UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Steve Short passed for 333 yards and Michigan Tech punted just three times, but it was Saginaw Valley State who came with away with a 40-23 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football victory at Wickes Stadium. The Huskies turned the ball over five times and couldn't get the key stops it needed in its third loss of the campaign.

"You can't turn the ball over that many times if you expect to win," said head coach Tom Kearly. "You're really not going to win when you give up that many yards.

"We had our chances, but they made all the big plays — especially in the second half."

SVSU tailback Brandon Emeott broke loose for 201 yards and four touchdowns on the day including a score just 13 seconds into the second half for a 21-9 Cardinal lead.

Tech answered with a touchdown on Steve Short's quarterback keeper with 9:20 showing on the third-quarter clock, but the Cardinals added 10 more points to the scoreboard by capitalizing on a Huskies' fumble and interception — both at midfield.

Short's 53-yard pass to Keith White with 14:16 to play gave the Black and Gold life and pulled them within 31-23. SVSU matched it with a 64-yard drive for a score. Tech nearly forced a three-and-out on the possession, but the Cardinals converted on third-and-10 from their own 36. Emeott went 16 yards for his fourth TD of the day with 10:50 to play and a 37-23 advantage.

Michigan Tech turned the ball over on downs at the Saginaw Valley 26-yard line with 6:53 to play, then mishandled a punt at the 3:02 mark. That led to a 29-yard field goal and the final margin of 40-23.

The Huskies, who entered the game averaging 200 yards rushing, managed just 61 on the day without the services of injured Phil Milbrath. Akeem Cason carried the ball 21 times for 35 yards. Short completed 25-of-38 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions.

White tallied his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season with eight catches for 118 yards. The senior has moved within 61 yards of the record at Tech for all-time receiving yards. Fellow wide receiver Bobby Slowik also had good numbers with eight catches for 102 yards.

The Huskies scored the day's first points with their first special teams touchdown of the season. Kurtis Fournier's punt was blocked and recovered by Ian Coughlin in the endzone for a 6-0 Tech lead. Two Cardinal touchdowns and a 29-yard Tyler Cattelino field goal led to the 14-9 score at halftime.

SVSU used a balanced attack to gain 434 total yards (217 pass, 217 rush). Tech finished with 394 total yards.

Tech's defensive effort was led by John van der Laan's eight tackles. David Carmody added seven stops.

Michigan Tech (6-3 overall and 5-3 GLIAC) will try to keep its playoff hopes alive when it hosts Tiffin next Saturday (Nov. 1). It will be Hall of Fame Day in Houghton. Tech's last regular season home football game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Sherman Field, and seven new members of the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted at a 6 p.m. ceremony.

Notes: Cattelino attempted and missed a 53-yard field on the final play of the first half which would have been a school-record for longest field goal ... The final turnover margin was -5 after SVSU didn't commit one all game ... Short tallied his highest passing total since the 2007 season opener when he set a school record of 431 at Winona State ... Weather was a factor with constant 15-20 MPH winds.