Box Score
TIFFIN, Ohio - For the third straight game, Michigan Tech got
off to a slow start. This time, the Huskies persevered and came
away with a 21-14 win at Tiffin. The Huskies racked up 378 yards of
total offense while holding the Dragons to 148 to move to 2-7
overall and 2-7 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
play.
Tech had a short punt and gave up two interceptions on its first
three possessions in the first quarter. The Huskies' defense only
gave up seven points, though.
Tiffin used a short field to get on the board on their first drive.
A 37-yard pass from freshman quarterback Nate Scully was followed
up by a four-yard pass into the endzone for a 7-0 lead at the 10:33
mark of the opening quarter.
The Dragons attempted a 48-yard field goal on their next
possession, but it missed wide left. That was the last scoring
opportunity TU's offense had all day.
Tech tied the game at the :54 mark of the second quarter as Tim
Schmalz capped a 64-yard drive with a one-yard dive on fourth
and goal.
Brent Heim threw his third
interception of the day in the third quarter, but the Tech defense
stepped up and forced a punt. Heim redeemed himself with a
three-yard touchdown run at the 1:27 mark of the third quarter that
gave the Black and Gold the lead for good.
Early in the fourth quarter, Heim hit Bobby Slowik on a 68-yard
strike for a 21-7 advantage, a play that would prove to be
game-winning points.
Tiffin made things interesting by blocking a Huskies' punt and
returning it into the endzone with 3:08 to play to cut the margin
to 21-14. The Dragons elected to kickoff deep to Tech, and the
visitors responded by picking up two first downs to ice the
win.
"We played really hard to overcome the bad start," said head coach
Tom Kearly. "Our defense put
pressure on their quarterback all day and our offense hit some big
plays. Those two things were key for us getting the win."
In addition to holding TU to just 148 total yards, the Huskies
sacked Scully five times and recorded seven total tackles for loss.
Jesse Vandenberg posted a
team-high 10 tackles including a sack. Chet White added eight stops
and two sacks.
Despite his three interceptions, Heim completed 14-of-19 passes for
217 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Atkins posted his
fourth 100-yard game of the season with 101 on 24 carries. Phil
Milbrath added 46 yards to help the Huskies total 161 yards on
the ground.
Tight end Bryan
LaChappelle posted a game-high six catches for 47 yards. Five
of those receptions resulted in first downs including a key
conversion to run out the clock. Slowik added four catches for 139
yards.
Michigan Tech will return home to wrap up its season next Saturday
(Nov. 7). The Huskies host Northwood at 1 p.m. at Sherman
Field.