Sherman Field Showdown: No. 13 Tech vs. No. 6 Ferris

THIS WEEKEND'S NOTES

SHERMAN FIELD SHOWDOWN
Saturday's (Oct. 25) game between No. 13 Michigan Tech and No. 6 Ferris State will be biggest game at Sherman Field since the Huskies hosted North Dakota in the 2004 NCAA Playoffs. UND won that game 20-3. The last time two undefeated teams squared off at Sherman Field this late in a season was in week seven of the 2004 season when a No. 13-ranked Tech team defeated at No. 7-ranked Northwood team 54-7.

LEFFINGWELL PUTS 200 ON GRAND VALLEY
Charlie Leffingwell rushed 23 times for 202 yards and a touchdown vs. Grand Valley State last Saturday (Oct. 18). The senior was within 19 yards of his career high with just his second career 200-yard game. The Midland, Mich., native ranks fourth in the GLIAC and 19th nationally with a rushing average of 120.4 yards per game. The senior owns 2,566 career yards, placing him seventh on Tech's all-time rushing list.

All-Time Leading Rushers    Att    Yds    Avg    TD    Lg
1. Jim VanWagner, 1973-76    958    4788    4.9    55    77
...
6. Tim Bonk, 1991-94    587    2959    5.0    26    75
7. Charlie Leffingwell, 2011-    509    2566    5.0    13    62    

NELSON NAMED GLIAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DeShawn Nelson was named GLIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Huskies' 35-14 win over Grand Valley State last Saturday (Oct. 18). A senior cornerback, Nelson tallied a game-high 11 total tackles including eight solos. He also had a first-quarter interception that set up Tech's third touchdown one play later and a forced fumble in the third quarter. Nelson has three interceptions in the last two weeks and five total on the season. The three-year starter owns 11 career interceptions and is the school-record holder in interception return yardage (231).

TIME ON THEIR SIDE
The Huskies boast the highest time-of-possession average in the GLIAC and fourth-highest in the nation. The Huskies are holding the ball for 35:44 each game. Tech had 32:56 of possession time against Grand Valley State last week. Their single-game high was 40:32 vs. Malone on Sept. 13.

BATTLE OF FORCES
Michigan Tech boasts the GLIAC's top scoring defense (allowing just 15.7 points per game) and rushing defense (allowing 93.5 yards per game). The Huskies opponent this week, Ferris State, comes in with the league's best scoring offense (48.9 points per game) and rushing offense (334.9 yards per game).

THE TECH-FERRIS STATE SERIES
The Michigan Tech-Ferris State football series dates back to 1947 with 63 meetings. The teams have squared off every year but two (1992 and 1993) since 1967. Tech holds a 34-25-4 lead in the all-time series. The Bulldogs won each of the last two matchups, but the Huskies had won nine straight before that. Last year (Oct. 26) in Houghton, Tech held a 27-10 lead midway through the third quarter before Ferris State scored 20 unanswered points to come away with a 30-27 victory.

SCARLETT'S ACCURACY CONTINUES
Quarterback Tyler Scarlett completed 9-of-10 first half passes vs. Grand Valley State en route to a 35-0 lead at the half. The senior finished 15-of-22 in the game and is 110-of-170 (64.7 percent) on the season. Scarlett is on pace to add another school record to his collection that already includes the season and career marks for total offense, passing and touchdowns. His 62.6 career completion mark would shatter the current mark of .587 held by Kurt Coduti (1988-92). Scarlett is 26-11 as a starting quarterback.

Michigan Tech Career Passing    Yards    Pct     TDs    Ints
1.     Tyler Scarlett (2011- )    8,775    .626    72    24
2.     Steve Short (2006-10)    7,471    .579    59    44
3.     Dave Walter (1983-86)    6,876    .505    48    59

FEWEST FLAGS IN DIVISION II
Michigan Tech has committed the fewest penalties in all of Division II with only 19 infractions in six games. The Huskies had just six in the first three games before adding 13 more the last three weeks. Tech finished second nationally (behind Ashland) a year ago in fewest penalties (2.7 per game).

WIN STREAK AT EIGHT
Michigan Tech has won eight consecutive games dating back to the ninth week of the 2013 campaign. The Huskies closed out last season with a pair of wins to finish 6-4 overall. Add in the six wins to start 2014, and Tech's winning streak of eight is its longest since 2004 (10 games including the final game of 2003). Only twice since 1975 have the Huskies had a longer winning streak.

