GRAND VALLEY STATE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Courtesy of Greg Johnson, Special Contributor for GVSULakers.com
GVSU Lakers Looking for Best Stuff in Playoff Battle with Ferris State
Back in week three the Lakers were coming off a week two win at Ohio Dominican, which was the team in 2014 that knocked Ferris State out of the playoffs.
The Lakers were 2-0 and appeared ready for a showdown with Ferris, the rival from not so far away.
It didn't work out that way.
"We had breakdowns in all three phases, and defensively we didn't play a good game at all," Grand Valley head coach Matt Mitchell said.
It showed in the score, a hard-to-fathom 61-24 score that in truth might not be a true indication of the game. The Lakers were in it for a long while. Late Ferris points were circumstantial add-ons. Still, it was a sound beating from a rival, which made it sting.
"All we could do was regroup because we still had eight more games on the schedule," defensive end Matt Judon said. "You can't let one loss turn into two and two turn into three because you are upset you lost to a rival. You get back on the field and win."
The Lakers did get back on the field and are 10-2 heading into Saturday's Super Region semifinal game with Ferris in Big Rapids.
They can hope Ferris is practicing this week and thinking they are 37 points better. It's doubtful though, and the Lakers don't expect it to be the case. They know the Bulldogs are unbeaten because they have navigated through a season of expectations as one of the top-ranked teams in Division II.
The Lakers expect the best of Ferris, and they hope to present the best of Grand Valley.
"You have to play your best football in the playoffs or you go home, it's that simple," Mitchell said. "We don't make a big deal about revenge or redemption from the regular season. That's in the past. We study the film and look for a way to move forward and play our best."
There are many indications the Lakers have improved since week three.
First, sophomore quarterback Bart Williams is not so much a sophomore any longer. His play graded up sharply through the rest of the season from that point and he has thrown for 3,355 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Second, the offensive line and the running game seemed playoff ready last week in a 45-28 win at Ashland. Kirk Spencer had 105 yards rushing, and Marty Carter 99 on just 14 carries.
Third, the defense showed the ability to improve upon a regular-season performance. Ashland scored 45 in the regular-season win over the Lakers, but the Eagles were held in check in last week's playoff game and limited to just 81 rushing yards.
Fourth, Judon has 20 sacks, which has tied the all-time single-season mark in Division II. He had some bumps and bruises early in the season, but is rolling full speed ahead.
Finally, the special teams have made an impact in most games. Kicker Joel Schipper is 13-of-15 in field goals, and punter Jamie Potts has dropped 11 punts inside the opponent's 10-yard line this season. The Lakers also have a punt return and a fake punt run of over 60 yards this season.
"We have improved in all areas, but it has to show on the field Saturday," Mitchell said.
The Lakers know all too well that Ferris has won the last four games in the series, and that quarterback Jason Vander Laan has played a significant role. They do not want to fall into the trap of selling out the game plan on just the quarterback though, despite his 2,344 yards passing and 1,416 yards rushing.
"Ferris has great receivers, a tough defensive front, a lot of talented players," Mitchell said. "We do have to try and limit what Vander Laan can do and try to make him uncomfortable as much as we can, but Ferris challenges you in all three phases."
The challenge is set for Noon Saturday. It's the first time the two rivals have met in the playoffs, and week three seems like a long time ago.
Lakers Thankful for Playoff Opportunity against Ferris
The scout team members, true freshman being redshirted for the most part, were told to get on the phone and call home to start the week.
"They had to let their moms know they are going to be practicing on Thanksgiving," Grand Valley head coach Matt Mitchell said.
Dealing with Thanksgiving is a good thing for an NCAA Division II football team.
It means that team is still playing, in the second week of the playoffs, headed for another big game. In this case the Lakers play at Ferris State Saturday at Noon in a Super Region Semifinal.
Thanksgiving, indeed it is.
The Lakers, at least the coaches in this case and a few players who were part of a playoff run to the national semifinals in 2013, have experience dealing with this holiday wrapped in opportunity.
"Being an assistant here with Chuck Martin on a few playoff runs really helped me with this," Mitchell said. "You want to balance not losing practice and meeting time with allowing the guys some relaxation around Thanksgiving."
Mitchell said the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday schedules stay the same.
"Then Thursday we get up and practice early," he said. "The guys who are close enough locally go home, and in a lot of cases take the guys who are not close to home with them. We try to make sure everybody gets a chance to relax on Thanksgiving, watch some football, get some down time."
Pressure is part of playoff football. It is win the game or go home. Mitchell said it is important to have mental breaks and physical breaks so the team can stay fresh and alert for the playoff run.
"It's a long season and now you have the pressure of the playoffs added in," he said. "In this case we have a game with Ferris, a rival, part of it, too. Having Thanksgiving can be a good thing in there if you handle it correctly."
Consider it handled.
The Lakers in 2013 were headed to Colorado for a playoff game in Thanksgiving week. In this case it is a 45 minute bus ride to Big Rapids on Saturday morning instead of a long flight west.
"We are going to treat it like a road game and put the team in a hotel on Friday night, have our team meals, our meetings," he said. "At that point we get them away from distractions and we concentrate on the game just like any other road game."
The Lakers will actually stay in a Grand Rapids hotel to get the wanted mix of food service, meeting rooms and space.
"You want to keep it as normal to the routine as possible," Mitchell said. "In this case there is certainly no reason to add anything in. The game will have their attention."
Not adding stuff includes not getting carried away with talk about playing rival Ferris State, or even redemption for the loss during the regular season. The 10-2 Lakers also lost to Ashland during the regular season, and then beat the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last week.
"We didn't get all into the revenge thing," Mitchell said. "It wasn't needed. A playoff game against an unbeaten team is enough motivation. Trying to correct the mistakes from the first time we played them and making adjustments was enough to handle in preparation without the added emotion. It's really similar that way this week with Ferris. The biggest difference is we played Ashland just a few weeks after losing to them and we knew what we were going to get for the most part. It's been 10 weeks since the Ferris game, and a lot of things happen in 10 weeks for a football team. We've changed a lot in that time. I'm sure they have, too."
The rival programs have squared off 44 times since the rivalry started in 1971, but this is the first time in a playoff game.
"It's interesting, but it doesn't change things really," Mitchell said. "Every team wants to get in the playoffs and win in the playoffs. It's why we do this. The fact you are playing a rival adds more for the fans, the people around the program, but it's enough for us to prepare ourselves to play our best against a very good team in the playoffs."
The Lakers are thankful for the opportunity and avoiding chalkboard/rivalry talk.
"We're still playing," defensive end Matt Judon said. "We have another playoff game on our schedule. When we all came here we expected to play in big games in the playoffs. Ferris has a very good team. We have a very good team. That's what you get in the playoffs."
