‘Hounds fall to No. 22 Huskies
The University of Indianapolis football team lost 28-16 to No. 22 Michigan Tech on Sept. 24. The Huskies top-ranked defense managed to hold the Greyhounds to season lows in both total yards and points.
The Greyhounds had averaged 37 points and 440 yards before going into the game. However, the Huskies held those numbers to just 16 points and 244 yards.
After being down 7-0 early in the second quarter, UIndy took advantage of two pass interference calls and put points on the board with a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Chris Mills to senior wide receiver Ryan Forney.
A good field goal kick by freshman kicker Scott Miller was sandwiched between two Huskie touchdowns late in the second quarter.
The Greyhounds trailed 21-10 as both teams headed into the locker rooms at the half.
Both teams started the third quarter by exchanging punts until the Huskies held onto the ball for 15 plays and 92 yards. The drive ended in a touchdown that increased Tech’s lead to 18.
Early in the fourth quarter, a roughing the passer penalty against the Huskies’ defense caused Mills to leave the game due to an injury. The Greyhounds looked to senior quarterback Rob Doyle as he racked up 101 passing yards and 21-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Mar’Quone Edmonds.
The Greyhounds trailed by 12 after a two-point conversion play failed and neither team scored the rest of the quarter.
The Huskies claimed the win and ensured the Greyhounds’ second loss of the season.
The loss against Tech followed UIndy’s win against Grand Valley state on Sept. 17.
Sophomore Chris Mills (10) and sophomore Jonathoan Burandt (23) protect the ball from GVSU defensive players senior Andre Thomas and senior Danny Richard. The Greyhounds claimed victory over the Lakers, 34-33. Photo by Kelbi Ervin.
The Laker’s 12-year, 11-game winning streak against UIndy broke after the Greyhounds managed a touchdown in the final seconds of the game.
Both teams came into the stadium after losing the previous Saturday. GVSU lost to No. 21 Hillside College 34-31, while UIndy lost in quadruple overtime to Ashland University, with a final score of 39-36.
“I think the loss [to Ashland] just shows that we can compete with anyone,” Forney said. “We expect to win every game, and it was a tough loss.”
According to Head Coach Bob Bartolomeo, the Greyhounds did not hang their heads over the loss to Ashland, but rather continued with their usual routine in preparation for the game against the Lakers.
“We’ve gone through our regular [routine] of getting prepared in terms of film study and practice,” Bartolomeo said. “We know what’s coming into the stadium in terms of our opponent, and we expect to win this Saturday.”
That expectation proved to be true as the Greyhounds led the entire first half of the game thanks to a pair of offensive plays that gave the Hounds a 14-0 lead.
Mills showed that he had more than a throwing arm during the second drive of the game.
Mills caught the Lakers off-guard by faking a handoff and rushing the ball 27 yards, which earned him his first touchdown of the year.
This was not the only time that the Greyhounds made big plays to put even more points on the board.
After a successful drive by the Lakers ended in the endzone, UIndy responded with their own. Doyle, who had relieved a briefly-injured Mills, made his first touchdown pass of the season to Edmonds.
The Greyhounds remained in control of the ball and the clock for the rest of the half and went to the locker room with a lead of 21-7.
The Lakers came back onto the field and focused on their ground game. GVSU racked up 60 yards on the first possession of the second half. This ended in a touchdown pass to junior Charles Johnson from junior Norman Shuford.
Early in the fourth quarter, with the Lakers trailing by one, UIndy sophomore running back Klay Fiechter made a fourth-down conversion play that would set the stage for a touchdown by Forney. An extra point put UIndy back up by eight.
“We’re just a confident team,” Forney said. “We play with each other and for each other.”
With just 36 seconds left on the clock, the Lakers scored, putting them ahead of the Hounds by five.
However, the Greyhounds responded by racing 63 yards in 20 seconds, ending with the final touchdown of the game by Forney, and a final score of 34-33.
“It’s a total team effort. We just made plays when we had to,” Forney said.
After the game, Bartolomeo spoke highly of his team.
“We talked about expecting to win all week,” Bartolomeo said. “Nobody gave up even when we got down right there towards the end. We just kept going.”
Bartolomeo placed more emphasis on the win because the Greyhounds are leaving the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference at the end of this season.
“It’s hard because in the GLIAC we’re an associate member, so we really don’t have any rivalries [in the GLIAC],” Bartolomeo said. “I’m looking forward to building those rivalries like the other sports have.”
The team will join the Great Lakes Valley Conference beginning next fall.
According to Bartolomeo, he thinks the team will do great with the transition and he looks forward to what next season has in store for the Greyhounds.
The men and women’s swimming and diving teams will be the last remaining teams in the GLIAC once the football team makes the transition to the GLVC.
The Greyhounds will host the University of Findlay (2-2, 2-1 in GLIAC) on Oct. 1 at 6 p.m.
