Grand Valley Outlasts West Texas A&M in DII College Football's Return

As I settled into my seat at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Michigan, I was struck by how fast the offseason seemed to have flown by.

Could it already be September? Is this really the start of a new season?

Some years, the offseason is like watching paint dry. There's not much news. There's nothing exciting happening. But 2010 was different.

A bevy of big stories kept us writers busy and our readers engaged. Before we had even settled into the uncomfortable idleness of the offseason, it was time to paint the yard lines on the grass once more.

My trip to Allendale was two-fold. First, without question, this Week 1 matchup between No. 2 Grand Valley State and No. 8 West Texas A&M was the game of the week in Division II. The Lakers had traveled to West Texas last season, and came away with an impressive win. This time, the Buffaloes would be travelling to Laker Country to see if they could knock off one of the best teams in college football—at any level—in the season opener.

West Texas A&M certainly had a good shot at doing just that. Grand Valley was coming off of a 13-2 season, which ended with a NCAA Division II National Championship game loss, followed by the departure of head coach Chuck Martin to join former Grand Valley head coach Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. Martin took with him an astonishing 74-7 record, and left defensive coordinator Matt Mitchell to take over the reigns.

Grand Valley also had a number of holes to fill in its roster. Gone was three-year starter at quarterback Brad Iciek. Gone too was do-it-all wideout/running back/returner Blake Smolen. Grand Valley's all-time leading rusher, Jimmy Berezik, was also gone after being dismissed from the team following a second suspension.

If all of those factors weren't daunting enough for the Lakers, preseason consensus All-American senior defensive end Danny Richard was lost for the season due to a knee injury during training camp. Richard will undergo surgery this upcoming Tuesday.

If ever there was a time to beat the Lakers at home, it was now.

As I mentioned, there were two reasons for my trip to Allendale. The second reason is that Grand Valley State also happens to be my alma mater.

As I was waiting for the game to begin, I was nearly overcome with a strong sense of nostalgia for days gone by. What snapped me back to reality was the feeling that things had definitely shifted in Allendale. Something was different about this program. So much had changed.

Or so I thought...

Grand Valley State has had a history of slow starts to seasons in the past. That wasn't the case early in Thursday's game.

Grand Valley, led by senior QB transfer from Eastern Michigan Kyle McMahon, jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. After a fumble recovery returned to the West Texas 13, the Lakers were poised to take a 17-0 lead, and the game teetered on the edge of becoming a blowout early.

The Buffaloes, however, were having none of that. Their defense stiffened, and held, forcing a field goal attempt which thudded against the upright, giving hope to the visitors from Texas. One the very next play, West Texas' standout senior running back ran 80 yards on his first carry for a touchdown, pulling the Buffs to within three (10-7) early in the second quarter.

That was just the start of a huge quarter for West Texas, which included 221 yards, 17 first downs, and 17 points.

The Lakers had run into a buzzsaw, and couldn't seem to recover. While having some success at moving the ball, the Lakers couldn't capitalize on big returns and steady play. Grand Valley entered the red zone six times in the first half, but came away with only 13 points (one TD and two FG's).

The half ended with West Texas A&M on top 17-13 after a last-second field goal by the Lakers.

The crowd of over 13,000 seemed a little stunned or confused. GVSU had been on the verge of blowing the game open, and instead went the locker room trailing.

To put this all in perspective, one must note that Grand Valley has not lost a regular season game at home since 2004, and hasn't lost their season opener since 2000. The Lakers also came into this game 115-9 since the start of the 2001 season. Laker fans just aren't accustomed to losing games—or even trailing in games.

The Lakers opened the second half with a drive that led to another field goal, pulling to within one, but West Texas answered right back with a touchdown drive, pushing their lead to eight.

Trailing 24-16, the Lakers were on the verge of checking out early in the fourth quarter. But just as the second quarter belonged to the Buffaloes, the fourth quarter belonged to the Lakers.

McMahon found Jovonne Augustus just 20 seconds into the final stanza, who raced up field for a 70-yard touchdown reception.. A failed two-point try left the Lakers trailing by two.

The Lakers forced a rare West Texas punt, and capitalized when McMahon connected with Greg Gay to give the Lakers a 28-24 lead after another failed two point conversion. Just a few plays later, Luther Ware intercepted a Taylor Harris pass (one of four interceptions thrown by Harris). Grand Valley took advantage of a tired-looking West Texas defense as McMahon called his own number and scampered 14 yards for a score, giving GVSU a 34-24 lead after the PAT missed wide left.

West Texas tried to answer, and Thompson raced untouched on a 15-yard run to put the Buffs without three with 1:53 to play. A perfectly placed on-side kick was barely recovered by the Lakers, and Grand Valley was able run out the clock, narrowly escaping the closest regular season game played at Lubbers Stadium in quite some time.

The game itself saw 48 first downs (26-22 in favor of WT) and over 1,000 yards of combined offense (567-475 in favor of WT), including an astonishing 421 yards passing for West Texas. The Buffaloes undoing, however, were their five turnovers (1 fumble, 4 interceptions).

Grand Valley, at times, looked a little rattled on defense. While long passes weren't common, the Laker secondary had trouble defending the short and intermediate slant routes as Harris went 37-for-53 passing with all 421 yards the Buffs gained in the air. Harris' long of the night, however, was only 38, compared to McMahon's long of 70.

While these two teams probably faced their toughest regular season opponent in Week 1, there are a couple of key things their future opponents can take away from this game.

First, if you can't stop the Buffaloes' passing game, you probably don't have a very good chance of winning the game.

Second, if you have the Lakers on the ropes and don't drive your knife into their hearts, it will come back to haunt you.

Third, you can throw for over 400 yards, but throwing four interceptions makes it hard to win any game.

Finally, the Lakers are young, talented, and their bench is deeper than the Mariana Trench. If you run out of gas at any point in the game, they'll blow right by you.

Don't be surprised if both of these teams blow through their conferences and enter the playoffs very highly ranked. It's noteworthy to see that with No. 1 Northwest Missouri State's loss on Thursday, Grand Valley State will undoubtedly ascend to their familiar top spot in the polls.

All in all, it was great to be back on the campus of my alma mater, and it's even more exciting to have a new college football season underway. This season is already shaping up to be a dandy, and I can't wait to see what's in store.