I Created The Best College Team… FULL MOVIE

Michigan's the home of five college football programs but the state's second largest city Grand Rapids doesn't have a team however Hulu saw an opportunity in this city and after investing 86 million into starting a School Grand Rapids University was born Hulu wants to exclusively document the school's come up kind of like a college version of Hard Knocks and with their funding Gru brought in a great head coach as Andrew Luck has returned to the game of football recently a Mastadon skeleton was accidentally found in Grand Rapids so that quickly became the college's official mascot but as of now only 569 students are in en rolled so our Stadium Hulu field will be empty for a while Gru was fortunate enough to be invited to join the Mac alongside the Western Kentucky Hill Toppers but this team is starting as a 50 overall and besides having Andrew Luck as our head coach nothing about Grand Rapids University is very good less than an hour down the road from us is Western Michigan our biggest Rivals will face in the war on Route 131 every year and for settings I did what I pretty much always do but I did find some of the hardest Sliders in NCA football so that's going to make this series even more difficult because we are starting from the absolute bottom and you might as well meet the now our starting quarterback is senior Terrence dogen and our running back room has to be our best position group Grand Rapids University's first game was against instate rival Michigan State and I was bracing for a blowout as it was not off to a good start but at least the mastadons will be sucking in style with these sick jerseys early on it was 14 to Z but my only goal was to score a touchdown in this game and our quarterback was not going to make that easy for me completely missing his Target that senior teren dogen and his 62 throw accuracy could get him replaced very soon so it felt like nothing was going right for for our new team and I just wanted to get Michigan State off the field once but we couldn't tackle anyone and to make things worse I was playing on the hardest slider set I could find which I was really starting to regret however the mastadons are not quitters and our best play in school history made it first and goal but we had to finish the drive before the half and this start to Zach Archie gave us our first touchdown in school history the game was pretty much over but I was still looking out for some standout players and teren dogen put this one right on the money but our defense was going to make this a very long season because almost every single players is a 60 overall or lower and this is a rivalry we're not going to win for a long time so in the meantime we have a lot of recruiting to do and at least we had some positive moments in that one we're trying to get our first win in school history but my brand new football program is absolutely terrible Drake is the worst team we're going to play this year but they're still way better than us but we're looking to put on a show for the 47 fans in attendance and we were driving early so I would love to win our first home game ever and Zach Archie gave us the lead this was the first time something like that had ever happened and our defense got the stop which meant we had a chance to pull ahead making this a terrible time for a bad pass that was teren Doan's fourth interception of the season and it allowed Drake to get back into the game with this long rushing touchdown so in a matter of seconds the entire game changed and Drake had all of the momentum which meant we needed a big play on Third and long but Terence dogen missed again and it's hard to be patient with such a bad team since our run defense has also been miserable we had to make a change fast so we went with the blitz but it left a receiver wide open for the go-ahead touchdown and our offense had to score before the half where Terence doen put the team on his back with one of his best plays yet but of course it resulted in a fumble and I was hoping to see us win our first game but that wasn't looking likely as we gave up 21 points in a row I mean on the bright side wide receiver Martin Massie was Mossing defensive backs and he'd be rewarded with a touchdown to make it 28 to4 but this should have been a pick six and instead we were down three possessions but at least Terence dogen was starting to look more comfortable and I was definitely disappointed that we lost our easiest game of the year but it felt like we were improving we had to play our biggest Rivals Western Michigan in the first ever war on Route 131 and it was not off to a good start with them scoring a touchdown and then forcing us to the quickest three and out ever I was already looking forward to next year and building our first recruiting class but we still had a full season to play and my only goal to win a game was looking impossible I felt like the drag routes were the only way I could get any yards but it didn't take long for them to figure out how to stop that too and we had an opportunity to swing momentum in our favor but this potential interception was dropped and I guess holding the Broncos to a field goal is a win in our book we haven't made a big play all game but these blocks gave us time to thread the needle and then I made a risky play call on third down running the option with teren dogen and it actually worked this drive was looking good but I lost some hope after this sack setting up third and long where we finally had somebody open but dogen brutally missed his Target and our instate rival was doing whatever they wanted to to our defense but we finally made a play and I hoped our first interception of the year would spark our offense but we gave it right back there was always a chance for a second half rally but dogen's accuracy he was torturing me and we tried running play action to get some momentum but they weren't fooled at all which knocked Terence dogen out of this game that meant backup quarterback Zack Keys had to play and this was actually a good throw that we dropped so our team was still a complete mess as their quarterback was breaking tackles on every play and we couldn't score a single point in this one which was expected but no one had committed to our team yet so we really needed to start playing better our 50 overall team was looking for its first win and we were lucky that this wasn't ruled as a safety after that our defense came up big time as Junior Terren bracket denied them of the first down and those are the kind of plays we need to make to win a game since they missed the field goal our offense still needed to wake up but Terence dogen had nothing open the entire first quarter and Western Kentucky was driving again but we got a huge sack on them so this was the best our defense had looked all year and they gave our offense time to get it going but our kicker range is only like 20 yards so this m throw forced us to go for it on fourth down and thankfully we completed it to keep the drive a lot I didn't think it would work but we surprised Western Kentucky with the read option to get to the one and this could be the last play that but I couldn't trust a run play so thankfully we were able to find Matt L and I couldn't believe we had the hill Toppers on upset alert especially because I just found out that our backup left tackle led the team in sacks we'd go on to hold Western Kentucky to a field goal and it was huge to keep our lead but Matt L dropping another pass didn't help and that was a huge missed opportunity where the hill Toppers made us pay we'll never win a game if we don't get better up front which caused Terence dogen to throw a pick and another Hill topper touchdown made it a two-possession game and we needed a rally with 4 minutes left but Terence dogen was selling for us I wanted to bench him but he's the best quarterback we have plus not all of our struggles were his fault and I'm just salty we lost another one we were easily the worst team in college football but I hadn't given up hope on getting our first win and I couldn't believe how our first drive against Bowling Green was going but all it took was this fumble near the end zone to ruin it for us we had struggled to defend the run all year and it looked like this game was going to tell the same story as our defense put up no fight on this touchdown drive and we needed to answer so I put our tight end Steve Winchester on a streak and they never expected it however we had to pick up this third and eight and it wasn't looking good but dogen was able to make the entire defense Miss for the first down and that was one of our best plays of the season to get us inside the 10 but of course he threw an interception we've now had two drives end with turnovers near the goal line while our defense got manhandled up front and this has been the best we've played against any team but we're still down by 14 I could see the confidence building but there was always something killing our momentum and on fourth down I had no trust in our running game so thankfully the play action worked this time our gamble paid off and turned into our first touchdown of the game but the Falcons would kick a field goal before the half and then the start the third quarter drive down the field to score again so this would be a close matchup if we hadn't turned the ball over and any flashes of success continued to be canceled out by sloppy play sophomore receiver Matt Lan dropped what would have been the best play of our season but we made up for it on third down picking up the first plus much more with this halfback screen to Braden Nico who showed off his Breakaway speed that was our longest touchdown in school history but we were still trailing by 10 points with the Falcons driving until this interception completely changed everything we couldn't let our best performance of the Season go to waste as we were looking to score again and we were about to reach the End Zone on second and goal but all of my linemen decided to take the play off so we would have no choice but to settle for a field goal and after that I couldn't believe we forced to stop to get the ball back and I knew we would go for the two-point conversion if we scored so this drive would decide the game where I wasn't taking any chances we had to get a big play on third down and somehow our backup tight end held on to this so the mastadons were looking to shock the world as we set up the halfback screen that worked earlier but Braden ni fumbled the football as he reached for the end zone and I challenged the play but the refs weren't going to B us out so our third turnover near the goal line lost us a heartbreaking game but at least this kicker became our first recruit in school history my created School in NCA football was off to a rough start and I'm hoping this match up against Toledo could be our turning point but early on Terrence dogen threw them the easiest interception in the world and fortunately for us they couldn't get a foot in on this corner route so all they could do is settle for a field goal our defense almost never gets a stop so we needed to take advantage of it hitting mat land on this C route where that step back made this a huge play for us but Toledo's defensive line wasn't having any of it and I should have known better than the throw at one of the best corners in NCA football in just one play we went from potentially taking the lead to being down 10 points and things would only get worse for us after another Toledo touchdown however it's only the second quarter and we nearly pulled off a big comeback last week but Terence Sten missed a wide open receiver downfield and head coach Andrew Luck threatened to bench rqb if he didn't get it together so he responded with this start to Matt land and capped off the drive on the ground with his legs going into the half down 10 is never ideal but it's as good as we can expect with a defense that gives opposing