals' four-yard line, the outcome may have been different in the game.
"They had plenty of opportunities, but we stopped them," DiGiorgio said.
The Cardinals offense was terribly ineffective in the first half. After a 10-play, 38-yard drive on the opening possession that resulted in a Bobby Belmonte field goal, SVSU was held to just 40 yards the rest of the half.
"We looked good after the first drive; I don't really know what happened," Dougherty said. "We were missing some calls, and there was not a lot of communication."
The Cardinals' offensive inefficiency resulted in the Cardinals being backed up in their own end most of the half, but senior punter Dustin Esslin's play prevented Tech from having excellent field position. Esslin punted the ball eight times with a 49.8-yard average, including a career-high 76-yard punt that left Tech at its own one-yard line late in the first half.
Though the Cardinals gained 216 yards less than their season average, Dougherty was efficient in the second half. After a first half when he went 5-of-14 for 57 yards and one interception in which his receiver fell down, Dougherty finished 13-of-25 for 140 yards with two touchdowns and the pick.
The running game was completely shut down, as the Cardinals were held to just 63 yards on 32 attempts. Senior Logan Barnhart finished with 33 yards on 18 carries.
Ranked third in the Northwest Region coming into the game, the Cardinals needed to win to maintain that ranking and a possible home playoff game in two weeks. In the Division II playoff system, the top two teams in each region are given byes in the first week, while the third-ranked team plays host to the region's sixth-ranked team.
The region's top-ranked team, North Dakota, blew a 19-0 lead and lost 20-19 at home to Nebraska-Ohama, ranked fifth in the region and 25th in the nation. The loss could drop the Fighting Sioux out of the top two, although when the Cardinals lost to Grand Valley 31-10 on Oct. 15, they dropped just one spot in the rankings.
Both DiGiorgio and Dougherty were talking playoffs after the game, but Awrey said his concentration was on next week's home game against Ferris State. The Bulldogs are 3-6 in the conference and 3-7 overall after a 42-23 loss to 7-2 Northwood on Saturday.
"We have one more game, period," Awrey said. "That's all I am concerned with. The regular season is the only thing guaranteed to us. We had to beat Michigan Tech, and now we have to beat Ferris."
Still, the win over the defending conference co-champions was the big test, DiGiorgio and Dougherty said.
"This was huge," Dougherty said. "We have one more game left, and then a chance to go to the playoffs. We're right where we want to be."
