Huskies football continues to improve, faces tough test at Ferris State | News, sports, jobs

Michigan Tech defensive lineman Alex Cannoot (72) lifts wide receiver Darius Willis (14) after Willis scored a touchdown during a game against Wayne State on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

BIG FAST – After a heartbreaking loss to Davenport on Saturday, the Michigan Tech Huskies football team fell to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in GLIAC play. They seemingly did everything they could to match the Panthers blow for blow, but Davenport made a handful of crucial plays to excel when they needed it most.

“I watched it closely as we talked about it after the game (Saturday).” said Huskies coach Dan Mettlach. “A difficult matter for our boys and employees. I thought we played well. Guys fought.”

Mettlach pointed to some moments where the Panthers showcased their skills and the same moments where the Huskies came up short.

“When you play in such a close game against another good team, you obviously need breaks to go your own way.” he said. “Unfortunately for us, we give up a kick return for a touchdown, block an extra point, put them on third-and-center and then hit a slant route that goes 60 yards for a touch. “I mean, every big break in the game ended with a big play for them, and I think at the end of the day, even if you look at the scoreboard, the stats, no matter how you want to look at them, are clear. Going back to those couple of big plays. Unfortunately, they were the ones who made it. So give them a lot of credit.”

Looking back on the game, it wasn’t as if the Huskies didn’t have a chance to respond to the moments that benefited Davenport.

“We got off track on the kick return.” Mettlach said. “They blocked it well and obviously the kid could fly, so he cleared our sideline. Because of the blocked extra point, we make a play-off. They’ve decided that at this point they’re going to go hard and give us that one slap back in the face. The other thing that hurts then is that we throw the pick at plus-35, which increases a score at that point. There are just too many times where you look at the tape and wonder if we could have done it better or if that wouldn’t have happened, where it’s only a handful of pieces, but in the end they were big pieces.”

No matter the final result, Mettlach was very excited by what he saw from his team.

“I was thrilled with the way our boys played and competed.” he said. “Ultimately we have to find a way to make this work in our favor.”

This wasn’t the first time Mettlach felt this way. He still believes the Huskies could have won their season opener at Bemidji State.

“I think it’s very frustrating for everyone.” he said. “The Bemidji game is the same. You turn that on and we’re a game or two away. If things just go our way or our guys play a little bit better, whatever it may be, but on Saturday it’s the same situation. Our guys believe and know that we are capable of playing with these teams and beating them. But our margin for error is so small when playing against teams that are so talented and used to winning that we have to get our guys over the hump as a team and teach them in the moments when these games come in our favor , not the other way around.

“I’ve said that before. Winning is a learned habit. It is something that can be taught. When we get into those situations, we have to find a way to make another play in those close games so they go our way.”

Mettlach wants his players to believe they can beat anyone they compete against, and he feels that belief is growing.

“We don’t feel like we’re far away from anyone” he said. “I think it’s great that our guys competed against each other, but we didn’t get all hyped up in the locker room because we were in a game against one of the best teams in the league. Our guys expect to win these games, want to win these games. We are not satisfied with mere proximity.”

Looking for the Bulldogs

The No. 4 Ferris State Bulldogs are 5-1 this season and 2-0 in GLIAC play after defeating Wayne State 27-14 last Saturday. They are 5-0 since opening this season, with a loss to Pittsburgh State in their opener.

“They have been among the top five teams for ten years in a row for a reason.” Mettlach said. “It’s not just this year, we’re full of talent. As much respect as anyone for what Coach (Tony) Annese has done since he took over the program. (They are) full of talent. They are very good at executing their plans on both sides of the football and executing them at high speed.

“It’s one of those deals where if you don’t get off to a fast start, you look at the scoreboard and it’s 35-0 before you know what happened.”

They are led offensively by junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who is 106 of 164 for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions. Chambliss is also the Bulldogs’ leading threat with 35 carries for 259 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior running back Kannon Katzer was also good, running 39 times for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

Through the air, junior receiver Brady Rose and senior receiver Emari O’Brien each caught the ball 17 or more times. O’Brien has 258 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Rose has 148 yards and a touchdown.

“We don’t get on the bus, we go there to just try it out.” Mettlach said. “Our guys believe we can win this football game. It’s another great opportunity for us. Every kid in our locker room that we recruited, we talked about playing in games like this with teams like this.

“We won’t go there with wide eyes. We’ll run our stuff and try to execute it as efficiently as possible. I think we have the talent to play with Ferris State. There may not be many people outside of our locker room who agree with this, but what we believe in our locker room is the most important thing.”

PLAYTIME

The Huskies and Bulldogs will face off Saturday at 1 p.m