quarterbacks enough time to tie their shoes in the pocket and I was kind of embarrassed with our product of football at times but our defense didn't break and held them to another field goal so we were somehow only down by 13 points and this corner route to Matt Archie became our biggest receiving play of the day it finally felt like our offense had a spark and our running back junior bra Nico made a beautiful cut on the screenplay to take this one all the way to the crib but of course the refs had to rub salt on the wound here and that killed our drive but not our chances to win this game as we got a stop and another explosive play through the air just a few minutes later eventually we were able to to score a touchdown to Lon Toledo's lead and all our defense had to do was hold them one more time but things were not looking good for us like I would have hoped they would and our team was gassed after being on the field all game but this was the worst time to start missing all these tackles so we might be a few decent recruits away from winning a game but their final touchdown would be the dagger I found the coolest name in college football and it didn't take long for him booby Curry to score against our terrible defense we finally benched our starting quarterback hoping the switch could help us win our first game in school history and our offense was already looking better with Zack ke at the helm it definitely helped having receivers get wide open but the sophomore was making all the throws early on and he finished this drive off with his legs for us that was one of our best possessions of the entire season but now it was time to clamp up Buffalo and it would be a win to hold them to a field goal or even nothing as this was a huge interception we had a chance to take control of this game but Buffalo forced a three and out and not every Drive was going to work for us but it was only a matter of time before our defense gave up a big play as Ron Cook Jr picked up 37 yards I had a gut feeling that the Bulls were about to score and sure enough they did so we were back on offense but their D wasn't giving us any room to throw and this was supposed to be a great debut for a backup quarterback but Buffalo went up by 14 points a score before the half would give us some momentum but the pass intended for our tight end sailed off Target into an interception which meant that Zach key worst play of the game came when we needed him the most putting us down by 17 at the half I guess you could say we gave him the keys to our offense but I was starting to regret it and to make things worse we were playing like this in front of all of our visiting recruits so I was starting to worry that we were never going to rebuild this team I had to experiment if our sophomore replacement could Sling It resulting in a pretty solid throw but he was going to need to show a lot more on this drive and he ran into some bad luck with this drop which was immediately followed up with a terrible sack we may not win this game but we needed to give Zak Keys a chance to play either way and we got a new quarterback recruit and Ryan Pace who will compete for the job next year alongside Joo athlete Carlos Castillo who could play running back or wide receiver we were trying to upset number 19 Notre Dame which would be crazy since we're 0 and seven and we surprisingly got a B gain on this play this was one of the best starts to any game this year so far and it's versus a ranked team like Notre Dame but I think the only reason we're having success is they underestimated us coming into it and Zack Keys had a receiver wide open but he would miss him he's supposed to have the best throw accuracy on the team but another Miss forced us to try a 45 yard field goal and our kicker didn't have a strong enough leg to make that so I couldn't believe that drive ended with no points and Notre Dame marched right down the field to take the lead I was bracing myself for quickly getting out of hand and the irish's defense woke up on our second drive so we needed a big play on third down but mat L dropped another pass so that gave them another opportunity to score before the half and that was just an embarrassing play from us I was surprised we were only down by two possessions as we could still come back in this one but it wouldn't matter since Merryweather was destroying our Corners making it 21 to zero and we just had a quarterback commit to our team but Zack Keys was doing everything he could to be the starter next season as he hadn't turned the ball over in this one yet and wide receiver Zach Archie was trying to put on a show this was our last chance to score on Notre Dame's defense and that unblocked Defender ended our day but only giving up 30 points to the Irish was a win in my book especially for a brand new football program and the big boys definitely noticed as we got three offensive line commits we were facing an instate rival in our next one but our defense still sucked giving up a very early touchdown however we discovered a new power toss play that actually made bra Nik look fast for once and we were looking to tie the game up with a touchdown But Central Michigan's entire defense was unblocked on this play I needed to see something from Zack keys if he wanted to keep his starting job and this start on third long could only help but we had no choice but to go for it on fourth down and this was a great time to get the Zack to Zack connection going by moving the chains we were barely keeping this drive alive facing yet another third and long and unfortunately they clamp mat land to hold us to a field goal we actually stopped them on Third and seven and with our back against the wall on the next possession Zach Archie came through in the clutch again but it felt like every good play was followed up by a bad one and we couldn't afford to keep losing yardage so thankfully our backup tight end Carl Bunch got wide open to set up the first and goal and we would close out the drive with our first touchdown we also started stacking the box to defend the run and that was one of the biggest defensive stands of the season but our offense continued to throw away opportunities as Zach Keys missed a throw and Carl Bunch dropped a pass so Central Michigan was right back where they were before as they crossed the 50 and they had less than a minute to score so we needed to hold them but we completely forgot to cover one of their receivers and it's crazy how quickly these games can change but we weren't out of it yet as this was our longest kick return of the Year giving us a chance to retake the lead before the half as that was a nice throw to Martin Massie but we had to work fast as Zack ke was fighting to keep his starting job and he found Massie again following that was a second and goal with 9 seconds left where Carl Bunch got open but dropped his second pass of the game and that should have been a touchdown so it's a good thing that we got the ball coming out of the half and of course we threw an interception then in true Mastadon fashion we missed the tackle giving them an easy touchdown but Zack Keys was tired of his team letting these games get away from him and he went back to work Grand Rapids was driving inside the 30 and converted on third Nate while getting some help from the refs which got us to the 10 yd line where Kyle Morton would finish it off but we needed to points to tie it and an unblocked Defender forced an incompletion that meant we had to rely on our defense to get another stop but that's never a good thing for this team as Terrence bracket got burnt on the second play of the drive and we needed two scores to get back into this one this was a very well executed halfback screen but Brad ni didn't have the speed to take it to the house so at least it did enough damage to set up this 14 yard touchdown to Martin Massie and we just needed our defense to get one more stop but I guess that was too much to ask for we were in danger of them running out the clock but they surprised us with a pass and they couldn't stay in bounds so that was a very lucky break that allowed us to get them off the field and this could be the most important Drive in school history Where We Were Somehow able to pull off a great run play it was starting to feel like this could be our first one ever since we were marching down the field but then we were faced with a third and nine so thankfully Zach he stayed calm picking up another first and that pass was the cornerback Bret cook I don't know why he was on the field but I couldn't complain and keys picked up another first followed by the face mask penalty which allowed us to run the clock down to attempt the game-winning field goal and the Grand Rapids mastadons finally won their first game in school history creative school just won its first game so we had a ton of confidence going into this one against NIU and things have definitely looked much better ever since we gave Zack Keys the starting job as we began this game fast with this start to mat land getting us inside the 40 I also wanted to try Matt land at halfback today because of his speed and that must have gotten to Brad ni because he ran into touchdown on the very next play our offense had been much better over the past few games but the defense was still as bad as ever giving up this 70 yard touchdown to the Huskies and it was tied up again then our Right Guard decided he didn't want to block on the this play so NIU got the ball back and their running back stiff armed us into Oblivion for another long touchdown run it was discouraging that our defense had taken a step back but at least we found our new running back as Matt land looks way better than Brad Nico ever was so it's fair that NIU expected him to take the handoff on fourth down but we ran the option with Zack Keys who hit the truck stick and we were running out of time in this half which was unfortunate because we couldn't reach the end zone so we had to settle for a field goal instead that was a solid first couple of quarters for Grand Rapids but our defense needed to prevent big plays like this one and this half was off to a bad start as we couldn't stop Rocky Lombardi and his offense to save our lives that was too easy of a touchdown for them and no matter what our offense did we would need our defense to get a stop on their next drive but I still really liked what I was seeing from Zach Keys running this offense and we were moving the ball downfield well but I got too greedy throwing this interception so the Huskies would add another field goal and we needed an immediate touchdown but unlike us their defense came to play and handed us another loss but we were getting closer to Landing our top recruit Ben Fowler who had 98 speed and the Joo could be a huge differen maker for us with his potential to play both offense and defense it was rivalry week versus Eastern Michigan and they were in first place in the conference so we went down by three quick but we were thankfully able to catch them off guard on this wide receiver screen to mat land and aside from him we don't have any play makers but I felt like we had no choice but to run a halfback screen on fourth down where they were all over it our instate Rivals also scored the first touchdown of the game and we needed an answer before the half but there's a Miss from Zack Keys who completely changed our offense after taking over midseason as he made up for his mistake mat land LED our team in receiving and keys targeted him again where he reeled in a tough catch and a Grand Rapids touchdown would change the game but it was only a matter of time before Matt Lan dropped the ball so we would have to settle for a field goal but at least we were only down by seven to start the second half and we were off to a great start by forcing this huge fumble so that set up a fourth down where Matt Lan dropped his second pass of the game and we completely wasted a rare turnover from our