HOUGHTON, Mich. – Nationally No. 19-ranked Saginaw Valley State University used a balanced offense and tenacious second-half defense as the Cardinals whipped intra-state foe Michigan Tech, 35-13, at Kearly Stadium in a non-conference football matchup on Saturday.

The Cardinals, who improve to 4-0 on the season, rolled up 413 total yards including 205 via the ground and 208 through the air. The host Huskies (1-3) could muster just 176 yards of total offense.

First Quarter:

• Derrick Hinton Jr. gave Saginaw Valley a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes and 23 seconds remaining when he hauled in a 20-yard pass from Andrew Brito, who evaded two tacklers in the backfield and threw across the grain to find an open Hinton.
• William Marano got Michigan Tech on the scoreboard with 4:10 left when he crossed the goal line from three yards out, but the point-after kick failed to make it 7-6.

Second Quarter:

• Tech used some trickery to open the scoring at 14:16 of the second stanza which gave the hosts their first and only lead of the afternoon. Ethan Champney took a lateral from quarterback Will Ark and threw 30 yards to Brandon Michalak who was wide-open in the end zone for the touchdown reception. The Huskies were up 13-7.
• However, that advantage evaporated in a hurry on SVSU's very next possession as Isaiah Malcome rambled 75 yards into the end zone for the Cardinals' longest play from scrimmage this season to put them ahead to stay, leading 14-13 with 14:04 left.
• Malcome also found the end zone from seven yards out to close the scoring in the first half and SVSU increased its lead to 21-13.

Third Quarter:

• With 9:04 to go, Brito plunged into the end zone from a yard out to cap an eight-play, 40-yard scoring drive in 3:49. The Cardinals held a commanding 28-13 lead.
• Brito and receiver Arron Foulkes connected for a 13-yard strike 5 minutes later for some insurance and account for the final 22-point victory.

Fourth Quarter:

• Neither team scored in the final quarter.

SVSU Head Coach Ryan Brady at the Mic:

"This was a big road win against a very good Michigan Tech team. I thought our young men had a sharp focus all week at practice and that preparation showed today. Our defense was outstanding again today. Tech had only 47 yards rushing and 120 yards passing. Any time you hold a team under 200 yards of total offense you are doing good things. Defensively, we also held MTU to 0-11 on third and fourth down. Offensively, we found our balance for the second week in a row with 208 rushing and 203 passing including 16-for-20 in the air. Offensively, we were led by Isaiah Malcome who had a huge game and provided our team a big spark early in the second quarter with a long touchdown run. Special teams were solid on the day and Connor Luksic kicked the ball very well today for us."

Inside the Box Score:

• This was a designated non-GLIAC game. When Michigan Tech travels to SVSU in the regular season finale on Nov. 12, that will be the conference game between the schools.
• Malcome rushed for a SVSU career- and game-high 145 yards on 20 carries, or 7.2 yards per attempt, and a pair of touchdowns.
• Malcome had a career-high 201 yards rushing last season when he was at Penn, set versus Lehigh on Oct. 9.
• Brito finished a tidy 16-for-20 with 208 yards passing and two TDs.
• On four receptions, Hinton Jr. ended up with 97 yards to top all receivers.
• Trevor Nowaske and Micah Cretsinger spearheaded the SVSU defense with seven and five tackles, respectively.
• Darius Willis led the Huskies offense with four receptions for 71 yards.
• Tech's Marc Sippel led all defenders with nine tackles and 11 total.

Up Next:

The Cardinals usher in the month of October next Saturday when they travel to GLIAC rival and third-ranked Grand Valley State University in the Battle of the Valleys. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.