MIDLAND, Mich. - The Davenport football team had another close clash with Northwood in what is the final GLIAC game between the two teams. The Timberwolves will be off to the G-MAC next season and the Panthers got the last laugh with a 21-14 road win in dramatic fashion. Fast forward to the end of this one which provided some white knuckles and a higher blood pressure for the fans, players and coaching staffs.

Northwood trailing by seven points took control of the ball with 1:21 to play on their own 33. Ty Cox helped move the ball downfield and DU was called for pass interference on 4th-and-9 to keep the drive alive. Noah Koenigsknecht caught an 11-yard pass to the DU 40 and Northwood called their final timeout. Cox then found Tajae Leslie on a jump-ball catch over defenders and was tackled at the DU 1. The Timberwolves clocked the ball with eight seconds left and then decided to run the ball off right tackle. Cashual Goldsmith was stopped about a half yard shy of the goal line by Patrick McMahon and Tierre Turner and time expired.

Early on it didn't look like this one was going to come down to the final play. Davenport was putting up points on their first two drives under the direction of first-time starter Isaac Van Dyke at quarterback. In fact, it was his first snap as a Panther when he took it on the first play. He showed poise by leading the team into the end zone on an 11-play, 59-yard drive which was capped by an eight-yard touchdown run by Caleef Jenkins. It was his first rushing touchdown of the season and after the Bryan Plegue PAT it was 7-0.

Northwood fumbled on their third play of the next drive as Patrick McMahon forced it and Brendan Boman recovered it at the NU 33. Five plays later, Van Dyke called his own number on a 12-yard touchdown run and with the extra point by Plegue it was 14-0 with 6:54 left in the quarter.

Northwood got on the board with 9:55 left in the second quarter. They moved 71 yards in eight plays and quarterback Nate Gomez scampered seven yards for the score to make it 14-7. The Panthers moved into field goal range on the final play of the half but Plegue missed from 44 yards which would have been a program record.

Davenport forced a punt to start the third quarter and then marched 82 yards in 11 plays to regain a two-touchdown lead. Van Dyke completed three passes for first downs on the drive and Jenkins carried the final eight yards including a one-yard plunge to paydirt to become the first DU player with multiple rushing TD's this season. DU had just three rushing TD's entering the game and equaled that against the Timberwolves.

Davenport could not close it out however and the Timberwolves kept chipping away. They took over with 4:05 in the third and eventually scored with 14:01 left in the fourth. Cox found Bryant Kieft in the end zone from 26 yards and jumped over and grabbed the ball over a defender to get within 21-14.

Davenport drove to the NU 21 and had 3rd-and-1 but a miscommunication on the handoff resulted in a eight-yard loss by Van Dyke. The miscue led to a long 46-yard field goal attempt by Plegue who missed short and to the right with 7:47 remaining. Northwood then drove down to the DU 14 but was stuffed on 4th-and-2 as Brock Franklin ran for one yard and was tackled by Elysee Mbem-Bosse.

Mbem-Bosse led the team with 13 tackles and Justin Castell also had nine tackles. Van Dyke finished with 159 passing yards and 75 rushing yards. He also went 13-for-20 in the passing game and was the fourth quarterback used by DU this season and the third different quarterback to start a game. Amonte Phillips hauled in six of those passes for 75 yards.