defense I couldn't believe we only had three points while matland had over 100 receiving yards Zach Keys was smart to go back back to mat land over and over and we were back within seven points but after our inspirational drive it was time for our defense to step up and of course their running back took their first play to the house instead this had been the Grand Rapids experience all season long and it was incredibly hard to keep playing these games but Matt Lan just made the play of the Year putting somebody into a spin cycle and taking it all the way to the crib that was our longest play of the season but our defense didn't care enough to step up giving the Eagles another easy score which really killed my confidence but not Matt Lance as he just scored another huge touchdown so he's definitely getting drug tested after the game and I don't know what he ate for breakfast but he was the reason that we're still in this one and I was begging for our defense to take care of business where thankfully this screen was well covered which gave us the ball back and a chance to tie the game but Zack Keys didn't have the arm strength to throw it downfield and that didn't matter because Matt land was out there and I don't know how he went from dropping Slants All Season to having a 350 yard game but we managed to tie it up and this had easily been the best offensive performance of the season so far where our defense finally repaid the favor by getting a stop and setting up the biggest Drive of the entire season we hit bra Nico to start it off and our kicker definitely didn't have a strong leg so we would need a lot more yardage as Zach Keys had a ton of room to run for the first down but he fumbled the football sending it to overtime and he was literally just trying to get out of bounds but that rattled our entire team including mat land who was back to dropping passes and I didn't want to settle for a field goal but we weren't going to have a choice all we could do was hope that our defense could close it out but we gave up an easy first down and they were looking to rip this game away from us as this toss play did exactly that it's painful to lose our Rivals like that but we're going to have to get them back next season to end the year we had to doozy because I knew Army's rushing attack was going to give our defense big problems in this one so we needed a touchdown on almost every Drive of this game and Zack Keys was not helping early on we were already facing a third down and our line decided not to block anybody so this could be an ugly way to end the season and our punter actually got an amazing bounce to pin them back which could have really helped out our defense but I spoke too soon as their fat fullback broke two tackles in the back field and thankfully we stopped him but it wouldn't prevent Army from scoring another touchdown along with completely decimating our offensive line for a sack and with another field goal they had a three possession lead but thankfully we were able to find a wide open Martin Massie and there was no doubt that our team would need to get better next season or else head coach Andrew Luck would most likely be fired while I was disappointed in how this game was going I was still very excited about the recruiting class we were bringing in as we've landed some much better athletes and some pretty polished Jo prospects but surprisingly another touchdown would actually keep the possibility of a comeback alive and we forced Army to throw on Third and seven where this pass should have really been picked off but it wasn't so instead they decided to test our defense on fourth down where we left the flat wide open and I couldn't help but wonder if we could have pulled off another comeback if we caught that pick that was a pretty sour way to End season 1 but our first ever win against Central Michigan in Matt L's 300 yard game made this year worth it and we have to say goodbye to several starters but that's fine since we welcomed LSU transfer tight end Jackson McGowen along with our first recruiting class in school history which was ranked 67th in the nation and was was headlined by Speedy two-way player Ben fer Utah would win the Final 14 playoffs because after this season it expands the 12 colleges and stat-wise our quarterback room had a rough year but it was nowhere near as bad as our running back room 59 sophomore Matt land was our best receiver and sophomore linebacker jeremi Wayne LED our defense but even though our tight end transfer improved the most he can't play for us until season 3 so I'm just excited to see what Joo running back Ben Fowler can do alongside freshman quarterback Ryan Pace even if they're working with the worst team in the country we're starting season 2 at a 61 over all where we're taking on number one Michigan and we had an entirely new roster after a one- win season so I wasn't expecting much from us in this game as Michigan opened it up with a touchdown drive and we were starting freshman Ryan Pace who missed this pass on the screen play so the Wolverines were looking to March down the field to go ahead by two scores and it really looked like they were going to do that but the refs bailed us out with the penalty so they would have to settle for a field goal but they missed badly and we had a chance to tie the game where our new 98- speeed running back Ben Fowler got us 15 yards unfortunately as the drive went on land wasn't able to help us convert but I happily took a field goal on Michigan and our defense got bailed out by the refs on our last drive but our tackling issues from season one continued and the Wolverines were really making us pay is that was some of the worst defense I'd ever seen at least our offense was looking much better with receiver Carlos Castillo making his first catch and aside from a couple plays Ryan Pace was having a good game is that was an absolute dime it seemed like starting the Freshman was the right choice as he scored his first touchdown but we had to stop Michigan's Run game and everyone in the stadium knew that wasn't going to happen so we were once again trailing by two possessions but we gave the ball to Ben Fowler on Third and 14 and he made a move which helped him take this one all the way to the house we were only trailing by three points and then we came up with a huge interception so the mastadons were putting the Wolverines on upset alert and we would settle for a field goal to tie the game up Michigan desperately needed a touchdown and went back to their running game with a big gain but luckily for us we were able to make some clutch plays to bring up a very important third and long and we finally stopped Edwards to force a field goal but that penalty put them out of range some this game remained tied up and this drive could give us the win but we took a huge sack on second and inches and then on third down they were all over the screen play so they had a chance to win it and things were not looking good as McCarthy took them into field goal range but for some reason they didn't kick it and that was a huge mistake I couldn't believe our 61 overall program was in overtime with the number one team and they were faced with another third down where we managed to stop them holding them to a field goal which they made a touchdown would win the game for us but they were not going to make it easy as Ryan Pace was sacked setting up a and long which resulted in an incompletion so this play would decide the game as Ryan Pace thrw up a prayer to tight end Kelvin Hackett and he couldn't come down with it so we were inches away from the biggest upset in college football history but at least we already looked much better than last year we were striving for our first win of the Season against Ball State but they were driving early and our run defense issues followed us into this game as their quarterback took this to the house so we really needed our offense to get it going as Carlos Castillo made the catch but he didn't get the first down and this game was off to a terrible start where it looked like it was was only going to get worse as our 59 overall defense gave up another long rushing play on ball State's next drive a field goal made it a two-possession game so we really needed to score a touchdown but Ben Fowler couldn't get it going and true freshman quarterback Ryan Pace saved the drive with a good pass we were moving down the field but our offensive line didn't give our quarterback any time so we had to punt the ball back to the Cardinals again and we needed our defense to step up if we wanted to turn this game around but that stiff arm gave Ball State another huge play on the ground we were thankfully able to prevent another embarrassing touchdown down and force a huge stop on Third and N causing them to settle for another field goal so I'm surprised it's only 13 to Z where we can still come back but Ben fer bruised his shoulder and we failed to score on another drive after taking a sack this was an embarrassing performance after nearly upsetting number one Michigan but we had a chance to get them off the field on Third and five and we did so we had 45 seconds to score and Carlos Castillo picked up a first down across the 50 this looked like our best drive yet but Ryan Pace couldn't get the pass off on third down and I was disappointed that we missed another chance to score as their quarterback exposed our entire defense on the scramble up the middle but we still weren't out of this game and I was just frustrated that we hadn't scored any points against a ma team our defense showed some development holding them and forcing them to take another field goal so we still had a chance to come back in this one but we needed to see more from our offense and things were looking promising as Steve Winchester got us to the 20 thankfully Ben Fowler was back in the game and scored an easy touchdown but we needed the two-point conversion and Zach Keys missed this throw because Ryan Pace was knocked out of the game he's definitely made of glass if this play gave him a concussion but at least he got us a touchdown and the Cardinals were faced with a third and long where Kelly threw up a prayer that was answered with the catch and the first down I don't know how our defense let them convert there but that was a very frustrating play and they beat us deep for another big gain leading to another score while Zack Keys played in some games last season there was a good reason that he wasn't our starter this year and I know there wasn't much hope of coming back in this one without Ryan Pace but Ben Fowler was going to give us one more chance as we set up a screen where he picked up a huge gain on Fourth and 17 and when we needed a big play through the air Carlos Castillo delivered Zack Keys finished off the drive with a beautiful throw to Steven Arrington but even though our offense finally woke up our defense continued to struggle defending the run and that caused us to get our second loss of the year we needed to show signs of improvement in season 2 and we were still looking for a first win of the year but thankfully we have Joo running back Ben Fowler who kept our Drive alive but it didn't matter because Ryan pce threw an interception our run defense was terrible but we somehow got a stop so this game remained 0 to0 and Carlos Castillo made a clutch cat extending our drive as our freshman quarterback Ryan Pace made one of his best throws yet on a corner route to Matt L this got us onto akan side of the field where Pace found Steve Winchester wide open in the end zone and that was one of our top offensive drives of the entire season but unfortunately akan was able to answer in just one play on a game timeing touchdown run we didn't hold our lead for long and Ryan Pace forced this throw for another interception so that huge mistake gave the Zips the chance to take their first lead of the game and our run defense was really not helping us at all it was third