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Cardinals finish regular season with 24-17 overtime victory at Davenport

Cardinals finish regular season with 24-17 overtime victory at Davenport

CALEDONIA -- The Cardinal Football team traveled to Davenport on Saturday and battled tough conditions to come away with a scrappy 24-17 overtime victory over the Panthers. SVSU got a 21 yard touchdown run from Ryan Conklin on the first possession of overtime and the SV defense stood solid towards the goal line to preserve the victory.

The game's scoring came quick to start with Conklin hooking up with Chad Gailliard just 3:33 into the contest for a 73 yard touchdown play. A Connor Luksic PAT made the score 7-0.

Davenport responded with a touchdown in the second quarter to tie the score at 7-7 with 7:50 showing on the clock. 

SVSU had its special teams come up big late in the opening half, blocking and returning a punt for a score for the third time in two weeks to take a 14-7 edge. David Still blocked the punt and it was picked up by Bryce Anderson for the touchdown. It marks Anderson's second score off a blocked punt and second in as many weeks.

The Panthers trimmed a bit off that lead heading into the half, however, as Chris Ahmed hit a 42 yard field goal to make the score 14-10 in SVSU's advantage at halftime. 

DU added another score with 6:28 left in the third quarter, using a touchdown rush to take the lead at 17-14. 

The Cardinals responded with a Luksic 31 yard field goal as 11:16 was left in the game, tying the game at 17-17. 

Saginaw Valley had a chance to seal a win as time expired, but a field goal try missed wide left and the game headed to overtime. 

It did not take long for the Cards to get on the board, using a 21 yard rushing touchdown from Conklin on the first overtime possession to take a 24-17 lead after a Luksic extra-point. 

After the Panthers chewed-off a nice run to begin their drive, the SVSU defense held tough and held the Panthers out of the endzone. That sealed the victory and an 8-3 overall record for the Cardinals.

Inside the Boxscore

  • Conklin was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" after scoring the game-winning touchdown. He rushed for a team-best 65 yards, a score while adding 179 yards through the air with a touchdown.
  • Gailliard had four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
  • Michael Alexander had a game-best 13 tackles with 1.5 TFL.
  • Sloan Klaski added nine stops with a fumble recovery. 
  • Austin Egler posted eight stops with a TFL. 
  • Still had the blocked punt and six stops, while Anderson had the return for a TD.
  • Heath Williams stayed strong on the D-line, registering seven tackles and 3.5 sacks. Still had the other half sack for Saginaw Valley. 

Up Next...

The Cardinals' regular season comes to a close with an overall record of 8-3 and a 5-3 mark in the GLIAC. SVSU still has an outside chance at a playoff spot. The eight wins are the most since the 2013 campaign for the Cardinals.

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