The Basics

Score: #9 Ashland 33 - Saginaw Valley 7
Records: Ashland (6-0, 6-0 GLIAC) | SVSU (0-6, 0-5 GLIAC)
Location: Wickes Stadium - University Center, Mich. 

UNIVERSITY CENTER - Coming off a narrow 36-34 loss at Northern Michigan last Saturday in which the SVSU football team posted a season-high 464 yards of offense, 241 on the ground, the Cardinals weren't able to get as much going on Saturday (Oct. 10) night against the nationally ninth-ranked Ashland University Eagles.

Ashland held SVSU to 163 yards of total offense and controlled the pace of the game with a 41:42 to 18:18 edge in time of possession, running a total of 89 offensive plays in posting a 33-7 victory over the Cardinals.

Saginaw Valley jumped out in front in the game after scoring the game's first points when Brad Odeman Jr. hooked-up with Marq Johnson for a 43-yard touchdown pass. An Alex Kenrick extra-point gave the home team a 7-0 lead at the 7:28 mark of the first quarter. 

Ashland responded with a drive that resulted in a four-yard touchdown run by Travis Tarnowski with 1:20 to go in the first to knot the score at 7-7. The Eagles' Aidan Simenec would add a 23-yard field goal to extend the visitors' lead to 10-7 at the 5:29 marker of the first half.

Trailing by those three points and facing a second and goal from the SVSU one-yardline, the Cardinals forced a fumble and recovered heading the other way with hopefully some momentum, but an offsides penalty negated that turnover and the next play Ashland's Jordan McCune punched it in from a yard out to extend the lead to 17-7.

That lead held until halftime and until Simenec hit three more field goals, nailing kicks from 25, 21 and 27 yards in giving the visitors a 26-7 lead with 12:57 showing on the clock to play in the contest.

The Eagles would add another touchdown with 2:12 left in the game when Andrew Vaughn scored on a three-yard touchdown run, pushing the score to 33-7 after a successful Simenec kick.

That's what the final score would be, as the Eagles closed-out for the 26-point victory.

Inside the Boxscore

• Ashland posted 445 yards of total offense and held SVSU to 163 and ran 89 offensive plays compared to the Cardinals' 40.
• The Eagles converted on 69% of their third down attempts, going 13-of-19 in the game.
• Bryan Jones and Dwight Trammer each had career-high tackle figures, with Jones and Trammer having 16 and 15 stops, respectively.
• Will Farr had three catches and 31 yards for SVSU.
• The Eagles held a 41:42 to 18:18 edge in the time of possession battle.
• Johnson had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown for SVSU.
• Ashland's Tarnowski was 26-of-44 for 280 yards through the air.
• Eagle kicker Aidan Simenc booted four field goals with a long of 27 yards.

Meijer "Player of the Game"

Bryan Jones and Dwight Trammer split the Meijer "Player of the Game" plaudits, with Jones recording 16 tackles and Trammer 15 stops, both marking career-highs for the Cardinal linebackers.

Postgame Interview 

Up Next for the SVSU...

Saginaw Valley hosts Lake Erie College (1-5, 1-4 GLIAC) on Saturday (Oct. 17) in a 7:00 p.m. Homecoming matchup at Wickes Stadium. The Storm is coming off a 33-30 home loss to Urbana University. 

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