After a strong start against Saginaw Valley State, the Michigan Tech football team ultimately fell to the Cardinals 35-13 on Saturday, Sept. 28. After giving up an early touchdown, the Huskies responded with a quick 5-play, 80-yard drive to respond. 

During the trip downfield, Will Ark found Darius Willis for an impressive 59-yard completion while William Marano put the final touches to the possession with a 3-yard touchdown run. At the start of the second quarter, Michigan Tech again struck pay dirt when Ethan Champney found Brandon Michalak wide open in the endzone during a sweet trick play.

The Huskies found themselves in the lead with all of the momentum. However, that momentum only lasted for a short while as the Cardinals scored on the next play from scrimmage thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Malcome. Saginaw Valley State struck again before the half to make it 21-13 Cardinals.

The second half belonged to Saginaw Valley State. The Cardinals scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter to extend their lead to 22 points. While Michigan Tech’s Darius Willis was able to bring some life back to the game after returning a kickoff all the way to the 50-yard line the offense (even after getting an additional 15 yards due to a penalty) could not get anything going. 

As a result, Michigan Tech couldn’t take advantage of a solid opportunity and was unable to score again. While it wasn’t the best day for the Huskies, they have an excellent chance to bounce back when they head to Grand Rapids on Oct. 1 to take on the Panthers.