Huskies football looks to remain unbeaten in GLIAC play
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HOUGHTON -- The No. 14 Michigan Tech Huskies football team needed overtime Saturday, but they made great use of that extra time to stun the then-No. 6 Grand Valley State Lakers, 41-35. With the win, the Huskies improved to 5-1 on the season overall and 2-0 in GLIAC play.
"I thought our guys were capable of it, (and) executed the plan," said Huskies coach Dan Mettlach. "I thought our guys played hard. It was a great atmosphere.
"I don’t think anybody in our locker room was shocked. I know everybody else was, but we did exactly what we thought we could do, took care of the football, kept everything in front of us for the most part."
True to his form as a head coach, Mettlach pointed out there was still room for improvement.
"When you go back and watch the film, there’s things on both sides of the ball, regardless of the win or loss, that we thought we could have done better," he said. "(We) left some things out there offensively in some critical situations, defensively got creased on that one fourth down that the 'Q' (quarterback) went 50 (yards) on, but we made plays when we needed to in all three phases, and that was a big thing."
When it came right down to it, the Huskies had five trips into the red zone in regulation, and all five times, they scored touchdowns.
"It’s five touchdowns, right? So, you’re coming away with maximizing your scoring opportunities with points," Mettlach said. "It doesn’t matter who you’re playing at that point. It gives you a chance, and then to be down seven at the end of the game and make that drive. I think we got the ball back with a little over five minutes left and scored with a minute and five on the clock. So, you’re taking away some time from them as well to answer it.
"The whole thing was, at the end, great to see that there was no panic. We made plays, whether it be in the run game or the pass game. The guys understood what needed to happen, obviously, to score, and kept that momentum rolling right into overtime."
The Huskies platooned both sophomore Elliott Larner and junior Alex Bueno all game long. However, for the first time this season, Bueno saw more snaps than Larner did.
"I thought both the Qs played well," said Mettlach. "Even when we graded at the end, there were only two or three mistakes, if you will, that I put on 'AB' that in those certain situations, we just have to be better with the football. One of them got batted up in the air and probably should have been picked. Got a little bit greedy on that one. And then, another third down where we had a crosser wide open. We tried to take the vertical shot, and he knows better, and is going to get better from it.
"Just understanding that situation of I know we’re down to score, but the game management part of things, taking what they’re giving you, and trusting that we’re going to be able to get it in the end zone, where it doesn’t have to be a chunk play, he’s got to get better from that part.
Bueno insisted he stay on the field in overtime, and once the decision was made to leave him out there, he rewarded that trust with the game-winning touchdown. Of course, it helped that the offensive line did what it needed to to protect him.
"The best part about that last play of the game, to be honest with you, 'AB' did a nice job getting it in the black, but when you go back and watch that film, the entire defensive line is in the end zone," Mettlach said. "The push that we got up front in a situation where the entire stadium knew what play was coming. They knew it. Our guys knew it. To get the push we did to win a game at that point was awesome to see."
Scouting the Wildcats
The Northern Michigan Wildcats, in their first season under new head coach Matt Janus, are 0-6 on the season overall and 0-2 in GLIAC play after falling 30-0 to No. 11 Davenport last weekend on the road. For the Wildcats, the Huskies will be the fourth straight opponent who is nationally-ranked.
The Wildcats employ a pair of quarterbacks in junior Liam Oczkowski and sophomore Duke Shovald. Oczkowski has been more effective, completing 63.24% of his passes. He has thrown two touchdown passes.
Freshman Wilson Ptacek has quickly become the top target in the Wildcats' air attack. He has 19 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He has also run the ball six times for 66 yards.
On the ground, junior running back Noah Dobert is the leading rusher, with 134 touches for 693 yards. He has scored twice as well.
This week is different
The Huskies are 20-3 in this matchup since 2002. Northern Michigan last won the Miner's Cup in 2009.
"It’s a priority here every single year," said Mettlach. "We talk about it at length in camp. It’s talked about in the off-season. This week is different.
"I know a lot of people want to talk about every single weekend is the same. We don’t take it that way. Anytime the 'Cats are in town, or we’re down there, our mentality is completely different."
Game time
The Huskies and Wildcats will meet Saturday at Kearly Stadium in Houghton at 12 p.m. as they battle for the Miner's Cup.