GVFootball.com

Getting Back On Your Feet: Lakers K.O. Tiffin 70-7.

Pete — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:17:45 +0000

People actually had concerns going into that game last Saturday night. It was Tiffin,but then again the week before that was Findlay. Instead what a Lubbers Stadium crowd of over 9,000 was treated to was a glimpse of the GVSU teams of old. Fears were quickly put to rest after the first quarter, for that night at least. We knew we were at least better than Tiffin. The big question was GVSU actually getting better and clicking, or was Tiffin just that bad?

The reeling Lakers hung 21 points on the Dragons in the first quarter thanks in-part to two Heath Parling touchdown passes and a 19-yd. scrambling from Parling himself. Parling showed tiny glimpses of what we all witnessed with Kyle Mitchell and, dare I say it, Cullen Finnerty on that play. Entering second quarter action the Lakers didn’t slow down. Charles Johnson hauled in two touchdown passes from Parling and Hersey Jackson got into the action with a 5-yard touchdown run of his own. A 42-0 halftime lead gave the GVSU faithful a warm feeling of old comfort on a chilly night in Allendale. The second half of the game continued on the like the first half. Parling started the 3rd quarter with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jovonne Augustus. After that score backup QB Isiah Grimes would record the next touchdown pass for the Lakers with a 9 yd. scoring pass to Keontre’ Miskel. Tiffin’s only score of the night came at 8:53 of the 4th quarter, by a 19-yd. pass from Dan Pitts to Obadiah Dykes.

By the end of the night GVSU had put 70 points on the board for the second year in a row against Tiffin. The offense racked up 629 total yards with 400 of those coming through the air. Parling himself recorded five touchdown passes and 298 yards passing. In more good news, backup Isiah Grimes looked very reliable completing 6 of 9 passes for 102 yards with one touchdown. For Grand Valley the rushing game was spread out among several carriers. Hersey Jackson got 89 yards on the ground, Billy Seiler got 85, Michael Ratay 40, and surprisingly Norman Shuford only got 4 yards. Charles Johnson continued his standout year leading all recievers with 158 yards. Johnson and Augustus lead all recievers with touchdowns, each recording two scoring catches. Adding to that, the Laker defensive front recorded four sacks for a loss accumulation of 30 yards.

It was a night for the Lakers to re-group, to practice execution and to gain some confidence. The team will need all they can heading into a key match-up with 3-2 Northern Michigan at the Yooper Dome in Marquette this coming Saturday. The 1pm tilt will be a crucial test of this young GVSU squad. Last weekend the Wildcats came very close to upsetting Wayne State, 6th ranked (and un-beaten) team in the country in their dome. They lost only by two points, 30-28. Despite being throttled by Ashland the week before the Lakers can’t afford to take any team in the conference lightly this year. The Dome is a very in-hopitable place to play and I would expect the Wildcat faithful to be out in-force and licking their chops for a struggling GVSU team. So what’s the good news? Zach Breen is back in the lineup after serving his 5-game suspension.

Gametime is 1pm and if you can’t make the trip to the U.P. you can tune on 107.3 MUS for the call of the action. Go Lakers!!

Ten Years of Playoffs Comes to an End: Findlay 26 - GVSU 20

Pete — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:19:57 +0000

Just like that, it’s over. “Huh?? That was only the fourth week of the season!?” One may shout in disbelief, but it’s true. It takes a while to sink in, I still almost cannot believe it. It doesn’t seem real what’s going on with the Laker football team. It defies logic. It’s not even October yet…but here it is, the big ugly reality we get to stare at the rest of the season. The GVSU Laker football team is 1-3 overall, and 0-3 in the GLIAC. They were just pick-pocketed six times on their way to losing their first game at home in Lubbers in the regular season since 2004. The Findlay Oilers beat them by the way. I’ll give you a moment to clean up the coffee you just spewed all over your computer screen.

While the coming Saturday is only October 1st, it won’t matter whether the Lakers win that game for regional ranking positioning. Last season the Lakers hung 70 points on the Tiffin Dragons. This season it’s going to be a more interesting game. They’re playing spoiler, and playing for pride. They’re playing for 2012. Get as many guys game experience as you can. Let the secondary learn as much as they can. It may be a long, tough learning curve as we hit the meat-grinder of the GLIAC schedule in the coming weeks. Whether Parling finishes the season or Grimes finds a way into the picture will have to be worked out. Oh by the way, Danny Richard’s career and season appears over. He gave us all he had and twenty times more in pure heart alone.

