Michigan Tech quarterback Elliott Larner tries to evade a Ferris State defender during a game Saturday at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Despite holding the top-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs to just seven points in the first quarter and none in the fourth, the Michigan Tech Huskies football team could not overcome 31 straight points in the second and third quarters in a 38-10 loss Saturday at Kearly Stadium in Houghton.

The Huskies (5-2 overall, 2-1 GLIAC) held the Bulldogs to 237 yards rushing and 191 passing, and gained 115 of their own on the ground, but coach Dan Mettlach felt that his team did not execute when it mattered most.

It did not help that the Huskies threw five interceptions in the first half. The Huskies were also whistled for eight penalties for 57 yards, several of which kept drives alive for the Bulldogs.

“Our expectations coming in for this one were a lot different than the way it went,” he said. “Love the way our guys played, I mean the energy, the physicality, great. We just did not execute well enough to beat a team like that. Five first half turnovers, and that’s too much to overcome, let alone the penalties on top of it.

“If you’re going to beat a team like that, you have to play a clean game, execute when it’s necessary. We just didn’t do it today.”

In the first quarter, the Bulldogs (7-0 overall, 3-0 GLIAC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a 23-yard touchdown pass from Wyatt Bower to Taariik Brett, which capped a five-play, 60-yard drive.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Bueno threw an interception three plays into the ensuing drive, but the Huskies’ defense held, blocking a field goal attempt from 47 yards out.

Following that turnover on downs, the Huskies battled their way into the second quarter, with sophomore kicker Avery Kucharski hitting a 32-yard field goal to pull Michigan Tech within four at 7-3.

The defense stood tall again, forcing the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs and with 13:07 left in the half, they started with the ball on their own 34. They marched 31 yards on three plays and tried a gadget play, but senior wide receiver Ethan Champney, on a flea flicker, attempted to throw into double coverage and was intercepted.

“That comes back to the play selection, probably, making a bad decision, putting that ball in the air in the first place,” said Mettlach. “I feel like we were moving the football at that point, and then tried to catch them with a gadget play and it backfired. Momentum shifts at that point. But, even at that point, we go down 14-3 and still felt like our guys were playing. We just didn’t get the response in terms of getting a score to keep it a one-score game, or a two-score game early in the third quarter and then it just snowballed.”

Bower drove the ball down the field in five plays, hitting Carson Gulker for a 9-yard touchdown reception to push the game to 14-3. Bueno then threw his third interception of the day three plays into the next drive at the Huskies’ 29-yard line, and Alston Ware put the Bulldogs up 21-3 in a matter of less than a minute of playing time.

Bueno threw his fourth interception of the day on the next drive. The Bulldogs drove down to the red zone, but fumbled into the end zone, ending the threat.

The Bulldogs struck three times in the third quarter. The first was an 8-yard run by Bower. Then Eddie Jewett hit a 23-yard field goal on the next possession. Finally, Bower hit Gulker from 11 yards out, capping a 17-point quarter.

The Huskies got the ball back with four seconds left in the third quarter, and used the quarterback combination of senior Joe Hartleib and freshman Elliott Larner, swapping back and forth between the pair to drive 75 yards on 17 plays, ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Larner with 5:36 remaining in the game.

“I love the compete that our guys had,” Mettlach said. “‘AB’ (Bueno) gets nicked up a little bit and those guys got to come in against that type of talent, and both of them were ready to go and executed what we were asking them to do. Obviously, asking them both to do different things in terms of what we were asking scheme-wise. I thought they did a nice job of that.

“Not an easy thing to do to come off the bench halfway through a game when you’re down by four scores. The way that they managed the huddle, and Joe throwing the football and Elliott, obviously, running it, I thought they both did a nice job.”

Up next

The Huskies hit the road Saturday to go to Marquette to face the Northern Michigan Wildcats. The Wildcats broke the second-longest losing streak in Division II football with a win Saturday over Roosevelt.