down and bulock dumped it off for Adams who took a big hit setting up a field goal and Grand Rapids had a chance to retake the lead as Steve Winchester made this catch across the 50 but Ryan Pace needed another solid throw on Third and 11 and thankfully he hit Carlos Castillo as our offense finally looked consistent akan was just looking to run the clock out before halftime but our terrible run defense was not ready for it as Clyde price stiff armed us into Oblivion and then he went untouched all the way to the end zone so that was heartbreaking to end the half and the Zips were trying to do more damage but on Third and long we broke through for a huge sack which gave us the ball back but they ran right through our offensive line for a safety every time we made a big play they answered with an even better one as this was another massive run to get inside the 30 yd line and a field goal made it an eight-point game we still had a chance to come back but they clamped our receivers on third down so we were running out of chances and their running attack was wearing us down but thankfully we were able to get to their quarterback today and another stop gave us the chance to tie this game where our offense went to work picking up a first down through the air and then another on the ground with Ben fower this was a great time to wake up on that side of the ball and Matt l made another big play on the corner route fighting his way inside the 20 but we were not ready for a blitz on second down which made it third and long and Pace tried another long throw but it was intercepted ruining our chance of beating akan following a tight loss we were facing 4-0 Western Kentucky and this time versus them we had a new weapon in Ben Fowler who ran for an early first down and kept our Drive moving with this fourth down conversion he helped the mastadons take an early 3 to zero lead as we were looking for our first win of the season but the hill Toppers were not going to give it to us easily as they scored on their very first Play It's No no question that we had a better team this year but the results weren't showing up in the win column yet so it was really important to build some momentum in this game and we marched down the field where the corner route to mat land finished this drive our offense was starting to look better but our defense was a whole different problem as they continued to give up big plays at the worst possible time and Western Kentucky retook the lead again I could already tell that this was going to be a very high-scoring game because neither defense had proven that they could come up with a stop so we decided to go for it on fourth down and thankfully it paid off we really needed a touchdown here but Ryan Pace held on to the ball too long and he probably should have thrown it away because our kicker had no power in his leg so it remained 14 to 10 but the hill Toppers quickly added another score and that missed field goal gave them all of the momentum getting points before the end of the second would really help us out and Scott Thomas came up with another big first down on this drive setting up our last chance to score a touchdown and we couldn't get it so we took a field goal with 1 second left that cut the hill Toppers lead eight points but it wasn't going to matter if our defense couldn't get a stop on the first drive of the second half and I don't know how it's possible POS for a unit to be this terrible but they were the only reason we weren't winning this game Western Kentucky could easily wrap it up on this drive after picking up a big first down to their tight end but I was begging our defense to step up and they finally came up with an interception that huge turnover gave our team some hope as we scored a touchdown and the two-point conversion making it a seven-point difference but the hill Toppers were driving again and we couldn't let them make this a two-score game which is why it's big our defense came up huge on third down setting up a 50-yard field goal that they absolutely nailed that big kick would give them a 10 point lead with just over 3 minutes to go but Ryan Pace wasn't done delivering this one to Carlos Castillo who lost the football but we fell on it keeping the drive alive which would result in a touchdown we just needed one more stand from our defense but unfortunately our cornerback got absolutely toasted and gave up another long touchdown so while that iced the game our offense managed to break 30 points and we put up a really good fight in this one helping us bring in our first four commits of the Year our next opponent had been almost as bad as we had been this season but our defense still couldn't make any tackles so this could be another very long game especially if we let their pasty white quarterback run freely up the middle this matchup was already off to a very bad start but thankfully our offense was coming off of a 30-point performance and we seem to be picking up right where we left off as we took this stretch play with 98p speed running back Ben Fowler for a huge gain that set up a scoring opportunity where we hit Matt land for the touchdown and that was a very good drive to tie it up but it wouldn't matter if we couldn't come up with a stop and our run defense never fails to disappoint me as they gave up another long touchdown we needed to answer but Ryan PAC missed to throw on third down and we decided to go for it which I'm glad we did because Ben Fowler used his athleticism to pick up the first down and he'd get much more as well with the screen play getting us all the way to the 5 yd line and then he muscled it in for a touchdown I wanted to trust our defense so badly but that wasn't going to be easy after this play on third and four which got them across the 50 but we came up with a huge run stuff forcing another third down and this time we were all over the screen play we could take the lead before halftime and Scott Thomas continued to be one of our best wide receivers as we were driving in the huskys territory but Ben Fowler ran backwards making it third and 11 where Ryan Pace had an open man but he dropped the ball the Huskies would get it back again and their quarterback found some open field to pick up the first down and stiff arm our defense for some extra yardage so it only took a few seconds for Northern Illinois to swing the game back in their favor and we had the rock to start the second half but immediately threw an interception so NIU would go up two scores with a field goal and we needed a fast answer so I was glad that Ben Fowler had no one in front of him on this screen play we were trailing by three points when we dropped this interception and that was was a big missed opportunity especially since we left the running back wide open for a massive play which led to the huskys scoring another touchdown and this is another game that slipped through our fingertips just like this interception that went through mat L's hands causing us to fall to 0 and five but at least our recruiting class was looking really good Central Michigan is the only team Grand Rapids had ever beaten and we were hoping they could be our first win this year but our quarterback suffered his second concussion of the season so we had to play Zack Keys who wasn't off to a good start losing Ryan Pace would be a huge test for our team as Central Michigan and picked up a first down but we got bailed out on one of the weirdest fumbles I had ever seen so our offense went to work and this was a very good throw from Keys we decided to go for it on Fourth and 12 and Carlos Castillo was wide open which led to Zack Keys keeping it himself for an easy touchdown we were off to our fastest start of the year but it was only a matter of time before we gave up a long rushing score and our defense was still awful so we needed some more points as Zack Keys found tight end Steve Winchester this was looking like a great drive until Keys got buried for a sack setting up second and long but thankfully they blitzed which left Ben Fowler all alone on the screen play for a 26 yd touchdown we allowed a field goal coming out of the half but I wasn't concerned because our offense was looking the best it ever had and even last season's starting running back Braden niik was making plays this game was a huge sign of our Improvement as we even got an interception and our team had a chance to score another touchdown Which Ben Fowler would do on the very next play with this long run we embarrassed our instate rival again and picked up even more new recruits we were coming off of our second win ever going into this game against Buffalo and they were fac with a third down where we were able to get them off of the field we could take an early lead and Ben Fowler was Off to the Races on the counter run which I was certain would be a touchdown with his 98 speed but it wasn't so we had more work to do but Ryan Pace took a sack and that meant we had to make a play on third down where he scrambled around in the pocket and threw across his body for an interception we came up empty after a great start and the Bulls were not going to let us get away with it as McMillan put our freshman quarterback Andrew Monroe in the toaster for a 95 yd touchdown and the entire game changed in just one play as Pace had an open man but put way too much air under this one for a second interception that Buffalo ran back to the 25 so they had a great chance to go up big as we dropped this pick but we sent the blitz on third down for a sack and we were able to hold them to a field goal it was time for a comeback and we had to keep putting the ball in Ben Fowler's hands but the refs hit us with a holding penalty so we had no choice but to pass the ball and Ryan Pace got sack ruining our drive but at least our punter came to play and pinned them inside the 5 yd line we knew they were running the ball so we sent the entire team on a blitz but our linebacker missed a huge tackle to allow a 95 yd run all the way to the end zone so thankfully it got flagged for clipping and we got bailed out big time giving us another chance to get a stop but they just did the same thing again breaking two tackles for another long score and it's actually hilarious how terrible our defense is our first drive had me thinking this was going to be a great game but everything completely fell apart after that as we're still looking for our first point in this one but that was a brutal drop setting up fourth down where we went for it and the same receiver just fell down it was going to take a while to become contenders in the mat conference as they got even more points but our offense finally got a break as J wide receiver Scott Thomas was left wide open and scored a touchdown to get us onto the board we were only down two possessions after a two-point conversion but Buffalo ended our comeback hopes quickly and Not much went right in this game as we continued to look forward to the future this was one of our toughest opponents of the year as we were taking on Notre Dame for the second straight season but they were faced with a third long where they threw the corner route and their receiver couldn't stay in bounds so they took a field goal to make it 3 to zero and we were lucky to have a player like Ben Fowler at running back who we definitely needed because quarterback Ryan Pace has terrible accuracy so we had to punt the ball back to the Irish and they were already driving we needed to stop here where they dumped it off and didn't get it forcing them to settle for a field goal and we were lucky to only be down by six points but we needed a spark from our offense as our running game couldn't get going and we were already faced with a third down where Ryan Pace got sacked our defense had been terrible this season but they were actually holding up pretty well in this game considering they had a chance to get Notre Dame off the field and they did they bailed out our offense again allowing