It was by all accounts a winnable game. We drove down the field on our first posession and pounded the ball into the endzone to take a 7-3 lead. After that we stopped Findlay on their next drive with a three and out. With UF punting the ball away it gave one a sense of promise that good things were going to happen. The Lakers then promptly turned the ball over three times in a row deep in our own territory. The defense stepped up big time to stop the Oilers with three and outs the first two turover incidents. The third time was the charm as Findlay rushed for a 7 yard touchdown to go up 10-7.

By then the horror show was once again in full-effect and the Oilers had taken a 23-10 lead by the third quarter. Down 23-17 late in the 4th quarter the Lakers were driving and had the ball at the Findlay 2 yard line. Repeated runs into the line had been stopped and GVSU faced a 4th and goal from the Findlay two. Instead of going for it and the win, the Lakers went ahead and kicked a field goal to bring them within six points. Maybe the coaching staff felt that 5:42 was enough to get the ball back and make another attempt. The Oilers however simply erased the clock and took a knee for a 26-20 win before anyone knew what had happened.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Six total turnovers, one ripped right out of Charles Johnson’s hands and ran the other way for an immediate Findlay touchdown. It never even touched the ground. Take away the turnovers and it’s a 99% certainty that the Lakers would have won that game, gained some confidence back, and kept hope alive. The Laker defense came to play that night and thank goodness. It could have been a LOT worse.

As the game went on, the silence became deafening. It overwhelmed the noise from the field, the band and anything coming from the student section. Silence….pure, clean but painful silence. It was agonizing. The sideline was shell-shocked it seemed. A dazed and confused fighter who just took a haymaker to the face, hanging onto the ropes.

From what I witnessed Saturday night, something more has to be going on. I’m not sure what is going on with this team that was picked by D2football to win the D2 national championship this year. Loaded with talend and depth. We may just learn after the Saginaw game, we may never know. 2011 Is going to be painful when the shock wears off. Dig in, take a deep breath and hope this helps us for 2012.

How The Other Half Lives

Pete — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:16:10 +0000

Laker Nation has a gotten a little taste of how the other half lives the past couple weekends and boy do they not like it. I haven’t heard more calls for immediate firings since the Lakers lost back-to-back games to Saginaw and Northwood in 2004. This is with only two losses as well. If Mitchell and crew go on to win their remaining eight games this season some of those folks will still chirp for wholesale firings.

I am in no way defending some of the play the last two games, but there has got to be some kind of level-headed approach to be found amongst the GVSU fan-base these days…right? I mean not everyone is doom, gloom and needing to be talked down from the ledge…right??? I’m as dissapointed and worried as the next person, but as a fan and alum, I have to keep it all in perspective. It’s not the end of the world.

For years, I have wondered what the reaction would be when the program hit a skid, a speedbump, the same adversity that EVERY other program in the country at any and all levels has faced before as well. I have to say I’m somewhat dissapointed in my fellow fans. How easy it is to forget. How insatiable our appetites for success and glory have become. We seem to forget the amount of work it takes every year to sustain that success. We seem to forget all the variables in sports, and life, that can make that record skip a beat now and then.

Some people were extremely against the hiring of Matt Mitchell based on his connections to Tim Selgo. The playoff exit last year and these two losses has given those voices a microphone to spew hatred and disgust. I will agree that it’s not the kind of “easy winning” we’re used to and have obviously come to expect without exceptions. I am however wholly dis-heartened to hear chirps of people not wanting to come to games anymore. Seriously?? Those voices awaken my deepest and worst fears. Saturday night, I was as shocked and frustrated as any Laker fan after the sudden loss to Indianapolis. I saw on Facebook and message-boards other Laker alums like myself venting their shock and frustrations as is to be expected.

I then began to witness people disstressing of a desire to not attend any more games this year due to the losses and potential for further losses. That’s when my frustration turned. I was left somewhat speachless. Is that what we have become as a fanbase? If we win by 50, we leave because it’s “boring”? If we lose in the final minutes of the game, we hate the program and everything to do with it??

