Posted: Oct 10, 2024
Game 6: Saginaw Valley State at Roosevelt
Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Morris Field | Arlington Heights, Ill.
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KICK-OFF
The Saginaw Valley State University Football team looks to improve to 5-1 for the first time since 2018 when they travel to face GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt in the team's final game of the current three-game road trip.
The Cardinals (4-1, 1-0 GLIAC) routed Northern Michigan in Marquette on Saturday, 63-14. SVSU accumulated a season-high 486 yards of total offense in the win over the Wildcats.
The Lakers (0-4, 0-1 GLIAC) fell at Ferris State, 55-13, this past Saturday in the program's first-ever GLIAC contest. Roosevelt cut the Bulldog lead to 14-10 with back-to-back scores in the second quarter, but Ferris scored three unanswered touchdowns to pull away.
1ST-AND-10
• The Cardinals currently sit in a four-way tie for first in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings with Grand Valley State, Ferris State, and Michigan Tech, who all won their first GLIAC matchup this past week. The Cardinals, Bulldogs, and Huskies are all 4-1 overall. The Lakers are the last unbeaten GLIAC team at 5-0.
• This is the final of a three-game road trip with games at UIndy (9/28, W - 28-24), Northern Michigan (10/5, W - 63-14), and Roosevelt (10/12). The Cardinals are 3-1 on the road this year with three more away contests for the season.
• Senior All-American linebacker Micah Cretsinger was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 and the D2 Elite 100 watch lists. Junior linebacker Brandon Rawls joined Cretsinger on the D2 Elite 100 list.
• Saginaw Valley faces three ranked opponents this season: at (#15) Indianapolis (W, 28-24), (#2) Grand Valley State on October 19, and at (#5) Ferris State on November 9.
• Freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie is 69-of-120 through the air and is 89 yards shy of reaching 1,000 passing yards this season. McKenzie leads the Cardinals in passing and rushing with 41 carries for 330 yards and two scores on the ground. He currently ranks second in the GLIAC in rushing and third in passing yards.
• Junior receiver Eric Craft leads the team in receptions with 14 for 219 yards and a score. Sophomore back Terrance Brown Jr. has 10 catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Arron Foulkes (64 yards), Michael Jamerson III (31 yards), and Joseph Walker (114 yards, 1 TD) have seven receptions.
• Eli Gordon leads the team in tackles (31), interceptions (4), and pass breakups (4). The junior safety ranks second in the country (NCAA DII) with .8 interceptions per game and ninth in passes defended (1.6).
• Leonard Henry IV leads NCAA Division II in sacks with eight (1.6 per game) and has the third most tackles on the Cardinal defense with 28. Henry IV is a menace in the opponent's backfield, as he adds 11.5 tackles for loss to his totals (his 2.3 TFL per game ranks 4th in the nation).
• The linebacker trio of Alfred Dailey Jr., Micah Cretsingers, and Brandon Rawls have 30, 28, and 24 tackles respectively. Dailey Jr. has the second-most tackles on the team, Cretsinger is tied for third and Rawls is tied for fifth with Jasper Beeler.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
ABOUT THE LAKERS
Roosevelt joined the GLIAC in July 2024. The Lakers will host the Cardinals in the team's first conference home game after falling to Ferris State last week on the road.
Carson Budke leads the team at quarterback. Budke is completing 78-of-134 pass attempts for 967 yards and four touchdowns.
Cyrus Zuell leads Roosevelt on the ground with 248 yards rushing and one touchdown. He has a season-long of 38 yards from scrimmage and is averaging 62 yards per game.
Keonta Nixon has a team-high 20 receptions for 441 yards. He has caught all four of Budke's touchdown tosses this season and has a season-long catch of 94 yards while averaging 110.25 yards per game.
The defense is led by Jaylen Olokun with 31 total tackles. Olokun is also the team's leader in tackles for loss with 6.0. He is one of four Roosevelt defenders to be credited with a sack this season. Deven Jarvis and Jordan Pippion have the two interceptions for the Laker defense in 2024.
BROTHER VERSUS BROTHER
Saginaw Valley State redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Paulie Robertson will return to his hometown of Chicago, Illinois this weekend. Robertson's brother, Johnnie is a sophomore tight end for the Lakers. This is the first time the brothers will compete on opposing sides.
GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior safety Eli Gordon has won GLIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week three times this season. Gordon earned the honor after Cardinal wins over Winona State, Truman State, and Indianapolis. The Midland, Michigan native, leads the SVSU defense in tackles and interceptions. He is sitting second in all of NCAA Division II with an average of 0.8 picks per contest having recorded an interception in four of the first five games this season.
PASS RUSH NIGHTMARE
Cardinal pass rusher Leonard Henry IV has been a nightmare to opposing teams this season. Henry has eight sacks through five games and has the nation's best sack numbers, averaging 1.6 per game.