LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PAGE
LINK - WNCO-AM 1340 CALL OF HAIL MARY (DAVE WILSON AND DON GRAHAM)
Last year, it was a field goal with 15 seconds left which gave Grand Valley State a 20-17 win over Ashland in Allendale, Mich.
The tables were turned on Saturday (Oct. 5) night in the state up north, as the Eagles' 52-yard hail mary pass from sophomore quarterback Austin Brenner to junior wide receiver Logan Bolin lifted Ashland to a 20-17 win at the No. 9-ranked Lakers.
�� 52-YARD HAIL MARY FOR THE WIN! ��#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/BTn5e1brhS
— Ashland University Eagles (@goashlandeagles) October 6, 2019
Ashland is 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while GVSU is 4-1, 2-1.
This is the second consecutive week in which the Eagles scored at least 20 points in the fourth quarter to win a GLIAC game on the road. In Week 4 at Northwood, Ashland earned all-time win No. 500 with 21 fourth-quarter points for a 31-28 decision.
Ashland has beaten Grand Valley State in four of the last six matchups.
THE MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
- On its third drive of the game, Grand Valley State started at the Eagles' 27-yard line following a short punt and a 24-yard punt return. Two plays later, Lakers quarterback Cole Kotopka found wide receiver Austin Paritee for an eight-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 3:01 to go in the opening stanza.
- Early in the second quarter, the Lakers extended their advantage to 10-0 on kicker Josh Gorball's 27-yard field goal at the 11:08 mark.
- The first possession of the second half saw GVSU march to the AU 25, but sophomore safety Justin Moore halted that drive which took 7:13 off the clock with his first career interception.
- Following a fourth-down stop by the defense, Ashland quickly covered 81 yards in five plays, and Brenner's 28-yard touchdown run got the Eagles on the board at 10-7 with 5:01 left in regulation.
- Grand Valley State went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Ashland's offense had the ball again at its 48 with 3:49 remaining. It took the Eagles just three plays to take the lead, as freshman tailback Gei'vonni Washington scampered 44 yards for the 14-10 advantage.
- The Lakers still had time to come back, and they did – Kotopka found wide receiver Jacob Miller for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds to go. All that did, however, was set up Ashland's final-second heroics.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Washington ran 27 times for 169 yards and a TD, and is the first Eagle freshman to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Keishaun Sims on Sept. 10-17, 2016.
- Overall, Ashland rushed for more than 200 yards for the second straight game, ending with 234 with a 6.5-yard average.
- Brenner was 11-for-22 for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception passing, and added 46 yards and a score on five rushing attempts. Bolin caught three passes for 94 yards and the game-winning score.
- A week after starting the game at Northwood with 13 consecutive running plays on offense, Ashland began Saturday night with nine straight non-passing plays (eight runs and a sack).
- Ashland has won its first three road games of a season for the first time since 2015 - a year in a which the Eagles went to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
UP NEXT
Ashland's 96th Homecoming game, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field vs. Davenport (3-1, 1-1)
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