I understand what it is to be a fan and the importance of the Grand Valley tradition. I will however take this as a moment to urge people to get behind this team. Supporting them will do far more good than not showing up to games. The program needs its fans now more than they have in years. It is likely that this team won’t make the playoffs now even if they go 9-2.

Take this as a humility pill. Allow yourself to be thankful for what you’ve been priviledged to watch the last decade. This gives you a glimpse into how the other half of D2 football fans live. Enjoy every moment, soak it in, appreciate where this program has gone.

Remember 2004?? WE BELIEVE!! The blood is in the water and every team we’ve pounded on for the last ten years wants a piece. Protect the pride folks.

Thank you and I hope to see everyone at Lubbers on Saturday for Findlay!

GO LAKERS!

Lakers Drop Out of Top-25 AFCA

Pete — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:10:18 +0000

I’ll cut and paste from the NCAA website. When is the last time you remember seeing this??

1 Northwest Missouri State (26) 3-0 722 2
2 North Alabama (2) 3-0 696 4
3 Shepherd 3-0 603 7
4 Bloomsburg 3-0 584 8
5 Valdosta State 3-0 562 12
6 Delta State 3-1 555 10
7 Nebraska-Kearney 3-0 542 11
8 Washburn 3-0 506 13
9 Wayne State (Mich.) 3-0 475 14
10 Abilene Christian 1-1 465 3
11 Minnesota Duluth 2-1 464 1
12 Kutztown 3-0 402 16
13 Albany State 2-1 355 6
14 Colorado State-Pueblo 3-0 336 18
15 Pittsburg State 3-0 321 19
16 Texas A&M-Kingsville 2-1 290 5
17 California (Pa.) 2-1 182 21
18 St. Cloud State 2-1 180 9
19 Edinboro 3-0 142 NR
20 Central Missouri 2-1 130 24
21 West Texas A&M 1-1 120 NR
22 Winston-Salem State 3-0 113 NR
23 Northern Michigan 3-0 101 NR
24 Bemidji State 3-0 72 NR
T25 Carson-Newman 2-1 68 17
T25 New Haven 2-1 68 23

Dropped out: No. 15 Grand Valley State, No. 20 Colorado School of Mines, No. 22 Michigan Tech, No. 25 Mercyhurst.

Others receiving votes: Mercyhurst, 67; Hillsdale, 66; Midwestern State (Texas), 52; Michigan Tech, 34; Missouri Western State, 26; Colorado School of Mines, 24; Wayne State (Neb.), 24; West Alabama, 17; Ouachita Baptist, 16; Grand Valley State (Mich.), 14; Lenoir-Rhyne, 14; Indianapolis, 5; Winona State, 5; Morehouse, 3; Humboldt State, 2; New Mexico Highlands, 1; Southeastern Oklahoma State, 1

Indianapolis 34-GVSU 33 - Twenty Seconds

Pete — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:34:40 +0000

A lot can happen in twenty seconds. What happened Saturday night on the South side of Indianapolis left many at a complete loss for words. The lack of ability to express what we witnessed confirms this is completely new territory for many Laker fans. The high possibility of being un-ranked when the next polls come out, a losing record and a complete feeling of vulnerability. We’ve never looked at Findlay with questions like we are right now. We haven’t been here since the 2000 season, and that’s before a lot of us were around Grand Valley football.

With :36 seconds left in the 4th quarter of the game against the Greyhounds, Laker QB Heath Parling found Andrew Lorman inside the 5 yard line, hit him with a pass and Lorman stretched into the endzone. The GVSU sideline went nuts, the Lakers had a 33-28 lead with half a minute to go. What happened next gave us witness to a feeling not had since the 2001 national championship. A prolific Indianpolis touchdown drive ended in only twenty seconds and Ryan Forney grabbed a 22 yard pass with :11 seconds to play to rip out GVSU’s collective heart.

“You’re at the top of the world one second, and then your heart is in your throat the next, it’s just an empty feeling.”, Jarrod Cox was quoted in the Grand Rapids Press (Zuidema).

