Football Drops 31-10 Contest To Saginaw Valley

OVERVIEW

SCORE: Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 31, Northwood Timberwolves 10
RECORDS: Northwood (2-7, 2-5 GLIAC), Saginaw Valley (7-3, 4-3 GLIAC)
LOCATION: Hantz Stadium - Midland, Mich.
RECAP: Saginaw Valley controls the second half in a 31-10 win over Northwood Saturday afternoon (November 3).

INSIDE THE GAME

• Saginaw Valley drew first blood via special teams. Forcing Northwood to punt from their own 38-yard-line, the Cardinals were able to block the kick, scoop up the fumble, and score the first touchdown of the contest to go up 7-0 six minutes into the contest.
• The Timberwolves were able to offer a response on their ensuing possession. Picking up four first downs on a 13-play, 62-yard drive, NU inched their way down to the one-yard line. Unable to break through for six, David Riser followed through with a 29-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 7-3 just before the end of the first.  
• Northwood made sure to finish on their next possession early in the second. Quarterback Joey Garbarino completed two key third down passes to keep the drive alive and bring it to the SVSU 34-yard-line. This set up a pitch play to running back Abdul Levy, who found a hole down the right sideline and sprinted for 32 yards before finding the end zone for six. Just over four minutes into the second, NU had their first lead of the day at 10-7.
• Starting at the NU 33-yard line after forcing them to punt from their own goal line, Saginaw Valley took advantage and countered before the end of the half. Needing only five running plays and 1:55, the Cardinals capped the abbreviated drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown to vault ahead 14-10 with 3:15 left. They would add three more seconds before halftime with a field goal to end the half up 17-10. Both teams had 143 yards of total offense at halftime
• The Cardinals grabbed the momentum with authority at the start of the third. After forcing Northwood to a three-and-out and a punt, the visitors blocked their second punt of the day, which they recovered in the endzone to take a 24-10 lead.
• SVSU put the game out of reach just before the end of the third. Taking 6:35 off the clock in 15 plays, the Cardinals moved 61 yards down the field before finishing the drive with a TD run from six yards out to go up by 31-10 at the start of the fourth.
• Saginaw Valley then put the game away with a ball-control drive to start the fourth quarter. SVSU put together a 21 play drive that did not result in any points, but took over 12 minutes off the clock.
• NU did not score on their final possession of the game, giving the win to the Cardinals.

GAME STATS

• FIRST DOWNS: Saginaw Valley 19, Northwood 11
• RUSHES-YARDS: Saginaw Valley 57-243, Northwood 36-66
• PASSING YARDS: Saginaw Valley 44, Northwood 125
• TOTAL OFFENSE, PLAYS-YARDS: Saginaw Valley 71-278, Northwood 50-191
• TIME OF POSSESSION: Saginaw Valley 33:47, Northwood 26:13

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

• Spencer McCourt: 51 yards passing
• Abdul Levy: 43 yards rushing, 1 touchdown
• Gary Landless: 80 yards receiving
• Dimitri Abro: 12 tackles, forced fumble

GAME NOTES

• The teams have alternated wins over the last five meetings dating back to 2014.
• Both teams had exactly 143 total yards of offensive at halftime.
• Abdul Levy scored his second touchdown of the season and had his third game of 40-plus rushing yards.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will travel to Michigan Tech Saturday (November 10) to close out the 2018 season. Game time is set for Noon.