KEEP IT BLUE! Football Claims 38-14 Road Win At SVSU To Keep Axe

OVERVIEW – SAGINAW VALLEY

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 38, Saginaw Valley Cardinals 14
RECORDS: Northwood 2-0, Saginaw Valley 1-2
LOCATION: Wickes Stadium – University Center, Mich.
RECAP: Northwood football keeps the axe, defeating rival Saginaw Valley 38-14 in the Axe Bowl Saturday night (September 13).

INSIDE THE GAME

• SVSU moved the ball on the opening possession of the game, but Northwood senior Cole Simpson stepped up with the first big play of the game. His interception gave Northwood the ball at their own 30.
• Northwood took advantage of the interception right away, running a trick play that resulted in a big play for the Boos brothers. A backwards pass back to Lake Boos resulted in a 40-yard reception for Case Boos.
• Four plays later, Ethan Hamby found Lake Boos for a six-yard touchdown, putting the Timberwolves on top 7-0.
• After another stop on defense, Northwood kept the momentum going on offense on their next possession. Hamby capped the three-play, 40-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Devin Brown. That made the score 14-0 with 6:14 remaining in the first.
• The Timberwolves stayed hot on their third possession of the game. After getting pinned back on their own six-yard line, Northwood went 94 yards on 12 -plays. Pauly Seeley finished off the drive with a two-yard run. That made the score 21-0 with 11:39 remaining in the second.
• NU nearly made it 28-0 late in the second, standing with first and goal at the SV one. But a five-yard loss and a field goal off the post kept the score at 21-0.
• Simpson once again stepped up for the Northwood defense on the following drive. His second interception of the night gave NU the ball right back at their own 47.
• On the following possession, the Timberwolves made it a four-touchdown lead. Northwood went 53 yards on eight plays. Brown scored his second touchdown of the game, this time on an 11-yard TD run.
• The score remained 28-0 through halftime.  Northwood held a 317-72 edge in total yards and a 20-6 advantage in first downs.
• The Timberwolves continued to move the ball on to start the second half.  NU's drive covered 75 yards in nine plays.  Hamby hit Mitch Richard on an 18-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 35-0.
• SVSU found the end zone for the first time on the night on their next possession. Their touchdown with 7:45 remaining in the third made the score 35-7.
• Northwood responded with another scoring drive. The Timberwolves took 5:00 off the clock on an 11-play drive. Freshman Drew Cady connected on a career-long 50-yard field that put NU on top 38-7 with 2:43 remaining in the third.
• The Cardinals got their second touchdown of the game at the 8:42 mark of the fourth quarter. That made the score 38-14.
• Neither team scored the rest of the way, giving Northwood their second straight win in the axe bowl. 

GAME STATS

• FIRST DOWNS: Northwood 32, Saginaw Valley 21
• RUSHES-YARDS: Northwood 35-107, Saginaw Valley 27-140
• PASSING YARDS: Northwood 366 (26-42, 3 TD, 0 INT), Saginaw Valley 134 (14-30, 0 TD, 2 INTs)
• TOTAL OFFENSE, PLAYS-YARDS: Northwood 77-473, Saginaw Valley 57-274
• TIME OF POSSESSION: Northwood 35:28, Saginaw Valley 24:12

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

• Hamby: 19-32, 241 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 13 yards rushing, TD
• Brown: 70 yards rushing, TD, 16-yard TD reception
• Case Boos: Six receptions, 127 yards
• Joe Lathers: 11 tackles, sack
• Cole Simpson: Five tackles, two interceptions tackle for loss
• Savion Tollie: Three pass-breakups

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood's 24-point margin of victory is the second largest for the Timberwolves in Axe Bowl history, trailing only the 79-49 victory from 1998.
• The Timberwolves have now won the Axe Bowl in back-to-back years for the first time since 2006-07.

UP NEXT

• Northwood returns home to face Thomas More Saturday (September 20) for homecoming/auto show weekend. Kickoff is set for Noon.