It took only three passing plays for Indy to get that winning touchdown. All complete and all for sizeable, deadly yardage (14, 27 and 22 yrds.). That one drive highlights a night where the Lakers fought from as much as 21-7 down, for the second week in a row. The GVSU secondary got schooled for 344 yards through the air which marks the second week in a row our opponent has thrown for over 300 yards.

It’s becoming plainly obvious to see that there are issues with the 2011 Lakers that they must find a way to overcome or face a long season. The defensive side of the ball needs to find a way to limit opponent’s effectiveness. A five-point lead with half a minute to go in the game should be enough. Thirty-three points should be enough as well. Allowing an opponent who has not made the playoffs in the last decade to get over 500 yards of offense is too much to overcome for almost any offense.

Look for more to come later. Here’s a link to the official recap, as well as video highlights from the game (if you dare to watch).

GVSU-Indy.

Week Two - Deja-Vu: Hillsdale 34 - GVSU 31

Pete — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:00:39 +0000

Twice in three years, and it might as well be a three-year run for Hillsdale as the Lakers got outplayed in last year’s matchup as well. Once again the Muddy Waters Stadium crowd got to witness a thrilling last-second upset of the #3 ranked Lakers. For the second time in three years the Hillsdale students stormed the field. It’s not a sight one can really get used to, especially with the way the game was lost. You could not nail it down to one thing. Much like in the loss to Augustana last season, everything seemed to go wrong at all the wrong times.
Speaking of that fateful playoff game last season, this makes two losses for the Lakers in their last three games overall, something not seen since the back-to-back losses to Saginaw and Northwood in 2004.

For second-year coach Matt Mitchell, the pressure has got to be ringing off the hook. After Saturday night’s defeat he discribed the loss as a “complete lack of execution” by coaches and players on all sides of the ball. Every positive turned in by the Lakers squad was met with an equal or greater setback. The momentum ever so close, but hopelessly out of reach. When one looks at the statistics from Saturday night, you can’t help but wonder “Do they have our number now?” That question goes back to the complaints from some of the alleged “un-creative” and “highly-predictable” offensive play-calling of Chuck Martin.

Speaking of those stats, let’s have a look at some standouts.
First Downs: HC-23/GV-14
Total Offensive Yards: HC-462/GV-338
Turnovers Forced: HC-3/GV-1
Third Down Conversions: HC-6-16/GV-3-11
Fourth Down Conversion: HC-3 of 4/GV-0 of 1

Now for the last one, remember what we mentioned last week about time of posession? Well Hillsdale did it again, holding the ball for almost 35 minutes while the Lakers had the rock only 25 minutes. This is all emphasized by a disasterously lost 2nd quarter where the Chargers held the ball for 12:13! Furthermore, while GV started the game with the ball and scored first, the Chargers answered right back in under four minutes. From there the first-half was off and running, where the Lakers would put themselves in a 21-7 hole at one point.

Now in the past two days many have argued and have felt GVSU got unfairly screwed at the end of the game on a roughing the kicker call, giving Hillsdale a second shot at kicking the game-winning FG. All emotions aside, if you’re the #3 ranked team in the country you should not have put yourself in the position to be relying on blocking a last-second field-goal attempt to simply go into overtime. It’s very hard to allow the opponent to score 31 points and expect to win that ball game at the end, especially spotting them a 21-7 lead in the first half.

Now the MLive beat-writer for the Lakers (Michael Zuidema) has come out with a peice that states what many of us are thinking in the back of our minds. The game was worrisome, and on so many levels it makes you want to look at the remainder of the season with question. Michael has done a great job in following the program and giving insight to the players and staff goings-on in my eyes. I think he’s very right to see this as a cautionary possible pivitol point. Link to the article

As I mentioned to start the article, the pressure of Mitchell and crew escalates again. Many see GVSU success as all-or-nothing. The coaching staff know this, so do the players. I’ve been quoted as saying early and often that as a fan-base we’ve become extremely spoiled. A win by 15-20 points is “not good enough”. An 11-2 first season as head coach was to some voices I heard last winter a “fireable offense”. Some voices scream of it as a “nepotistic experiment failure” in less than two full seasons. Other voices proclaim with gloom (and glee in some cases) “The reign is over! GV is no more!” These are the extremes I’ve heard out in D2 fan-land, but they lend an insight into what some are thinking. Are any true? There is the chance, as in any situation. What is far more likely is for the program to continue it’s winning ways, even if that means 9-2/10-1 seasons with no national title in the next couple of years. Success builds on success, and the athletic staff at Grand Valley don’t allow their programs to stay “down” (if you can even use that word here) for long.