COWIE AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Sophomore receiver Brandon Cowie caught seven passes for 65 yards vs. Grand Valley State. The converted quarterback also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass. Cowie was an All-GLIAC Second Team pick at wideout a year ago after posting 58 receptions for 933 yards. He's continued that production this year with 40 catches for 472 yards and three touchdowns. Cowie ranks second in the GLIAC in receptions per game (6.7) and fifth in receiving yards per game (78.7).

IN THE RANKINGS
Michigan Tech is ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll at No. 13 this week. The Huskies entered the top 25 at No. 23 in the Sept. 29 poll, marking the first national ranking for the Huskies since 2012. Tech also appears in the D2Football.com poll at No. 19.

Ranking by week    AFCA Poll    D2Football.com Poll
Sept. 29    23    —
Oct. 6    22    —
Oct. 13    20    24
Oct. 20    13    19

GERVAIS IS TACKLE LEADER
Junior Brett Gervais is Tech's leading tackler with 40 including 28 solos on the season. The defensive back had nine tackles and three pass breakups last week vs. Grand Valley State.

WIENKE MOVES UP TO FOURTH ON CAREER SACK LIST
Senior defensive end Nelson Wienke had one sack last week vs. Grand Valley State to run his season total to a team-leading 3.5. Wienke, a two-time All-GLIAC Second Team pick, now has 17.0 career sacks. That's good for fourth all-time at Tech.

Michigan Tech Career Sacks    GP    No.
1. Tony Roberson (1999-02)    35    21.5
2. Drew Vanderlin (2007-11)    41    20.0
3. Todd Storm (2008-11)    40    18.5
4. Nelson Wienke (2011- )    36    17.0

CAPTAINS
Huskies' team captains for the 2014 season are defensive end Cameron Allen, cornerback DeShawn Nelson, center Bruce Tebelman and quarterback Tyler Scarlett. All four are seniors.

COACH KEARLY
Michigan Tech head coach Tom Kearly is in his ninth season as head coach and 15th overall with the Huskies program. The skipper owns a 56-33 record (.629 winning percentage) and has coached Tech to two of the eight eight-win seasons in school history. Kearly, a Hancock native and 1979 Winona State graduate, coached at Central Michigan for 19 seasons before returning to the Copper Country in 2000. He was the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2010.

HUSKIES BITES
Michigan Tech has played four cliffhangers (scoring the game-winning points on the game's final play) in the last 11 games. Twice this season, Garrett Mead has kicked game-winning field goals—a 25-yarder at Wayne State for an 18-17 win on Sept. 4 and a 39-yarder at Northern Michigan for a 34-31 win on Sept. 27. A year ago, Tyler Scarlett rushed for a touchdown in overtime at Hillsdale for a 30-27 victory (Nov. 9) and Scarlett completed a six-yard pass that was tipped and caught by Jordan McConnell for a 33-31 triumph at Northwood (Oct. 19) … A quarterback with a last name beginning with "S" has started 47 consecutive games and 90 of the last 97 games the Huskies have played. Tyler Scarlett is in his fourth year as starter. Drew Schaft started the streak in 2005. Steve Short then took over four games into the 2006 campaign. Only when Short was injured three games into the 2009 season did Brent Heim break the trend for seven games … Tech's win over Grand Valley State last week was the Huskies fourth in 28 games all-time against the Lakers.

SUPERIOR PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Superior National Bank sponsors the Superior Player of the Game. Following each football game, a player is chosen. A list of the 2014 Superior Players of the Game is below.

Sept. 4 at Wayne    Garrett Mead: 4 FG (23, 29, 21, 25); game-winner
Sept. 13 at Malone    Tyler Scarlett: 16-of-20, 175 yds, 4 TD
Sept. 20 vs SVSU    Tanner Agen: 8 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 blk kick
Sept. 27 at NMU    Garrett Mead: 2 FG (39, 39); game-winner
Oct. 11 at NU    DeShawn Nelson: 2 Interceptions, 4 tackles
Oct. 18 vs. GVSU    Charlie Leffingwell: 23 rushes, 202 yds, 2 total TD