Oct. 6, 2007

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - #1 ranked Grand Valley State rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 59-7 victory over Mercyhurst College Saturday afternoon in Erie, Pa. The win was the Lakers' 33rd straight, the longest active winning streak in college football and the second-best all-time winning streak in DII history. GVSU will host Indianapolis next Saturday (Oct. 13) at 7 p.m.

Bill Brechin picked off a pass on Mercyhurst's third play of the game and returned it 43 yards to the MC 4-yard line. Sophomore Blake Smolen carried it in from four yards out on the first play and Todd Carter added the PAT for 7-0 GVSU lead with 12:39 left in the first quarter. GVSU drove 86 yards in 13 plays on its next possession for a score. Jimmy Brezerik scored on a 4-yard TD run with 3:58 left in the first quarter to give GVSU a 14-0 lead. The Grand Valley State defense stopped Mercyhurst on a fourth and goal with 43 seconds left in the first quarter and Berezik reeled off a 72-yard TD run to cap a 3-play, 96-yard drive as GVSU took a 21-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.

Brad Iciek hit Antione Trent with a 15-yard scoring pass to culminate a 7-play, 56-yard scoring drive with 6:25 left in the second quarter to give GVSU a 28-0 lead. GVSU concluded it's scoring in the first half when freshman QB Marquel Neasman hit Ryan Bass with an 8-yd TD pass with 2.5 seconds left in the second quarter. Carter added his fifth PAT for a 35-0 lead. Bass' TD catch was the first of his career, as was the TD pass from Neasman. The Laker starters were done after one half of action.

Todd Carter kicked a 22 yard field goal on the Lakers' first drive of the second half to up the GVSU lead to 38-0. Wide receiver's Jaquon Morrison and Ryan Bass scored on runs of 62-and 27-yards to up the GVSU lead to 52-0 with 5:28 left in the third quarter. Safety Derek Stansbery returned an interception 36 yards for a score to give GVSU a 59-0 lead with 3:45 left in the third stanza. The defensive TD marked the fourth time in five games that the Laker defense has scored a TD this season. Mercyhurst scored its lone touchdown with 7:54 left in the game as Ben Jennings scored on a 10 yard run.

Grand Valley State rushed for 381 yards and five TDs on 48 carries. The 381 yards marked the highest Laker rushing total since a 395-yard day at Mercyhurst on Oct. 21, 2000. James Berezik led the GVSU ground game with 125 yards and two TDs on seven carries. WR Jaquon Morrison added 80 yards and a TD on nine carries, while Blake Smolen added 49 yards on seven carries. As a team, GVSU completed 5-of-10 passes for 68 yards and two TDs.

The Laker starting defense, which only played the first half, limited Mercyhurst to 98 yards of total offense. Mercyhurst managed 224 yards of total offense on the day (117 rushing/107 passing).

Notes...GVSU has the nations longest winning streak in college football at 33 games. The 33-game winning streak is the second longest in DII history, just one behind Hillsdale College's record of 34 straight wins (1954-57)...GVSU is now 91-9 in its last 100 games and 90-5 in their last 95 games...GVSU is 58-3 in its last 61 GLIAC games and the Lakers have won 25 straight league games dating back to the 2004 season...The Lakers are 53-2 when being ranked number one in the country...WR Brandon Carr moved into a tie for 10th on the all-time passes defended list with a pass breakup in the first quarter. Carr now has 42 pass breakups in his career.