However now it’s playoff time in Allendale, we have to win-out. The GLIAC is stacked, and with Augustana, UMD and St. Cloud State in our region two losses won’t get you a sniff of a playoff birth. Homefield advantage is gone. Just win baby. The cliches are endless. The season just got a lot more interesting, and stressful.

Go Lakers!!

The Conference Schedule Begins in the ‘Dale.

Pete — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:13:49 +0000

With opening weekend out of the way we now have something with which to gauge the 2011 Lakers by. We saw some great things in the 2011 squad in their 44-20 win over Western Oregon last Thursday night. We saw a “new” quarterback settle in and find his recievers, to which Heath Parling threw for 247 yards. We also saw a defensive front get penetration and record 5 sacks on WOU quarterback Evan Mozzochi. In total on defense the Laker defense limited WOU to less than 300 yards for the night, including only 85 yards rushing which was a big issue coming off last season.

Next up is Hillsdale, and coming into the season the Chargers were ranked #18 in the D2football.com polls until a 20-17 loss against Ferris State in the opening weekend dropped them out. Despite the loss Charger RB Joe Glendening ran for 157 yards and a touchdown against the Bulldogs. Anthony Mifsud and Matt Bryan split time at QB in the opener for Hillsdale, with Mifsud taking 2/3 of the snaps and slinging the ball around for 144 yards.

Despite the loss to Ferris the Chargers are a dangerous team. The Lakers have to go back to Hillsdale and prove their metal against the team that beat them at Muddy Waters Stadium in 2009 and was less than two minutes and bad clock management away from soundly beating the Lakers in Lubbers last season. Hillsdale is in the running to be the challenger to Wayne State to win the GLIAC-South Division and have come off two straight seasons in which they have made playoff appearances.

From looking at the FSU game and the Lakers’ game against Hillsdale from last season, ball control will be a big factor in this week’s game. In 2010 the Chargers finished the game with a 2/3 advantage in possession time then did GVSU. In last week’s game against Ferris, Hillsdale controlled the ball for that same 2/3 majority of clock. Now one might very well look at that statistic and dismiss it in light of them losing both those games mentioned. I would caution that Mitchell and crew need to set a tone early. Hold Hillsdale to a three and out on their first possession, hurry Mifsud and/or Bryan and limit Glendening’s long carries.

Making the game an up-hill battle for Otterbein and crew will eat away at the confidence gained from the last two years. Look for more to come before Saturday at Muddy Waters!

Go Lakers!!!

Wolf Hunting: GVSU 44 - WOU - 20.

Pete — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:18:49 +0000

A rare and exceedingly hot and humid September day greeted the Wolves first trip to the Eastern time zone on September 1st, 2011. Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees F with high humidity right up until kickoff. 2011’s Opener would be Coach Matt Mitchell’s second season with something to prove.

The July-like weather greeted a great crowd of 15,004, the third largest in GVSU history along with GVSU football alumni Brad Iciek, Scott Blasko, Alex Gilde, Curt Anes, Nick Lawrence and more, including a huge GVSU student presence.

A crazy first half resulted in 23 points for the home boys in black and none for the visitors from Oregon. Highlights from the opening half included GVSu’s first-half drive of just over two minutes which drove the Lakers sixty-some yards to go ahead 7-0. Later on the Lakers fumbled the ball inside the Wolves ten yard line squandering a major scoring chance. The next play from scrimmage the boys in black got a controversial call that resulted in a safety in the South endzone taking the home team to a 9-0 first half lead. Up next, Jovonne Augustus climbed the ladder to give GV a 16-0 lead, and then Grand Valley blocked a Western Oregon punt deep in Wolves territory and ran it to pay-dirt to give the Mitten-men a 23-0 lead going into the half.

