Saginaw Valley State University football poised for a comeback
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Saginaw Valley State University’s football team is on the cusp of completing an amazing turnaround. The Cardinals are now riding a five-game winning streak with a 7-2 record on the season.
They must win their final regular season game this week to have a chance at the postseason. Cardinals coach Ryan Brady seemed to set the stage for their remarkable resurgence earlier this fall.
“It is a very exciting time in our program,” Brady said. “The culture and energy continue to grow each and every day. SVSU football has a great group of juniors and seniors leading the way in 2021. In addition, we have a stockpile of young talent after we have acquired back-to-back the best recruiting classes in the state.”
He offered a bit more insight into his program’s philosophy.
“Our program motto is to EARN IT,” Brady explained. “‘Earn It’ stands for six core values that drive our culture and program. Those core values are as follows: effort, attitude, respect, never give up, intentional and together.”
It looks as though Brady has gotten the players to buy in. Nobody can deny the results.
Junior signal caller Matt Considine started off the schedule at quarterback for Saginaw Valley. Redshirt freshman Colby Newburg began to get some reps under center in September, then took over as field general about a month later.
Saginaw Valley starting half back Tommy Scott carries much of the offensive load. Scott leads the Cardinals with 950 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns for the year. Newburg ranks second on the Cardinals in that column.
Third-year wide receiver Casey Williams tops the receiving corps with 598 yards on the season. Senior tight end Isaiah Johnson-Mack is next at 483 yards. They are tied with four touchdowns each.
Team defense has been a calling card for Saginaw Valley. The Cardinals rank first in NCAA Division II team takeaways at 31, that includes 16 fumbles recovered and 15 interceptions.
Senior linebacker Victor Abraham is first on the Cardinals team in tackles recorded with 84 total combined solo and assists. Junior linebacker Trevor Nowaske and sophomore defensive back Michael Woolridge are second and third respectively.
Junior defensive lineman Nathan Talakai has tallied the most sacks this year with five and a half for Saginaw Valley. His classmate and defensive back Nick Whiteside is the team leader on defense with four interceptions.
Senior defensive lineman Javarree Jackson and freshman teammate Ryan Heicher pitch in for them. In addition, kicker Connor Luksic handles both field goals and punts for the special teams squad.
It’s clear to see Saginaw Valley is building toward the future. This year is a huge step forward.
The final regular season game is set for Saturday, Nov. 13 at Michigan Tech. Will they complete the comeback?
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