Huskies football opens GLIAC schedule with trip to Roosevelt
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HOUGHTON -- Coming off a bye week and ramping up for games is never an easy task, but for the No. 20 Michigan Tech Huskies, the week of rest and reset could not have come at a better time. After going 3-1 through their first four non-conference matchups, the Huskies were banged up. Getting a chance to rest helped, now the Huskies are focused on facing their first GLIAC opponent, the Roosevelt Lakers.
"It was good," said Huskies coach Dan Mettlach. "We had a chance to let some guys heal up and (were) able to focus on ourselves quite a bit with what we're doing with our own team. (We) got to put our guys in some situational stuff where we were good on good, and allowed our guys to not only have to play fast, but be aware of certain things, whether it be end of half, end of game situations. "We were able to work on quite a bit of that, and then, like we’ve done in the past couple years, got our non-travel guys quite a bit of live reps so that they could get back to playing real football as well, whether that be freshmen or some of the older guys that don’t get to play a whole lot. So, overall I thought it was a productive week. We’ll find out exactly how the off week did in terms of letting our guys heal up, but felt like coming out of it, going into the weekend we're in a pretty good spot. We have three good days of work in, and I was happy with that."
Junior wide receivers Jaxon Lippert and Adam Rammouni both got some quality practice time in, and that could prove valuable moving forward, especially if the Huskies are going to be without junior Nic Nora from some time.
"It did allow for us to rep some of those younger guys that we’ve been talking about for the last two weeks quite a bit more, and sharpen up some of those details in terms of what we're doing," Mettlach said. "Overall, it was very productive from that standpoint, and allowed us to get certain guys in different spots, potentially, so that if we don’t get these guys back in the time that we thought we were going to, we’re prepped for moving forward with what we’re going to do."
Another player who benefitted from the bye week was junior defensive lineman Brady Isaacson, who returned from an injury and got to work at close to game speed.
With junior quarterback Alex Bueno healthy, now the Huskies have decisions to make in terms of who is under center in various situations between him and sophomore Elliott Larner, who has started all four games this season.
"I think both of them have made plays," said Mettlach. "Obviously, Elliott’s had significant more time, but 'AB' is back to healthy now and looks good in practice, able to make all the throws and doing what we asked from that standpoint. So, it was a big focus last week in terms of what we're doing mechanically with those guys.
"The amount of individual time, and small group stuff that we were doing, where we could just focus on what we're doing with our feet, or top half mechanics, and then be able to show it to them on film where we aren’t necessarily worried about another team or scheme, we can focus on those small details."
Scouting the Lakers
The Roosevelt Lakers are 4-0 to start the season, having defeated Chicago State, Quincy, and Southwest Baptist all on the road before defeating Wisconsin-Stout in their most recent game at home. They also received votes in the Division II polls.
Year two for coach Billy McKeon has seen the Lakers look more like the team the GLIAC brought in from the MSFA Midwest in 2024.
"Obviously, they’re 4-0, have played four games where they’re having zero trouble scoring points," Mettlach said. "They’re putting up points on the board, and defensively I thought this last two years, when we played them, athletically in the box, and what they have on the back end, they’ve always had talent and guys in those positions.
"That part of it’s not going to surprise us at all. Obviously, they’re executing at a higher rate right now, and you can kind of see the energy and everything on their sideline that they’re playing with. When you win four games, you have a confident football team and should. So, we know what we’re going into."
Senior quarterback Carl Bew has played in all four games, going 32-for-52 through the air for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Justin Bland and sophomore Tony Chahino have both racked up three touchdowns each in two games played. Both have surpassed 300 yards through the air as well.
Bew has been nearly as effective on the ground, rushing 32 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore running back Steven Moore is establishing himself as the feature back, rushing 46 times for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver DJ Simmons Jr. has 15 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Joe Spaulding has 12 catches for 161 yards as well, racking up two touchdowns along the way.
Game time
The Huskies and Lakers will kick off at 2 p.m. Eastern Saturday in Chicago, Illinois.