The second half started with a GVSU kickoff to the Wolves, which was fumbled and ultimately recoved by the vistors to their fortune. Both teams traded scores and in the end the Lakers ended up with a 44-20 season and home opening win to start 2011. The Lakers second and thrird strings came on late to close out the opener and did a pretty respectable job.

Parling went 15/27 for 205 yards, and on defense Brandon Allen recorded five tackles and a sack on the night. We’ll have more stats from the opener as well as a look-ahead to Hillsdale in the coming week. Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend GV nation!!

Go Lakers!

Season Preview: 2011

Pete — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Well the “decade of dominance” will come to a full ten-year circle this season. Has it been that long!? My how time flies when you’re winning and having fun. The program as we know it today really took shape right after the events of 9/11. That 2001 team set the bar for the decade that followed, and helped the program and athletic department as a whole realize it’s true potential. There have been lots of changes in Allendale since those days. The media exposure, the fan base, the athletic department and school have all evolved in those ten years. In some ways we’ve become a spoiled lot. By some measures 2010 was our “worst” season in those ten years, going 11-2, capturing the conference title but only making to the second round of the playoffs before being blown out of the water in our worst loss since 2003. For many that game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was a sobering moment. That 38-6 loss to Augustana was hopefully a wakeup call to the team as well. That score is posted in the locker room as a daily reminder. That game has made many fans wonder what direction the program will take the this year in response, for it was just about the first time in that decade that Laker fans have felt as vulnerable as we did on that day.
Coach Matt Mitchell is entering his second season as the captain of the Laker’s ship this year, and while there have been changes, he’s noted that for the first time in this past decade the whole staff is returning. In the face of change some consistency is a good thing and hopefully we see the results on the field. During the pre-season media shows Mitchell has noted that new starting quarterback Heath Parling is looking great, has taken a real leadership role on the team and the only thing in the coach’s eyes Heath lacks are game-reps. He’s a “similar duel to Cullen (Finnerty) but a little smaller…” noted Mitchell last week. We all know that in leading up to the season Parling was far and away the favorite for the starting QB spot, but even though the coaching staff held a competition for the job. While Parling won, Isiah Grimes has really caught the coaching staff’s attention. “Isiah Grimes is a little more like Ryan Mallet…” noted Mitchell in a recent interview with WBBL. By that description we know Grimes is more of a classic pocket-passing quarterback. Mitchell noted that if there’s going to be someone who is likely to get game reps outside of Parling, it’s likely to be Grimes.
Offensive Coordinator Eric Taylor broke down the changes on the offensive side of the ball this year. He’s called this year a “unique QB transition.” “There are some challenges because Heath has no game reps, but Heath is about three to four times ahead of where Kyle (Mitchell) was at this time last year.” Taylor mentioned to Brett Bakita of WBBL recently. He attributes Heath’s readiness due to his familiarity with the team, as he’s been around the program a couple of years as opposed to Kyle Mitchell who was a transfer. He’s also said the offense will be able to do some things is hadn’t been able to do last season. “We’re going to have four wide-out sets as well as full-back sets this year…also more movement on the line with personnel shifts.” Again, he’s credited the offenses new versatility this season to depth and experience. The offensive skill player positions are loaded. With Augustus and Gay returning, as well as Allendale local Jackson likely to get more touches running the ball with Juniors Norman Shuford and Jake Aberg. As Taylor mentioned to former Buffalo Bill (NFL) Ray Bentley recently, the skill guys are the deepest part of the offense at the time. That skill, experience and depth could give Parling a real cushion to work with as he grows into his position.
As much as Taylor is looking forward, he’s also looking back to improve on last season. “The biggest thing from the two losses last year (to Mi-Tech and Augustana) was turnovers, we just can’t turn the ball over.” In the second-round playoff game in Augustana GVSU had by some counts as many as six turnovers, and lost both offensive fumbles. Coach Taylor is as focused on having a big-threat offense as he is on simply holding on to the ball, maintaining possession, using the clock to our advantage and not being forced to play outside of our style.
Look for more 2011 season preview articles in the coming week-long run-up to the opener against Western Oregon on Thursday, September 1st.

The Lakers enter the 2011 season ranked 5th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and 4th in the D2Football.com pre-season poll. But as we all know, pre-season rankings can mean very little.