us to move the chains with with this pass to Matt land and this was by far our best Drive of the game as Steven Arrington set up a first and goal there were only a few seconds left in the half but Ryan Pace stepped up in the pocket took off and dove into the end zone to give us the lead but Notre Dame definitely didn't want to lose to our one- win team so luckily for them their quarterback was breaking tackles left and right to cross the 50 but the refs hit them with a clipping penalty setting up a third and long which ultimately killed their drive we didn't deserve to have a onepoint lead in this matchup since our offense hadn't been very good at all but this was a very nice return from Scott Thomas giving us solid field positioning and Ben Fowler finally came through with a big play to score another touchdown I didn't understand why Notre Dame's offense looked like complete garbage but they were the reason we had a lead in the fourth quarter and we could force a three and out on this play where we were thankfully all over the screen we had a chance to get our biggest win ever but they stopped us and this drive was Notre Dame's last chance to avoid the upset and that was a clutch completion they were across Midfield with over a minute to go and our cornerback got toasted for another touchdown but they still needed the two-point conversion and our defense didn't even try to to stop it so this was going to be our most important Drive in school history and Ryan Pace hit Ben Fowler to start it off we had to be careful with the football but of course we forced a pass into triple coverage for an interception and we went to overtime where Notre Dame had the first possession and they started out strong with an easy score the pressure was on Ryan Pace again but he took a sack so I thought all hope was lost but this was a great catch keeping our Drive alive as we got Ben Fowler involved too and his juke move set up first and goal and a touchdown for us however we wanted to end the game on this play so we gave the ball to to our best player and let him outrun the defense to give us our biggest win in school history it was a snow game against our instate rival Eastern Michigan and they were off to a fast start exposing our team's biggest weakness on this read option which looked like a touchdown but we tripped their quarterback and I hoped it would help but it wouldn't make a difference since they scored on their next play we had heavily leaned on Junior running back Ben Fowler over the past few games and that helped us get some wins so we were definitely going to keep feeding him as much as we could in this one and with our game plan working early on we also had Ryan Pace hit mat land over the middle for the tying touchdown it seemed like this one could come down to the wire if our defense could stop the Eagles and they were starting to go backwards on their second possession following this tfl which set up a third and long where we almost got to their quarterback again but he got the ball to his receiver well short of the sticks that was a huge three and out and we could take the lead on this possession near the end of the first quarter as this one went to Steve Winchester and freshman quarterback Ryan Pace was really starting to find a rhythm hitting Scott Thomas in stride for 37 yards the juko had become his favorite Target so he went back to him again and his juke move helped him get into the end zone but this was an offensive shootout last season so our defense had to step up and our team looked better every single game as Ryan Pac through a corner route for an amazing catch that kept the dream alive but we were not ready for them to Blitz as the eagle scooped up this fumble and then ran it back untouched for the game tying touchdown which was a very unfortunate break right before halftime but we still had plenty of time to get a drive going and we were in danger of having to punt but Ryan Pace made an excellent throw however he would need to make another one as Braden Nico is the slowest running back on Earth and we were definitely going forward on fourth down where we thankfully converted again there were 20 seconds left in the half and Ryan Pace threw a perfect pass to The End Zone plus we got the ball to start the third quarter but they stopped Ben Fowler on third down so we took a field goal to go up by 10 points the Eagles weren't ready to call it quits though as one of our cornerbacks got toasted just like he had all season and that quick touchdown really fired up their defense so we needed to convert on third down and that was a terrible time to drop a pass we had to punt to start the fourth quarter and the same Corner got burnt again for a 38- yd gain and they would score on the very next play so we had successfully blown our lead and needed a huge Drive starting with this third down catch by Carlos Castillo settling for a field goal was not an option at this point in the game as we moved the chains again with tight end Steve Winchester and it was time to let Ben Fowler get loose on this toss play as he would score the go-ahead touchdown obviously the game was coming down to the wire where we were able to get a huge third down sack and they went for it on Fourth but we were able to deliver a huge hit that was the biggest stop of the year and now we just needed to run some clock but Ben Fowler had bigger plans as he scored the game ceiling touchdown and we had beaten our instate division Rivals we had another snow battle in our next matchup against Western Michigan and we were looking to continue our two- game win streak but they played the screen very well so we had to punt the ball on our first drive and they were working it down the field I would have loved to hold them to a field goal but their quarterback threw an absolute dime to the end zone and on a third down late in the first quarter their defense came up big getting held to a three and out that gave the Broncos a chance to take a two possession lead but it definitely didn't help that we couldn't bring down their slow quarterback to save our life and he went beast mode on us for a huge gain inside the 15 yd line he just ran a train on our entire defense but there was still hope as they didn't pick up the first down and they decided to not kick a field goal which was a huge mistake this was a chance to get some momentum going late in the first quarter but in true Grand Rapids fashion Ryan Pace immediately threw an interception that they turned into a pick six which was one of the most embarrassing plays of the entire season but at least we still had Ben Fowler to outrun their defense and he got us to Midfield where it was third down but Pace missed his Target for another pick things were not looking good for Grand at the start of the second as their quarterback hurdled a Defender and went untouched for the touchdown Which put Western Michigan up three possessions in the second ever war on Route 131 and this game was turning into an absolute beat down following another score thankfully we got some points before the half but the Broncos never let the foot off the gas taking a 35 to7 lead before halftime and we were completely humbled in this blowout loss so it was a big surprise that we landed three new commits the mastadons were fighting to not finish last in the mat conference against Toledo but they were moving the ball very well early on as their quarterback broke a tackle and picked up a huge gain so I really thought that they were going to score a touchdown but our defense had improved throughout the year and they got a huge stop holding them to a field goal this meant that our offense had a lot of pressure on their first drive as Ben Fowler started strong and we were finding huge holes in their defense to March down the field but we needed to throw the ball eventually and Ryan Pace got picked off this game could fall apart quick but we made a stop on third down so we got the ball back Midway through the second quarter where Ryan Pace hit Steven Arrington and this was looking like a successful drive as our tight end Steve Winchester got wide open for a touchdown our offense overcame its mistake but the Rockets were looking to get back to business and their quarterback took off as our defense missed every tackle on planet Earth which got them to the 15 and from there they reached the end zone this game was neck to neck going into the second half and we had the ball first with the chance to retake the lead as Ben Fowler had a lot of room on the screen play and outran the defense across Midfield however we still weren't in field goal range and went backwards on this wide receiver screen setting up a third and long where Pace found an open man but he couldn't move the chains so and luck decided to go for it on fourth down where Ryan Pace took a shot for Matt Lan that fell incomplete now the mastadons were in danger of falling behind two scores but our defense didn't give up and forced a third down where they ran a draw play but we were all over it for once our defense was carrying our team as Pace found Winchester for a first and we needed our freshman quarterback to get us into the end zone so it was a good thing he was inching us closer putting us inside the 10 where we were able to finish off the drive this was the best we had looked all year but we had to play strong until the end and we got an interception which gave us a chance to go up by two scores but we got sacked so we needed this third down conversion but Matt land couldn't hold on there were still 4 and 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter and Toledo had the ball trailing by four but while our defense looked good today they were exhausted and we were definitely starting to show it as this speed option got them past the 50 we forced a fourth down and they had to go for it as their quarterback had all day in the pocket so he hit his running back on the sideline to get the Rockets down to the one where they threw the ball for the go-head score this was Ryan Pace's chance to be a hero as he hit Steve Winchester and on Third and six he went right back to him moving the chains again Pace was looking good and our offensive line actually gave him time here so we found Morton for a massive gain on Third and three and we had 15 seconds to get into the end zone but we got sacked so we tied this one up with a last second field goal sending it to overtime where we started with the ball and handed it off to Ben Fowler but the ref said he fumbled it and we can clearly see that his elbow was down but I couldn't challenge the play so it was up to the officials to review it but they didn't so too won the game a play later that was one of the most heartbreaking losses in school history and it was one of the biggest officiating chokes ever but these recruits must have felt bad for us because we got three more commits after the game we were facing instate Rivals Michigan State to End season 2 and the Spartans curb stomped us last year with this game not starting off any different because all they needed was two runs to get on the board in this snow game we tried to give Ben Fowler the ball but they were all over him and we went for a three and out after this brutal Miss from Ryan Pace I was hopeful that this would be a close game since we took Michigan to overtime in week one but their running back put our linebacker in a body bag for another score and we really needed our offense to get going but this pass went off Steven arrington's hands and into the Defenders for an interception that he ran back for the pick six we weren't even Midway through the first quarter yet and we were down 21 points but Ryan Pace had built up some chemistry with Matt land hitting him for a long touchdown and I hope that big play could fire up our defense as they clamped their receivers on first down but they were wise to attack our biggest weakness going back to the ground game and two of our guys flopped at the