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Printer-Friendly ModeOffensive burst propels Cardinals
October 19, 2009 —
If the Cardinals offense keeps putting up points like it has the last two weeks, the next three opponents better be prepared for a blowout.
For the second consecutive week, the Cardinals offense put up its best offensive output of the season in the 42- 14 thrashing of Ashland.
Not only was the 42 points scored two more than the previous season high, the 28 point margin of victory was the biggest of the season.
The first quarter was a back-andforth battle, with junior running back Xavier Walker putting the Cardinals on the board first with a one yard plunge into the end zone.
The Eagles got right back into the game on the ensuing kickoff, returning the kick 100-yards for a touchdown.
Walker gave the Cards’ the lead again with his second touchdown run of the game, this one from five yards out. It was the third time this season that Walker has scored at least two touchdowns in a single game.
Ashland used another big play, a 75-yard touchdown pass, to tie the score at 14-14. The two touchdowns the Eagles scored took them a total of 29 seconds. While Ashland did all it could to keep up with the Cardinals highpowered offense in the first quarter, the Cardinals opened the floodgates once the second quarter began.
Sophomore running back Brad Crandall rushed in from two yards out, giving the Cardinals a 21-14 lead. It what was only his third game of the season, Crandall’s touchdown turned out to be the winning touchdown. The touchdown was his first of the season.
Crandall wasn’t the only Cardinal to score his first touchdown. Sophomore Brandon Williams scored from a yard out, giving him his first touchdown and the Cardinals a commanding 28-14 lead going into the half.
The Cardinals came out of the locker-room determined to add on some insurance points, which they were able to do on their first possession.
While the Cardinals first four touchdowns were all scored on the ground, junior quarterback Charles Dowdell got into the mix through the air. He hit senior tight end Galen Stone from 15 yards out to give the Cardinals a 35-14 lead. The touchdown was Stone’s fifth of the season.
To cap off the scoring, Dowdell rushed in from four yards out, giving him his second rushing touchdown of the season.
For the game, SVSU had 424 offensive yards, compared to Ashland, which had 304.
The Cardinals were able to dominate in time of possession, controlling the clock for nearly 36 minutes.
Defensively, the Cards’ also had a big game as they recovered two Ashland fumbles and accounted for six sacks.
Senior linebackers John Jacobs and Mike LeVand led the Cardinals defense. Jacobs had 15 tackles, while LeVand had 11 tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
The Cards’ defense held the Eagles, who entered the game with the third highest scoring offense in the GIAC, averaging 32 points a game, to its second lowest total of the season.
With the win, the Cardinals improved their record to 6-2 overall, 5-2 in the GLIAC. Ashland’s record dropped to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC.
SVSU hits the road this week, traveling to Michigan Tech to take on the Huskies. Michigan Tech heads into the game looking to pick up its second win of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.