Tech Football loses to SVSU
Courtesy of MTU Athletics
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — The Michigan Tech football team dropped its second straight GLIAC road game with a 34-23 loss at Saginaw Valley State today. The Huskies (5-3 overall, 5-3 GLIAC) had a hard time stopping the Cardinals’ passing game, which racked up 342 yards in the air including 18 catches for 226 yards by Jeff Janis.
Despite the air attack, Tech kept itself in the game into the fourth quarter.
Trailing 20-13 at halftime, the Huskies received the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Tech’s star receiver Matt Curtin <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/curtin%20matt00.html> was injured on the first play of the drive and did not return to the game. The Huskies moved the ball inside the red zone with a chance to tie the game, but settled for a 31-yard Garrett Mead <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/mead%20garrett00.html> field goal to pull within 20-16.
The teams traded punts before the hosts extended their lead. Jonathan Jennings hit Janis for a 24-yard touchdown to extend the margin to 11.
Another Tech punt early in the fourth quarter put ball back in Jennings’ hands, and he hit Janis on a 19-yard route to complete an 11-play drive with 8:11 left in the game.
Tyler Scarlett <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/scarlett%20tyler00.html> hooked up with Alex Elsenheimer <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/elsenheimer%20alex00.html> for a 12-yard score with less than a minute remaining to pull Tech back within 11. That would be the last scoring of the game.
“We were in this game, but we never had control,” said head coach Tom Kearly. “We had to settle for three points on that opening drive of the second half, and we couldn’t get the big stop that we needed.
“Once again, I think the key to the game was that we couldn’t get off the field on defense. They hit some big third-down plays.”
Offensive totals were 472 yards for SVSU and 344 yards for Tech. Scarlett was 24-of-34 for 253 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Bryan LaChapelle <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/lachapelle%20bryan00.html> was his favorite target with 10 catches for 86 yards.
Fullback Cole Welch <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/welch%20cole00.html> scored on two, one-yard touchdown runs in the first half completing a pair of 10-play drives. The Huskies totaled 91 yards on the ground with a team-high 56 from Cedrick Barber <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/barber%20cedrick00.html>.
Jennings completed 26-of-33 passes for 342 yards. The Cardinals’ Tim Hogue gained 79 yards on the ground as part of a 130-yard effort for the hosts.
Senior linebacker Justin Armstrong <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/fball/2012-13/bios/armstrong%20justin00.html> paced the Huskies in tackles for the third straight game with nine.
Michigan Tech will play its final home game of 2012 next Saturday (Nov. 3) when it hosts Hillsdale at 1 p.m.
Notes: There were zero turnovers in the game … With his touchdown pass to Elsenheimer, Scarlett now has the school record for touchdown passes in a season all to himself. His 21 surpasses Dan Mettlach’s 20 in 2004.