Football Falls To SVSU 55-29

OVERVIEW

SCORE: Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 55, Northwood Timberwolves 29
RECORDS: Saginaw Valley (4-1, 2-1 GLIAC), Northwood (0-5, 0-3 GLIAC)
LOCATION: Wickes Stadium – University Center, Mich.
RECAP: Northwood drops 55-29 contest to Saginaw Valley in the annual Axe Bowl Saturday (October 5)

INSIDE THE GAME

• Northwood took the lead early in the game on an unusual play. SVSU attempted a 46-yard field goal, which was blocked by NU's Patrick Mayrand. The ball rolled to the Northwood five yard line. With both teams running off the field after the play, Northwood senior Dimitri Abro picked up the loose ball and took it back 95 yards for a touchdown.
• SVSU picked up touchdowns on their next two drives, making the score 14-7 after the opening quarter.
• Northwood tied the game early in the second quarter, as the Timberwolves went 52 yards in 4:22. The drive was capped by a Justin Cook seven-yard touchdown run to make score 14-14.
• After SVSU found the endzone on their following drive to go up 21-14, a key play in the game came late in the second quarter. Northwood put together a good drive, moving to the SVSU 15 yard line. But the Timberwolves threw an interception that SVSU's Marvin White returned 92 yards for a touchdown, turning what could have been a game-tying drive into a 28-14 Cardinal lead.
• Saginaw Valley scored another touchdown early in the third quarter to go up 35-14 before the Timberwolves responded. NU went 81 yards in 11 plays, capped by a Nate Gomez one-yard run. That TD made the score 35-21 with 7:06 remaining in the third.
• The Cardinals took control of the game at that point, scoring three straight touchdowns to push their lead to 55-21.
• Northwood scored the final touchdown of the game with 1:04 remaining in the game. Gomez scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, this time from two yards out. That capped a 72 yard drive, making the final score 55-29.

GAME STATS

• FIRST DOWNS: Saginaw Valley 25, Northwood 14
• RUSHES-YARDS: Saginaw Valley 53-308, Northwood 34-186
• PASSING YARDS: Saginaw Valley 168 (12-17, 2 TDs, 0 INT), Northwood 71 (8-22, 0 TD,1 INT)
• TOTAL OFFENSE, PLAYS-YARDS: Saginaw Valley 70-476, Northwood 56-257
• TIME OF POSSESSION: Saginaw Valley 35:47, Northwood 24:13

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

• Abro: 12 tackles, 95-yard field goal blocked field goal return
• Gomez: Two rushing touchdowns

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will host Hillsdale October 12. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.