HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech football team travels downstate to conclude the regular season with a tilt at Saginaw Valley State slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium.

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The Series

Saginaw Valley State leads 25-11 with the first meeting in the 1980 season. The Cardinals have won four of the last five meetings, with Michigan Tech's last win coming at Kearly Stadium on Nov. 13, 2021, by a score of 21-20.

About the Cardinals

Saginaw Valley State has played to an overall record of 7-3 with a GLIAC standing of 4-2. The Cardinals most recently fell at No. 1 Ferris State (27-24) last Saturday and are the 10th seed in the Super Region 3. 

The Cardinals have a daunting defense with 3.2 team sacks per game and 6.5 team tackles for loss holding their opponents to 270.8 yards of total offense and just 15.7 points per outing.

Senior linebacker Micah Cretsinger has amassed 70 total tackles to lead the team. Leonard Henry IV has a team-leading 10.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Eli Gordon has accounted for a team-high four interceptions while adding 59 total tackles.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Mason McKenzie has played in 10 games for SVSU, tossing for 1,786 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions as the team produces over 29 points per outing. McKenzie is a dual threat, as the team's leading rusher with 654 yards on 110 carries with six touchdowns. 

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Joseph Walker is McKenzie's top receiver, with 28 grabs for 457 yards and three touchdowns. Eric Craft has 25 catches for 401 yards and two scores.

Redshirt sophomore running back Terrence Brown Jr. has a team-leading 116 carries for 511 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He has also caught 19 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns. 

About the Huskies

Michigan Tech enters the final week of the regular season with an overall record of 6-4 while playing to a 3-3 record in league play. The Huskies most recently faced their third top-25 team of the season, falling to No. 5 Grand Valley State 20-0 on Senior Day.

The Huskies' defense ranks sixth in the country in team tackles for loss (8.8), led by senior captain defensive back Hunter Buechel, who posts a nation-leading 2.1 tackles for loss. Veterans Austin Schlicht, Josh Cribben and Owen Watson add 1.2 tackles for loss per outing.

Dante Basanese leads the Black & Gold defensively with 77 total tackles, Watson (71 total tackles) joins him as the other player with 70 or more tackles. Buechel and Schlicht have recorded a team-leading six sacks this season. Defensive backs Sam Ahern and Jared Tarrance have recorded two interceptions to lead the Huskies.

Senior quarterback Alex Fries has tossed for 2,012 yards and a league-leading 19 touchdown passes. Three-time program record holder Darius Willis has amassed 689 receiving yards and a GLIAC-high eight receiving touchdowns. Veteran wide receiver Brandon Michalak has five touchdowns on 426 receiving yards.

Sophomore running back Jake Rueff has 125 carries for 511 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Asher Gregory has accumulated 31 carries for 105 yards on the ground and two scores.

Punter Brendan Lach, the newest single-season punting yard record holder, has produced 60 punts for 2,748 yards for an average of 45.8 per punt, ranking second in the land.