running backs ankles on his way to the end zone so our run defense still sucked but at least Matt Lan came to play and apparently he was trying to shed his one game Wonder label from last season because he got us some momentum on this drive as Pace kept slinging it the mastadons were driving into Spartan territory when Fowler dropped a pass and I'm not kidding when I say that this game hates this team because that was our second tipped interception of the day and their Defender outran everyone to the end zone nobody could have guessed that this first quarter would have two tip pick sixes but at least Matt L continued his amazing performance catching both of the passes on this touchdown drive but our season ended on the worst note possible as the Mastadon suffered a brutal massacre in the snow and on the bright side we only finished second to last in our conference but maybe the biggest positive is that we had a ton of players graduating which cleared room for a 23-man recruiting class that was surprisingly loaded with Talent ranked 35th in the nation as for the national champions in the first 12 team playoffs Clemson would beat Texas by four and Ryan Pace's stats for a freshman quarterback could have been worse Ben Fowler might have not rushed for over a th000 yards but he was tied for first in receptions on our team and somehow Matt Lance regressed from last year once again Jeremiah Wayne led the team tackles and I'm glad that Jackson mcgan can actually play this season because with him we're not projected to be the worst team but we've got some rough matchups on our schedule and I'll be thrilled if we even land half of these prospects it's the start of season 3 and my goal is to win a bowl game but we're beginning the year with a matchup against Kent State who's marching down the field and scored on a bubble screen shortly after we were faced with a third down and threw to our new running back who looks super slow so the golden flashes have the ball back and so far our defense isn't showing any signs of improvement because we haven't made a single play as their quarterback back completely embarrassed us and hit his open receiver for another touchdown the mastadons need to wake up but Ben Fowler can't go anywhere and I'm not sure how we can expect to make a ball game if we're getting our backs blown out by Kent State who just scored on a fumble six this is a nightmare for a team that has improved each season but they're still time for us to cook and we have senior Ben Fowler who scores his first touchdown of the year so we cut into their lead but we really need to get the ball back and it's definitely not ideal that our defense still doesn't want to make any tackles as they're facing third down where we could have forced a field goal but of of course that's not happening sophomore quarterback Ryan pace is looking to take a step forward this year and this was a dart to transfer tight end Jackson McGowen who managed to score a touchdown on this play because somehow he was never ruled down and our defense hasn't gotten a stop all game but it won't stop us from scoring some more touchdowns and it's nice to see Matt L continue to get playing time we were actually out scoring them in the second half and Ryan Pace made another beautiful throw to Jackson McGowen who might be our favorite Target because he's in the end zone for a third time and even though we lost that game was actually pretty fun because Ryan pace through for nearly 600 yard and our recruiting board looks really good so far we have no choice but to get our first win of the Season against akan but to do so our defense has to improve and we're already off to a bad start because we can't make a single tackle and their running back just assaulted three of our Defenders for a touchdown so we're going to need to lean on our offense again because we're coming off of our best passing game in school history and Ben Fowler tied the game I don't know why we didn't fire our defensive coordinator but maybe things are going to turn around as we got a stop and this was exactly what we needed with Ryan Pace taking a shot shot down the sideline but it was intercepted so we failed to take advantage of the rare defensive stand and our Corner Rodney Cronin just got burnt for a touchdown however they missed their extra point giving us a chance to take the lead but we got stopped and their quarterback ran away from us on third down which would keep their Drive alive where they were able to beat us deep again we can't let this game turn into a blowout but Ryan Pace got sacked on first and second down so we were trailing by 13 to start the second half where we found Steven Arrington and that got us inside the 20 with Matt land finishing off the drive it was time to clamp their defense but Bullock made a great throw to the sideline so they were already across Midfield and then we got a huge sack I thought that was going to put them out of field goal range but their kicker was able to sneak it in and that was really bad because now we were down two scores so we needed a big play and of course we were going to put the ball in running back Ben Fowler's hands where he was able to outrun the entire defense for a very nice 69 yard score so we were only down two points to start the fourth quarter and this stop gave us great field positioning where we kept feeding Ben Fowler who got us inside the 10 yd line and Ryan through a beautiful touchdown pass akaran blew their lead and they didn't get a first down so we could run out the clock to win us the game and this drive was already off to a good start as Ben Fowler was having the best performance of his career and he moved the chains again for us getting us to the 15 yd line we'd go on to secure our first win of the season and impressed several big recruits on campus I wanted revenge against Michigan State though because they destroyed us last season and it seemed like this one was off to the same start as we gave up a long rushing touchdown even though our offense couldn't keep their next drive going either our pun H gave me hope that we could win this matchup because he delivered the greatest punt the world has ever seen so the Spartans had their backs against the wall but it didn't matter as we let their quarterback run freely up the middle and I don't know why Michigan State always embarrassed us on the ground but we looked almost as bad as Washington's run defense in the national championship we had already dug ourselves into a hole but thankfully Jackson McGowen got enough for the first so our Drive stayed alive but Ben Fowler couldn't escape their defense and we were faced with another third and long that we couldn't convert but I'll be Satisfied even if we don't win this game because our punter has earned his spot in the College Football Hall of Fame Michigan state scored again though and we were looking to get some points before halftime and Matt L continued to lead our loaded receiving room taking this into the End Zone on top of that our defense would finally get a stop which gave us a chance to make this a one possession game and matland was cooking this team's defensive backs leading to Ryan Pace finding mgan to finish the drive I couldn't believe it was a six-point game in the second half and our defense surprisingly had a chance to get back-to-back stops which they did that meant we could take the lead on this drive and Ben Fowler was really starting to heat up is he got two first downs to set up a score we were beating the Spartans and I couldn't believe our defense was playing this good but unfortunately it seemed like this game was going to come down to the wire because the Spartans had the ball with 90 seconds left and they ripped our defense apart with all of these Corner routes before scoring an easy touchdown a two-point conversion made it a seven-point game and Ryan Pace got sacked so things were not looking good and our quarterback absolutely choked throwing this horrible interception that went nowhere near Our receiver and ended up losing us the game next next up was 4-1 Northern Illinois and we have never beaten them before so it's no surprise they marched right down the field on two big plays to take the lead as our defense looked terrible on their first drive like always we were going to need to lean on our offense again but Ryan Pace threw an interception and this had to be the worst start imaginable since we were already down by 14 and then we turned it over again that set up the huskys for another easy touchdown against our defense so this was ugly but we had to remember that our team had already won a comeback game and Ryan Pace was starting to find his rhythm hitting Jackson McGowen which caught us across the 20 but then he took a sack so we had to try the field goal but we faked it and Zack Keys missed the throw we were down 21 points at the start of the second quarter but then we got a stop so it was time to finally score some points but they almost got the ball back and now it was third and long where Ryan Pace missed again for another pick there was still time for our sophomore quarterback to recover from his worst game ever finding Scott Thomas and the huskys had clamped our receivers today but we were back in the Red Zone where Ryan Pace went back to Thomas for the touchdown Midway through the third quarter we were down three possessions but our receivers were finally stepping up and halfback Ben Fowler would catch this for another score which put the mastadons right back in this game but they needed a stop and everyone in the stadium knew that wasn't going to happen so the Huskies held us to just 13 points and this recruiting update was the only positive one of our week this was the worst possible start to a game especially versus our Rivals Central Michigan who we had beaten twice so they were hungry to get revenge on us and it wasn't helping that Ryan Pace just had his worst career game so Central Michigan already had the ball back and then we got a huge sack which set up third and long where our defensive back made a great play it was always a huge battle when we faced off against them and neither defense was letting up Midway through the first quarter as we blitzed our linebacker to get another sack even though the day might have started off rough we were starting to shut them down and passing the ball hadn't worked for us so it was time to feed Ben Fowler who got us into field goal range and we wanted the touchdown but Ryan Pace missed another throw so we had no choice but to take the points it was nice to get on the board but of course they answered by breaking multiple tackles on another huge rushing play and they got into The End Zone shortly after all eyes were on Ryan Pace to break out of his slump and he was lucky that Wilson stayed in bounds which allowed us to score with 10 seconds left in the half and we got the ball to start the third quarter where Ben Fowler reminded everyone that he's a glitch on this first down run I couldn't believe that we were about to take a lead as Jackson McGowen found the end zone and we had completely flipped the momentum in this game with a strong second half as Ryan Wilson made another big play that got us in Central Michigan's territory where we scored again and there was only a quarter left in the game where they needed 10 points to avoid losing to us for a third time so it's no surprise that they put together a good drive ending in a score and the mastadons needed to drain some of the clock with Ben Fowler moving the chains which would get us the comeback win since they had burned through all of their timeouts every single time we played Buffalo they dominated us so we were looking for this game to be different and we stopped them on their opening drive but Ryan Pace continued to miss receivers and that was an amazing interception it put buffalo in some great field positioning where they were able to strike first and this game was in danger of getting out