Michigan Tech Huskies snatch a victory eluding them for 12 years
This past Saturday, Oct. 10, the Huskies played the Grand Valley Lakers at Kearly Stadium. Prior to the game, the Huskies had a 4-1 record and were ranked 19th in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) with a record of 5-0 and sixth for the Grand Valley team. The Lakers were expected to win, entering the match on a ten game victory streak against Tech with an all time record of 29-3 against the Huskies. Undaunted, the Huskies kept the game close and snatched their second overtime victory of the season.
During the Oct. 6 press conference, Head Coach Dan Mettlach stated “We’re going to have to have another performance like we did last week,” in reference to the Huskies decisive 29 point lead against Roosevelt on Oct. 3 that ended the Lakers 4-0 record with a score of 57-28. Mettlach ended the conference by saying, “hopefully we can get out of bed and show up.”
Although not a sweeping victory, the Huskies played a strong offensive game consistently and showed defensive stopping power when necessary. Michigan Tech controlled the first half, leading both quarters by seven points. After halftime, however, the Huskies made some uncalculated plays that resulted in a tie game by the end of the third quarter. Thankfully, a strong defensive recovery in the plays following and a free pizza from Blizzard T. Husky redirected the crowd attitude towards the positive.
The fourth quarter continued to leave the winner a mystery. A 31-yard gain followed quickly by a touchdown from the Lakers gave them the lead, then a strong Husky offensive brought the game back to 35-35 with one minute remaining. The referees called an official timeout to review a possible first down with only two seconds remaining. It didn’t matter, as the game still proceeded into overtime.
The Lakers won the coin toss, but met an impenetrable Husky defense. A failed field goal left their first and only overtime possession at zero points. The Huskies presented a stronger offense, scoring a touchdown quickly, but having it rescinded for being out of bounds, only to score another on the following play and win Michigan Tech’s second overtime victory of the season as the underdog.
41-35 was the final score. Tech fans were jumping over the fence to join the team in victory, to celebrate the Huskies’ first victory over Grand Valley State in 12 years. Mettlach professed confidence in the outcome and his team in a post game interview: “It felt like we had the team to beat this team,” he said.
