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Caledonia, Mich – Jason Whittaker passed for five touchdowns and Davenport used a strong second half to beat Michigan Tech 52-38 on Saturday afternoon at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex (Farm). KyShawn Richards needed just five rushing attempts to post 147 yards and a touchdown to help Whittaker and the Panthers.
“I was proud of our ability to capitalize on our first few possessions on the road,” head coach Steve Olson said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t end our way. We were converting third downs pretty well in the first half, which was good to see. But this Davenport team is a veteran quarterback that brings in a lot of new players and sees it. Things on the field can be adjusted quickly and on the fly. On the other hand, there were some things that disappointed me defensively. Some of our scrums weren’t good, which led to big runs. We couldn’t leave our feet and slide out of a tight spot and make improvements.
The Huskies (1-4, 0-1 GLIAC) put the game away with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, led by a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Will Arch. Ark found another seven points when he found Darius Willis on a 26-yard pass.
Kicker Drew Wyble hit another three-pointer to make it 17-0, but the Panthers began to turn the momentum late in the second quarter with passes from Whittar to Preston Smith (12 yards) and Jake Livingston (20 yards). Teams headed to the locker room.
The second half belonged to the Panthers. Whittaker’s accuracy in the pocket has improved and the Huskies’ secondary has struggled to contain Livingstone and Demetrius Garrett.
Trailing by 14 late in the fourth quarter, the Huskies mounted an eight-play drive, followed by a limited contact downfield, Ark’s touchdown pass with 5:58 to play. Brandon Gillow made it 32 yards after a 10-play drive to make it 45-31 to put the game within reach.
Despite the loss, Arch had one of his best games of the season, completing 21 of 39 passes for 267 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Will Marano and Alec Moriarty had back-to-back rushing for 82 yards and Ark added 13 yards on the ground.
Brandon Michalak posted his third touchdown reception of the season and nearly eclipsed 100 yards on 97 receptions. Willis was the Arc’s primary target with eight catches, 87 yards and a score.
“It was great to see Will come out and make good decisions, manage the clock and do things the right way,” Olson said. “Overall I felt he had a good game and I hope he can continue going forward.
Davenport (4-0, 1-0 GLIAC) piled up 556 yards of total offense, despite trailing MTU on possessions 35:28 to 24:32. DU will rely heavily on Whittar, who started last week after scoring in the passing game and a school-record six combined touchdowns. He completed 24 of 40 passes for 361 yards with one interception. Smith collected 143 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ferris State transfer Sy Barnett had six receptions and 99 yards.
The Huskies return home for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 8. A special celebration will be held over the weekend commemorating 100 years of Michigan Tech football. Davenport looks set to go undefeated at Northern Michigan.
“It’s important that we get through this game and hopefully we can get some guys healthy,” Olson said. “We’ve got to put together good practices. If we work hard and make tackles and execute opponents, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to win against Wayne State.”
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