of hand because they scored again I don't know what's wrong with Ryan Pace but he needed to figure it out because he was the one player who could make or break this season and buffalo was driving again but we got a sack on second and long with a field goal making it a 17-point game our offense desperately needed a touchdown drive to end the half and we were very lucky that Juka wide receiver Carlos Castillo got wide open on this corner route because he outran the defense inside the 25 yd line but we decided to go for it on fourth down and thankfully we scored we also got the ball back to start the second half where I was hoping we could get some more points but they got us to a third third and 12 and Ryan Pace made the best throw of the game which led to a field goal that would get it back within seven it was time for our defense to step up and they came up big so we had the ball back in our hands with all of the momentum as freshman running back Ryan Wilson juked to the outside and went untouched the rest of the way for the game tying touchdown I couldn't believe we had scored 17 unanswered but Wilson was having the best game of his career and Ryan Wilson opened up the fourth quarter by finding the end zone again however the Bulls offense finally woke up after they allowed 24 straight points and a breakaway t touchdown tied the game back up so the mastadons would have to answer if they wanted to avoid overtime and Ryan Pace would hit a wide open Carlos Castillo to get into field goal range where the mastadons ran down the clock and kicked the gamewinner for their third victory of the season after we embarrassed them last year Notre Dame was looking for revenge and we had a chance to secure our first four- win season but they were already up 10 to Z and we were off to one of our worst starts this year so we needed to lock them up and things weren't looking very good for us but on Third and one we made a play and we started our next drive with a handoff to Ben Fowler trying to spark our offense which worked very well but we needed to convert on third down and Ryan Pace made an amazing throw to Matt land keeping our Drive alive as he was able to find him again shortly after that Ben Fowler used his speed to be the defender to the end zone and our successful Drive gave us some momentum in the third quarter as we forced a punt and Ryan Wilson hit the step back to clear a ton of space on the return to give us great field positioning this was our first opportunity to take the lead against the Irish and Ben Fowler was starting to do some damage as he tired out their defense and Ryan will and walked into the end zone so we were finally in front of Notre Dame and then their quarterback sacked himself so the Irish were falling apart in the second half just like last year and our goal was to slowly drive down the field to kill the clock to secure another upset against Notre Dame however their run defense stepped up so we unfortunately had to punt it back only up by four points and they decided to run the ball which was definitely working but then they tried to catch us off guard with a pass so they were faced with a third down and their quarterback missed the throw forcing them to go for it on Fourth and this was the worst possible time to get toasted deep as that mistake led to the go-ahead touchdown and I was disappointed we lost our lead because now we needed another big drive and we had less than a minute to get it done but we were working it down the field so I'm not sure why Andrew Luck kept calling these screen plays because none of them were working and Anthony Weber bailed us out that got us near field goal range with 10 seconds left where Ryan Pace threw an absolute dime to Scott Thomas so we kicked the Chip Shot field goal to go to overtime where Steven Arrington started us off with a 21 yd reception we beat them in OT last year and wanted to repeat history so we took the lead to put the pressure on them and our defense came up clutch with a huge interception helping us upset Notre Dame again we always have tight games against our instate rival Eastern Michigan and they were off to a great start with this huge Run play to the 35 yd line but then on third down our defense came up with a big interception as Andrew Monroe always got burnt deep last season and he finally got his revenge it took one play for Ryan Pace to get injured though so Zack Keys was in but it didn't make a difference because our running game had really come alive over the past few weeks and Ryan Wilson easily scored so we were off to a fantastic start but the Eagles were driving and it didn't take long for them to answer as they ran in the ball for six Ryan Pace was back in now and he missed the throw on Third and seven so they could score again but we didn't want to lose our momentum and it seemed like we got an easy stop on Third and long but we got a penalty for diving at their quarterback so they got a second chance to score and I don't know how this wasn't intercepted but it really felt like the game was against us as they went in untouched for the score and Ryan Pace really needed to get it together so I finally decided to hit a checkdown which put us across the 50 where what called a terrible play they had the ball back now with a chance to score before halftime and we embarrassingly let him March all the way down the field to give up a last second field goal but they also got the ball to start the third quarter and our defense looked completely broken as we gave up a massive rushing touchdown to go down by three scores this was not how I pictured this game going especially after last week's massive win so thankfully our offense still had some life as Scott Thomas made a big play but then Ryan Pace got sacked so we had to settle for a field goal and unfortunately this was one of our worst games of the season on both sides of the ball and this tipped interception went right into the hands of the defender who would score on a pick six to hand us another loss but at least our recruiting class was looking better than ever we've gotten our backs blown out by Western Michigan 2 years in a row and their team has only gotten better as they're ranked 25th in the nation but they got flagged for clipping here so they were faced with an early third down where we got the Stop and we needed a win if we wanted to end this losing streak against them but it was third down and long and Ryan Pace sailed this pass for an interception so the Broncos had the ball back to start the second quarter where they were driving and it seemed like their quarterback was starting to find a rhythm with this touchdown pass so we needed Ryan Pace to step up and he started out strong hitting Steven Arrington and then finding Matt Lan to get the mastadons across the 50 where Ben Fowler finished the drive but Western Michigan wasn't done as our cornerback got beat deep and we couldn't stop their QB from getting into the End Zone on this run so we had 45 seconds to score before halftime and Ryan Pace found Jackson mcgan who made a move to break away from the defender for a huge play and then two plays later Ryan Pace went up the scene or backup tight end hackit before Scott Thomas would tie the game up the mastadons also had the ball to start the second half where Jackson mcgan picked up a first down so Ryan Pace was on fire and he hit Steven Arrington inside the 20 where Scott Thomas would score on the very next play we had the lead for the first time and Ben Fowler's huge hit forced to stop but I wish he had been in the game on this play because our backup running back Ryan Wilson had the ball ripped away from him and the Broncos would scoop it up for the tying touchdown that was an absolute Nightmare and it's safe to say that Ryan Wilson was going to be on the bench for a while as we put Ben Fowler back onto the field who took this screen to the house then our defense continued to make plays so another touchdown could easily secure us our first win in the war on Route 131 and coach decided to give Ryan Wilson another chance which was a good thing he did because he went untouched for a score that put us up by 14 points but Ben Fowler wanted to have the last word in this one scoring another touchdown and we finally took down our biggest Rivals if we win this game we'd become B eligible and I'm pretty sure we just paralyze their quarterback but somehow he was still out there and then our defense forced to stop it wouldn't matter though because Ryan Pace was missing all his throws so they got the ball back again but r d was railing them and actually came up with back-to-back sacks this matchup was still scoreless at the start of the second quarter but everything changed after our first safety ever so all of the momentum was in our favor and we went for it on fourth down which worked setting up Ryan Wilson to score our first touchdown of the game so the Rockets were suddenly down by two possessions and they needed to get into the end zone before the half where our defense really wasn't helping giving up this huge play and then we left the receiver wide open for an easy score however Ryan pace and the offense still had time to extend their lead before the third quarter and with 15 seconds left Pace floated it up to matland who was wide open but he dropped it into an interception that me it would stay as a two-point game but Ryan Wilson was uncovered on the wheel route and he outran the defense all the way down inside the five which set up a pretty easy score for us and the mastadons once again led by two possessions but the Rockets were driving until our defense forced a huge fumble giving giving us the ball back where Scott Thomas would then make a spectacular catch so we were on their side of the field and Thomas would leave their Corner in the dust for another touchdown helping us get revenge against Toledo while also adding to our recruiting class we were B eligible going up against Western Kentucky but this is an early third down which Ryan Wilson's not going to pick up so we were relying on our greatly improved defense and their offense went three and out we started our next Drive in Hill tooper territory where a matland drop became an interception and that was really unfortunate because he had been so good this season but his mistake cost us the lead because they would score on a breakaway rushing touchdown and Ryan pace and the offense were trying to get us back in the game hitting Carlos castio who got us to Midfield where land would make up for his previous mistake and this pass to Steven Arrington tied the game so we needed our defense to shrug off that embarrassing touchdown run but I was afraid they'd return to their old ways after giving up another big play to our 25 yd line however we were able to clamp up on the goal line forcing a chip shot field goal from the hill Toppers but unfortunately we'd have to give the ball right back to them so we were in danger of going down by two possessions before halftime but thankfully on second down their quarterback threw an absolute duck that we intercepted and we had a chance to take our first lead of the game as matland was left wide open downfield for a huge gain but we couldn't get into the end zone so we had to tie it up with a field goal instead now it was the second half where the hill Toppers started with the ball and they were already making huge plays where they quickly scored a touchdown so this one continued to go back and forth and I think we need to give the ball to Ben Fowler for the rest of the game I should have stuck to my word continuing to do that because Robinson dropped a pass which was intercepted so in a disastrous turn of events their linebacker outran our entire team for a pick six and that put them up 14 points in the fourth quarter but it wasn't over yet because we put together another touchdown Drive which put the pressure on our defense to get a stop and they set up a screenplay but a m tackle allowed