GO Lakers!!

Unfortunate Ending: Augustana 38-GVSU 6

Pete — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:04:42 +0000

The last time the Lakers were held to less than ten points in a game was in the season opener in 2003 when they beat UC-Davis 9-6 out in California. Many have lamented that Saturday’s loss was the worst they’ve seen from this program in over a decade. Many adjectives can be used to describe the scene, or, lack there of depending on how you look at it. Grand Valley committed seven turnovers in total. It doesn’t matter who you are or what institution’s name you wear on your jersey. If you do that you will almost always get your doors blown off, especially in the playoffs. Here’s another statistic for you to chew on. The Lakers only score came in the 3rd quarter on an 87 yard kickoff return by Chris Crawford. What happened to that extra point? Oh, it was blocked. All that the Laker sidelines could do was shake their heads in disbelief.

When you take a look at some stats from the game, it’s hard to tell a blowout occured. GVSU was 5-11 on 3rd down conversions compared to 6-14 for Augustana. Possession time wasn’t too un-even as GVSU held the ball for 27:35. The Lakers only had twenty fewer total yards than the Vikings (355-335). The Laker defense held the Vikings to only 87 yards through the air, however it wasn’t nearly enough as Augustana’s option-style attack racked up 268 on the ground. GVSU ran 65 total offensive plays, about the same as Augustana who ran 64 and both teams averaged over 5 yards per play. Both squads also recorded 19 first downs in the game.

Here’s where we start to see separation in the numbers and story starts to unfold. Grand Valley racked up nine penalties for 65 yards in this game to only two penalties for 20 yards for their opponent. When punting, the Vikings managed close to twice the distance per punt, meaning the Lakers made it harder on their own defense to get stops. GVSU had two fumbles, both lost, compared to none for Augustana and the Vikings also got four interceptions from the Lakers for a total of 48 yards including one for a score. The Augie defense killed multiple Laker drives and sliced up morale. Here’s a crazy one, red-zone scoring chances. Augustana went 4-5 in the redzone converting 80%. Your Lakers….well they went 0-3. That’s when they managed to get down their without turning the ball over. When you know how potent this offense was, it’s surprising to see such a small amount of redzone chances without any conversions.

There’s plenty of blame to go around. If you want me to stick my neck out and put my hand in the fire I would have to say it’s intensity. The team I saw Saturday looked flat and lifeless. There is a mind-boggling amount of talent in this program, and some games we can sit back and let that talent simply go out there and do it’s thing and it will all be fine. When we get to the playoffs a team can not rely on that talent alone. Augustana for whatever reason(s) looked far more ready and eager to play than did the Lakers. There was simply a sense of impending doom and inability to stop it while watching that game. I think we were caught napping BIG TIME by a very, very good and prepared opponent.

With that said, let’s move on to expectations. This program didn’t even get it’s first playoff win until 2001. With that said however, the Laker teams that followed continuously set the bar for success higher and higher. It is hard enough to fight through a playoff and get to the title game on it’s own. To do it continuously year after year like Mount Union, Wisconsin-Whitewater or NWMSU takes such sustained desire and intensity and focus that the task becomes mind-boggling. Since 2002 and 2003 the goal for this program every year has been to go to Florence and get a national championship. The GVSU athletic staff do not set small goals and expectations each year are huge on the program. Working under those expectations can be extemely tough. This was a transition year for the Lakers with what was likely be a one-year quarterback in McMahon. Those expectations however should not be lowered, nor should we take our foot off the gas for even a second. Here is the final line on the season:

Record: 11-2
GLIAC Champions
Reached Second Round of NCAA Playoffs.

There’s a lot to look forward to for next year and Heath Parling looks very good, same for Hersey Jackson. There is also a lot to build on, as Mitchell and the rest of the team will want to erase all memory of this game.

I may be back on here in the coming month spewing any venomous opinions about the BCS I see fit. I also hope to put an update on here about the soccer, volleyball and cross-country team’s performances at nationals. Until then, or until next season thank you for a very memorable season that will not soon be forgotten. We all would have liked this season to have concluded in celebration in the middle of the field at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, AL, but that will have to wait for next year. GO LAKERS!