Courtesy of Grand Valley State Athletic Communications
ALLENDALE, Mich. -- #2 Grand Valley State scored 10 fourth-quarter points, including an Avery Moore 5-yard touchdown run with :35 seconds left, to claim a 24-21 victory over #5 Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon at Lubbers Stadium. GVSU will hit the road for the Super Region 3 final at #4 Harding next Saturday (Dec. 2).
The matchup was two evenly matched teams slugging it out on the gridiron. Pitt State scored first with an 8-play, 87-yard drive that Antwan Squire finished with a 1-yard TD run with 5:12 left in the first quarter. The Laker defense forced the first of four turnovers when DE Christian McCarroll deflected a pass that sophomore LB Anthony Cardamone picked off. Senior QB Cade Peterson hit junior WR Kyle Nott with a 39-yard completion to the PSU six yard line RB Tariq Reid went the final yard for a TD. Senior PK Josh Gorball added the PAT for a tie game.
The GVSU defense forced another turnover when senior LB Abe Swanson picked off a pass at the GVSU 46-yard line. The big play in the drive was a Peterson to TE Gavin Cossou 24-yard pass and catch to the Pitt State 1-yard line. Reid went the final yard and Gorball added the PAT for a 14-7 GVSU lead. Pittsburg State tied the game at 14-14 with a 15-play, 93-yard scoring drive that took 7:25 off the clock and concluded with just 22 seconds in the first half.
Pitt State took advantage of the field position game in the third quarter and scored on a 4-playe, 51-yard drive that concluded with a 30-yard TD pass from Chad Dodson to Devon Garrison to give Pittsburg State a 21-14 lead.
The Lakers put together a 10-play, 45-yard scoring drive that Gorball finished with a 31-yard field goal to pull the Lakers with a 21-17 score. Nott started the drive with a 20-yard run and the Lakers were able to get inside the PSU 10-yard line, but the defense held and forced the field goal. Trailing 21-17 with 5:02 left it was up the Laker defense to get the ball back and did they come through. Junior SS Ian Kennelly picked off a Dodson pass that was intended for Garrison at the Laker 22-yard line to put GVSU position for a game-winning drive.
Reid opened the drive with a 16-yard run, followed by a 22-yard pass and catch from Peterson to junior WR Darrell Johnson. Reid rushed for six yards and Peterson hit Nott with a 3-yard pass to set up a Laker fourth-and-one. Reid picked up the first down to keep the drive alive and then added a 5-yard run on first down. Peterson added a 14-yard run and then hit Nott with a 5-yard completion to the PSU five. Junior QB Avery Moore scored on the following play and Gorball booted his third PAT of the game for a 24-21 lead. The Laker defense finished the game with a sack for the win.
Reid rushed for 65 yards and two TDs on 18 carries, while Moore chipped in 44 yards on six carries. Peterson completed 9-of-14 passes for 115 yards, while Nott led the receiving unit with four catches for 49 yards and one rush for 20 yards. Cossou hauled in three catches for 31 yards and Jordan Johnson picked up two catches for 14 yards.
Senior LB Abe Swanson led the defense with 10 tackles, a QB sack (-13), a TFL (-13), a forced fumble and an interception, while safety Luke McLean chipped in seven tackles and a pass breakup. Senior DE Colton Hyble added seven tackles, a QB sack (-3) and a TFL (-3). Kennelly picked off a pass and recorded six stops and Stephen Roncelli contributed six tackles and a QB hurry.
