Michigan Tech quarterback Drew Collins breaks free to score a touchdown during a game Saturday against Ferris State at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

ALLENDALE, Mich. — In the lead up to their game against the No. 9 Ferris State Bulldogs last Saturday, Michigan Tech Huskies football coach Dan Mettlach said that he expected that no one gave his team a chance to win that game. The Huskies fell behind 21-7 at half time, but then struck twice in the third quarter to make things interesting.

Ultimately, the Huskies lost 35-21, but Mettlach felt that his team left opportunities on the table to make the game even closer.

“I thought our guys played well,” he said. “At the end of the day, (we had) a couple too many mistakes, whether it’s leaving points out there on that first drive offensively, or just not being able to get off the field, in the third quarter, defensively. You can’t ever give up a blocked punt.

“There’s a handful of plays we wish we could have had back, because at the end of the day, if we’re ever going to knock off a team like that, those are mistakes that we just cannot afford to make.”

At the same time, Mettlach attributes some of those mistakes to confidence.

“There’s certain plays that are out there right now that we just have to have that dog, that confidence, to go make those plays,” he said, “to be able to either get out the field, or get the football in the end zone, if we’re going to beat a team like that.”

One of the biggest positives for the Huskies in the game was the play of junior quarterback Alex Fries. Fries threw for a career-high 306 yards on 23 completions. He also ran the ball nine times for 40 yards in the contest.

After suffering an injury in the first game of the season against Hillsdale, Fries has been somewhat limited in how mobile he can be. However, over the last three games, Mettlach feels that he is finally showing what he is capable of now that he is healthy.

“He played well against Hillsdale,” said Mettlach. “Unfortunately, he got dinged up, so we were kind of handcuffed a little bit those next couple of weeks. (We had) him back to healthy for Wayne, and I feel like the last three weeks, he’s kind of been on a steady climb in terms of what his production is, and what he’s been able to do since we got him healthy.”

Fries can make life difficult for defenders because of his mobility, which is something that helps keep the Huskies moving in a positive direction.

“We haven’t given up a sack in three weeks,” Mettlach said. “A lot of that is due to his feet getting us out of trouble, knowing when to throw it away. So, there’s a ton that he’s doing that (we are) very happy with.”

Now that he is healthy, Mettlach said the next step in his evolution will be for the coaching staff to expand his playbook, which will give the Huskies more variety in what they can do.

The Huskies got a lot of players involved in their offense against the Bulldogs. Five different players rushed the ball, including sophomore quarterback Drew Collins, who had one carry for 20 yards and a touchdown. Then, through the air, the Huskies got seven players involved, with junior wide receiver Brandon Michalak leading the way with five catches for 92 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Ethan Champney had just two catches, but one was for a touchdown.

Fifth-year running back William Marano had seven catches for 28 yards in the game.

“That’s the plan every weekend,” Mettlach said. “It doesn’t always work out that way based off of what we see from coverages, or different defenses, but to be able to get that many different guys touches, however we got them.”

Mettlach liked how the Huskies were able to work Marano into the passing game.

“We didn’t attempt a ton of rushes, but to get Willie involved with swing routes and screens and so on, being able to get more guys involved, as you know, makes us tougher to defend,” he said.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS

This weekend, the Huskies travel to face the Grand Valley State Lakers. Since dropping their season-opening game to the No. 2 Colorado School of Mines, the Lakers have won six straight games, including three in GLIAC play.

They defeated then-No. 1 Ferris State two weeks ao, 49-28, before rolling over Northern Michigan last weekend, 73-14. The Lakers average 52.86 points per game while holding their opponents to 21.43.

The offense is led by senior quarterback Cade Peterson, who is 88-of-140 for 1318 yards and 14 touchdowns already this season. He is also good with his feet, running 51 times for 372 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Cody Tierney has been his favorite target with 26 receptions for 465 yards and five touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Kyle Nott has also been good with 12 receptions for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior running back Tariq Reid has been the leader of the ground attack with 78 carries for 406 yards and seven touchdowns.

On defense, senior defensive lineman Christian McCarroll has been very solid. He has 12 solo tackles and 23 assists. He also has six sacks.

GAME TIME

The Huskies and Lakers will face each other at Lubbers Stadium Saturday with opening kickoff set for 3 p.m.