CALEDONIA, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University football team fell 24-21 at 11th-ranked Davenport after the Panthers (8-0, 4-0 GLIAC) scored 15 points in the fourth quarter including a touchdown with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation to secure the three-point victory.
True freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie got his first career start for SVSU and had a solid showing in his hometown. The Caledonia, Michigan product finished with an efficient 22-31 passing for 156 yards and a 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave the Cardinals (4-5, 1-3 GLIAC) a 7-3 lead.
The Panthers responded with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Jason Whittaker to Mahki Matthews to put the score at 9-7 in favor of the home team. Alfred Dailey Jr. blocked the point after attempt and the score remained there through the rest of the first half.
Meijer Player of the Game, Micah Cretsinger, had a 40-yard interception returned for a touchdown for the second time this season to retake the lead for SVSU, 14-9 in the opening minute of the third stanza. Cretsinger didn't have his usual output of tackles, but he made an impact with the interception as well as a nine-yard run on a fake punt in the second quarter that gave SVSU a first down.
Terrance Brown scampered for a 56-yard touchdown run on the next Cardinal drive to push the advantage to 21-9. Brown finished with a team-high 84 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry to complete a good outing for himself.
The Cardinals held the 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but an interception by McKenzie gave Davenport the ball on the SVSU 19-yard line with 9:22 left in regulation. The Panthers moved the ball inside the 10-yard line before scoring on a 3rd-and-7 pass play to cut the deficit to 21-16.
SVSU ate 6:13 off the clock on the next drive but had to settle for a punt and needed to hold on defensively for 1:39 to seal the victory. The Panther offense was forced to go for it on a 4th-and-7, which they converted with a 24-yard pass from Whittaker to Preston Smith. The drive stalled again on the Cardinal 10-yard line as SVSU forced three incompletions to make it 4th-and-10 with the game on the line. Whittaker then ran the ball on a keeper up the middle and found the endzone with 11 seconds remaining to give the Panthers a 22-21 lead. The score moved to 24-21 after a two-point conversion was successful.
The Cardinals ran two plays in the final drive, the first an incomplete pass, the second a hook and ladder lateral that was fumbled and recovered by DU as time expired.
Derrick Hinton Jr., was McKenzie's favorite target as he caught a career-high 14 passes for 101 yards. Brandon Rawls was everywhere on the field as he led the team with nine tackles, 4.5 were for a loss as he was consistently in the DU backfield. Christian Ellison had a big day with six tackles and a team-leading three breakups.
The SVSU offense finished 8-of-17 on 3rd downs and outgained Davenport with 352 yards of total offense. The Cardinals return to Wickes Memorial Stadium for the final home game of the 2023 season against Northern Michigan next Saturday, November 4. The game will be senior day for SVSU with the kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.