●    The Davenport football team will be looking to crack the code against Grand Valley State on Saturday in a 4:00 PM kickoff at Lubbers Stadium. Both teams are coming off bye weeks and should be ready for a tough, physical contest. Davenport was scheduled to play Lincoln (Calif.) on Thursday, Sept. 25, but the visiting team had to cancel their trip to Michigan. The Lakers are coming off a very unorthodox two-week hiatus, albeit for a scrimmage they conducted last Sunday with their reserves against Detroit Christian College. The Lakers lost their road opener, in their last action, back on Sept. 13 at Pittsburg State, 17-14. Davenport opened up their GLIAC play on Sept. 20 with a 35-16 win at Northern Michigan. Both teams bring identical 2-1 records into the contest, with the Lakers ranked No. 10 in this week's AFCA national poll.
●    Cephus Harris has been on a rampage and was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after the Northern Michigan victory. He established two school records with the first being the longest run at 80 yards, which was a touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter. He also ran for 171 yards on just 11 carries to eclipse the single-game rushing mark set by his brother, Myren. Kevin Underwood was named GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week as well after his blocked punt and return for a score from 24 yards increased the DU lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. One of the keys to the team's success early on has been the ability to take care of the ball. Davenport is currently 2nd in the GLIAC and 22nd in Division II with a 1.0 turnover margin. They have given up the ball just three times, which ranks 11th in Division II. The team has also displayed more discipline and cut down on penalties. They currently are 2nd in the conference and 32nd nationally (D2) in fewest penalties (22). The Panthers made a change at kicker for the NMU game and inserted freshman Ian Jenkins into that role. Jenkins converted all five of his extra-point attempts and did not attempt a field goal, even though he lined up for one on the team's second possession. A botched snap led to a team rush of minus-11 yards and a turnover on downs.
●    Grand Valley State found themselves down 10-0 at Pittsburg State at halftime and would battle back to take a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Riley Simpson's 96-yard fumble recovery shifted the momentum with 5:31 left in the third quarter. Paschal Jolman's 14-yard touchdown run put the Lakers up by four with 13:29 remaining to cap off a nine-play, 69-yard drive. The Gorillas answered on their next drive with the game-winning score. Zahmari Palode-Gary rumbled in from five yards on the ground to finish a 10-play, 75-yard drive with 9:39 to play. Andrew Schuster was intercepted with 5:04 to go and then two fourth-down penalties extended the Pittsburg State drive and they ran out the clock inside the GVSU 5-yard line. GVSU has relied heavily on the passing attack with Schuster, the lefty redshirt freshman from Chippewa Valley High School. He has completed 66 percent of his passes for 792 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
●    The Panthers will be looking for their first win in the series dating back to the first meeting in 2017. DU will need to find a way to get some points on the board at Lubbers Stadium. It has been nine quarters since their last points, which came in the third quarter of the 2019 contest. The last meeting was a 24-7 victory for the Lakers on Oct. 5, 2024 at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. GVSU used a 21-point second quarter to propel them to victory. Neither team would score in the second half. Avery Moore completed 19-of-28 passes for 240 yards and two scores for GVSU. D'Wan Mathis completed 7-of-14 passes for 74 yards and one interception. Kendall Williams led the Panthers with 65 rushing yards, while Myren Harris carried four times for 36 yards and a touchdown. Khalil Eichelberger led the Lakers with 104 rushing yards on 13 carries. Kenneth Jones rushed for 87 yards on 13 carries and found the end zone on a 27-yarder in the second quarter.

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