The Saginaw Valley football team traveled north on Saturday, Oct. 3 to take on the Northern Michigan Wildcats.
The Cardinals were looking for their first win of the season, but came up empty, losing to the Wildcats, 36-34.
Northern Michigan got on the board first. Runningback Aaron Harris scored on the ground from 10 yards out on the final play of the first quarter. After the PAT, the Wildcatshad a 7-0 edge
Saginaw Valley did not trail for long. On its next possession, SVSU quarterback Brad Odeman found wide receiver Max Corcoran on a 15-yard scoring strike. Alex Kenrick tacked on the extra point and the Cardinals tied the game.
With just under four minutes left in the first half, Saginaw Valley found the endzone again. Runningback Drew Herrell ran it into the endzone from 14 yards out, and SVSU held a 14-7 lead.
Shortly after the Cardinals’ touchdown, Northern Michigan quarterback Shaye Brown kept the ball himself and found the endzone on a one-yard quarterback sneak. The PAT was no good, and Saginaw Valley held a 14-13 halftime advantage.
Brown found the endzone again shortly after the second half of play began. The Wildcats’ quarterback connected with wide receiver Austin Brown on a 49-yard scoring toss to give Northern Michigan a 19-14 lead. Brown went to the air again on the two-point conversion attempt, connecting with the Wildcats’ leading receiver on the year, Marcus Tucker, giving Northern Michigan the 21-14 lead.
SVSU came onto the field looking to pull even with the Wildcats and it did so. Odeman found wide receiver Bryan Fobbs for a 22-yard touchdown pass. The game was tied following the PAT, 21-21.
Northern Michigan quickly regained the lead for itself. Brown connected with wide receiver Paris Woods on a 31-yard strike. The Wildcats converted a two-point attempt and took a 29-21 lead over the Cardinals into the fourth quarter.
With just over 11 minutes to play in the game, Northern Michigan struck again. Runningback Terrance Dye bulldozed into the endzone from a yard out. The Wildcats extended their lead to 36-21 following the PAT.
Saginaw Valley was not done, however. On the Cardinals’ next drive, Jermaih Johnson found the endzone from five yards out to cut into the deficit.
The Cardinals had an opportunity to tie the game with under a minute to play. Following a touchdown pass from Odeman to tight end Will Farr, the offense stayed on the field to go for the two-point conversion. The attempt failed, however, and the Wildcats were able to jump on the ensuing onside kick and come away with the victory.
One positive was that the Saginaw Valley offense put forth its best outing of the season, racking up 464 yards of total offense. Moreover, the team was balanced in how it moved the ball, picking up 223 yards through the air while the team rushed for 241 yards on the ground.
Odeman had possibly his strongest outing of the season, throwing for three touchdowns and connecting with nine different receivers.
Herrell found success on the ground, leading the team with 110 yards rushing and a touchdown. He did, however, fumble the ball twice.
Fobbs finished the day as the team’s leading receiver, pulling in seven passes for 107 yards and a score.
Defensively, defensive end Jack Jennings performed at a high level, picking up the team’s only two sacks on the day.
With the loss, SVSU drops to 0-5. The Cards will look for their first win of the season next week when they host the 5-0 Ashland Eagles. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.
