Preview: Huskies meet Panthers in Grand Rapids

Houghton, Mich – Michigan Tech (1-3, 0-0) heads to Grand Rapids to play Davenport (3-0, 0-0) on Saturday, Oct. 1 in their first conference action of the 2022 regular season. Kickoff is at noon. The game can be heard on 920 AM and 107.3 FM WMPL. Last season, the Huskies comfortably beat the Panthers 31-7 on Homecoming, but DU remains undefeated at 3-0 on the weekend.

The past tense

• No. 19 Saginaw Valley State posted 413 yards of total offense to beat Michigan Tech 35-13 in non-conference football Saturday afternoon at Kerley Stadium. The Huskies led 13-7 but Isaiah Malcolm rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns to help the Cardinals pull away in the second half.
• The Huskies scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half. Darius Willis caught a pass from quarterback Will Arch and ran 59-yards to set up Will Marano at the three-yard line for the score. Tark also threw the football to Ethan Champion behind the line of scrimmage, and Champion threw it downfield to a wide open Brandon Michalak to start the second quarter.
• The Huskies got on the scoreboard in the second half with 176 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Malcolm rushed for a second time from seven yards out to give SVSU a 21-13 advantage. Brito added a touchdown on a one-yard keeper in the third quarter, then found Aaron Folks to tie the game with 4:04 left in the third.

Ark is led by a quarterback.

• Senior quarterback Will Ark has played the majority of the Huskies’ last two weeks. This season, he has completed 45.6-percent of his passes for 401 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
• The Green Bay native was named Honorable Mention All-GLIAC last season along with the Harold Meese Team Sportsmanship Award.
• He started all 10 games, amassing 1,715 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 64 yards and a pair of scores.
• Arch ranks seventh among starting QB’s in the GLIAC with 100.3 passing yards per game.

Urgent report

• Will Marano rushed 17 times for 44 carries and one touchdown Saturday against SVSU. Marano averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
• His 48.0 yards per game is eighth best among backs in the conference. Marano’s longest run of the year was 25 yards. His 68 attempts lead the GLIAC.
• Sophomore Alec Moriarty (Berlin, Wis.) added to the workload with a career-high six carries for eight yards Saturday. He is listed as the second tailback on the depth chart behind Marano heading to Davenport.

Willis continues to be a top target

• Sophomore Darius Willis (Warren, Mich.) continued to be Ark’s number one on Saturday, with four receptions for 71 yards.
• Willis, who was named All-GLIAC honorable mention as a freshman, currently ranks sixth in receiving yards (223) with 16 receptions and 55.8 yards per game.
• With Willis garnering more defensive attention, look for sophomores Ethan Champney and Brandon Michalak to enter the mix Saturday, as well as senior tight end Luke Terria, who received 36 yards.

Special teams report

• Brendan Lack has taken over as the Huskies’ leading punter this season and averaged 21 punts for 39.6 yards, including three touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
• Sophomore kicker Drew Weible did not attempt any field goals against Saginaw Valley State and remains 2-for-3 on the season, with 40 long.

Scouting the Panthers

• The Panther roster appears to be vastly improved from last year’s team, which finished 3-8. Davenport’s offense set a school record last weekend after posting 586 total yards in a 51-17 rout of Northwood.
• Quarterback Jason Whittaker (Rockford, Mich.) was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week in his first start of the season. Whittaker was a graduate student and four-star prospect coming out of high school, ranked as the No. 24 best pocket passer in the nation by ESPN.
• After his first real season on the bench at Division 1 North West, Whittar moved to Davenport, making two appearances in 2019. He completed 21-of-29 passes (72.4-percent) for 360 yards and five touchdowns last week.
• After adding his sixth touchdown with his legs, Whittaker set the school record for touchdowns in a game.
• Wide receiver C. Barnett (Williamston, Mich.) joins the Panthers after helping Ferris State to a Division II national championship last season. He played in 12 games there and had 12 receptions for 166 yards, including a 65-yard reception against Findlay. He already has 243 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in three games this fall for the Panthers. He leads the GLIAC with 6.7 receptions per game.
• Roy Livingstone (Miami, Fla.) hauled in three touchdown receptions for DU Saturday with 111 yards. The old man does kicking and kicking.
• Calef Jenkins ran for a career-high 104 yards and two touchdowns in week two against Northern Michigan. Jenkins has 92 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown against the Timberwolves, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
• Head Coach Sparky McEwen has over 30 years of coaching experience and has been at the helm of Davenport since February 2017. The Panthers’ biggest win was on the road last season against Walsh (10-6). DU picked up another close road win over a GLVC opponent to start this season 20-19 against Truman State on Sept. 3.

Final match

• Last season, the Huskies beat the Panthers 31-7 at Kerley Stadium. Marano established MTU’s ground game early and finished with 90 yards and one touchdown.
• Ark also connected with Willis for a 48-yard catch and a screen pass. Tech also forced four fumbles and missed two field goals.
• On defense, the Huskies brought plenty of pressure with eight sacks, including two by Austin Schlicht.

Also known

• Mark Sippel leads the GLIAC with 49 tackles. He led the team in tackles in all four games this fall and finished with 14 tackles, one short of Saginaw Valley State’s career high of 15. Last season, Sippel appeared in 10 games as a freshman and finished with 47 total tackles (17 solo). He also had two sacks with 4.5 tackles for loss.
• After four weeks of non-conference play, GLIAC teams hold a combined record of 18-8. Four teams are undefeated and three are ranked in the AFCA Division II Top-25. Defending national champion Ferris State remains at No. 1, while Grand Valley State moves up one spot to No. 2 with a 3-0 record. Saginaw Valley State moved up two spots to No. 17 after a road win over Michigan Tech.
• The Huskies remain at the bottom of the conference at 10-for-44 on third-down conversions (23-percent). However, the team is 5-for-9 this season in fourth place (56-percent). MTU is also 5-5 with four touchdowns in the red zone.
• Similar to last year, the Huskies remain the most disciplined team in the conference and committed a league-low 15 penalties for 144 yards (48.0 yards per game). Tech is also responsible with the football and ties Saginaw Valley State for the lowest number of fumbles lost (one).
• On defense, the Huskies recovered three fumbles and had four interceptions.