them to pick up a huge first down and we had completely choked this game away this could be our first winning season in school history but we needed to win our last game against Michigan because we're not guaranteed to make a balll game as a six- win Mac team so would be really nice to finish the regular season strong and we were driving against the Wolverines until Ryan Pace threw an interception that was a very disappointing way to start the game because it looked like we were going to score a touchdown and our defense couldn't make a tackle to save their lives on this huge catch and run as their receiver was still going all the way down inside the 5 yd line which led to Michigan scoring a touchdown and our offense went three and out on our next Drive giving the Wolverines the ball back and they immediately scored to make it 14 to0 in the second quarter we needed a fast answer because we were falling behind in this game and thankfully Scott Thomas got wide open on a corner route outr running the entire defense for six so all of a sudden we weren't out of it and then our defense would force a big stop giving our offense some life where Ryan Pace hooked up with Carlos Castillo who fought across the 50 for a huge gain and this drive only got better as Pace extended the play to his right and launched the ball downfield to tight end Jackson McGowen before calling his number again for the game timeing score however there were still 40 seconds left before halftime and Rodney Cronin got burnt deep so Michigan was able to break the tie and then they scored again to start the third quarter we just couldn't keep up with the Wolverines in the second half where their run game continued to clap our cheeks which made our record six and six and we would be taking on Wyoming in the bar stool Arizona Bowl this is our first bowl game in program history and I'd be concerned if we couldn't beat Wyoming who started the game with a very long touchdown run so we were definitely going to lean on senior Ben Fowler who's playing in his last game ever and wants to go out on top however Ryan Pace then got sacked on Third and six so the Cowboys could extend their lead but our defense made a stand and we forced a punt that was headed out of bounds but Ryan Wilson made a huge mistake trying to return this one and it's a Wyoming touchdown that was one of the dumbest plays I'd ever seen and it's the reason that we're down two possessions but Ben Fowler still has plenty of time to cook and he made a great play for 46 yards then Ryan Pace hit Carlos Castillo who stiff armed his way for extra yardage before Ben Fowler speed finished off our drive and we would get the ball back with a chance to tie the game where senior wide receiver Matt land wanted to win so bad because he just scored an 80 yard touchdown down so it finally looked like we had some momentum but the Cowboys weren't going to give up easily and we missed more tackles to let them get to our 35 where shortly after they would toss the ball to their running back to retake the lead unfortunately we'd then have to putt on our next drive and this was one of the worst defensive games in a while with their running back just stiff arming two of our players on this touchdown run we needed to get something going and thankfully Ryan Pace put this deep bomb right on the money for Scott Thomas who scored which cut their lead to just seven points but we had to get a stop and our defense was still missing every possible tackle attempt which allowed them to get down near the 15 yd line and they just handed off from there so we allowed another easy touchdown and we were having a hard time keeping up with Wyoming's offense but thankfully we had some Playmakers step up and Ryan Wilson ran away from everybody on this long score this game was not over yet and it was looking like a Big 12 Football game because neither side decided to play any defense at all and we had to keep fighting for all of our seniors but our defense kept finding new ways to disappoint us as their running back would take it into the house for like the fifth time so we lost our first ball game ever finishing season 3 with another losing record and we had several key offensive players that were graduating but thankfully we brought in our best recruiting class yet and I think it deserves to be ranked higher than 55th because these players are going to get us to the next level maybe not as good as Texas A&M though who won it all but Andrew Luck did get a contract extension and Ryan Pace has some competition in the quarterback room his in-game stats do look a little better since he's a junior but he struggled with a ton of turnovers this past year and Brian Johnson is only freshman giving him a higher ceiling with Ben Fowler gone Ryan Wilson is going to have to take over and it'll be interesting to see what new receivers step up like Steven Anderson did on defense leading the team in tackles we're not supposed to be the worst college in our division since almost winning a bowl game has helped us a ton and we're targeting another Joo running back and Demarcus Perkins before we start Grand Rapid season 4 though a word from prize picks today's video sponsor with the NBA playoffs going on this is a great time to get the app and you can play in over 30 States so there's a good chance that yours is eligible now if you don't already know what prize pick is on the app all you do is simply pick between two to six players and higher or lower on their projections but if I had to pick my personal favorite type of lineup to create it would have to be the two player ones by far anyway if you're not on prize picks already and you want some free cash to start out with code board or the first link in my description will double your initial deposit up to $100 and now it's time to get back to rebuilding Grand Rapids it's the start of season 4 which will be our most important year yet because we're coming off an embarrassing loss in our first bowl game and we just graduated key players like Ben Fowler so quarterback Ryan pace needs to step up and this was a great start for the mastadons against Bowling Green where we should have recovered this fumble they maintained possession though and Rodney Cronin got stiff armed on the play immediately after he forced a fumble to let their running back get to the 5 yd line where at least they weren't able to get into the end zone and we would maintain our lead but we would definitely want to keep our foot on the gas here hitting Steven Arrington on the corner route to get past Midfield and Ryan Pace rolled right to find Dante moss in the end zone late in the second quarter Rd had only given up three points and they swarm their QB to force a huge fumble where Ryan Pace would follow followed up continuing to make a statement throwing his third touchdown pass of the half it felt like our offense was even better than it was last year despite losing our top three receivers and not having Ben Fowler either wasn't an issue as wide receiver Anthony Weber took a Jet Sweep to the crib I'm not sure what kind of diets these guys are on during the offseason but we looked Unstoppable securing a blowout win while starting the season out strong on and off the field because we got seven commits Kent State clapped our cheeks last year so we needed to get Redemption against them and our defense looked great in last week's blowout win but they were not off to a good start in this one so we were already down by seven points and our offense needed to answer as Ryan Pace hit his new number one receiver Steven Arrington and then our backup running back scored the touchdown tying it up at 7 to7 as our defense then made a huge stand holding Kent State to just a field goal that stop gave our offense the chance to take the lead in the second quarter where Ryan Pace found Dante Moss who got down to the one and we easily scored so we were in a pretty good spot because our D was stepping up and Ryan Wilson converted on Third and 10 but we were down to 30 seconds in the half so we needed to act quickly and Pace went back to Moss for another six we could have gone into the half up two scores but we left their wide receiver open and apparently their kicker has an absolute boot because he drilled it from 52 so it was unfortunate that we were only ahead by seven but on Third and 20 Anthony Weber made the play of the Year going up with one hand and at least that catch helped us add a field goal Rd continued to penetrate their tight pocket so it was nice to see sophomore running back Ryan Wilson Phil Ben fower shoes and he even got open in the end zone for a touchdown catch to help us seal another win this was the worst possible will start to our next game against Notre Dame though as they were looking for revenge against the mastadons because we've won two straight matchups against them so it felt like our undefeated season was in Jeopardy and this field goal put them up by 10 it wasn't raining too hard but our Defender was wet enough to drop this interception but thankfully our D hit him from behind on third down so Pace in the offense went to work hitting Hicks over the middle which got us inside the 20 where we finished the drive unfortunately though Notre Dame's offense was ready for a fast answer hitting their receiver who torched us on the corner route down to the 25 yd line and then they immediately pitched it to their running back on the triple option who stiff armed our preseason All Conference safety into the end zone so we were still in a really bad spot but Pace threw it up to our best player Jackson mcgan who made the catch and the Irish would start the second half with the score but Ryan Pace was able to follow it up by hooking up with Steven Arrington for a nice gain which was good null until he ignored all of his open wide receivers throwing an interception instead then our exhausted defense gave up another touchdown but it was too early to give up on the mastadons since they had beaten this team in overtime two years in a row and Ernie Hicks got us downfield only for Ryan Pace to throw into double coverage as we suffered our first loss of the year but at least we added two more commits we have never beaten the Northern Illinois Huskies but our defense forced a punt to start this game and Ryan Wilson continued to look good running the ball so we were working it down the field but Ryan Pace swallowed a sack and the huskys got it back where their running back wasted no time finding the hole and got a perfect blocking from his offensive line on this huge touchdown run we needed an answer back but Steven Arrington dropped this pass and I thought our run defense had improved but they gave up another score so Pace really needed to help us rally and he found Jackson mcgan getting us to Midfield where then Arrington got us into field goal range and we'd finally get some points on the board but unfortunately our defense continued to get exposed as Miller got beat down the field for a massive gain and they would answer with three points of their own while we learned that Ryan Wilson's day was done so this was not going to be an easy comeback but Steven Arrington continued his breakout year and between him and Jackson McGowen they were the only way we could move the ball before Andrew cardi punched it in because I simmed it we missed the extra point but at least our defense would then force a three and out so we could potentially tie it up as we were driving and eventually Ryan Pace would officially put us back into this one but Ernie Hicks dropped the twoo conversion and that was very unfortunate because we could have tied it up but now they can drain the clock and I couldn't believe we gave up two scrambles in a row to their slow quarterback who broke two tackles on this play which got them in the field goal range but it still wasn't over yet because they were only Up by Five Points and we had 90 seconds to go where Jackson mgan got us near the 50 so Ryan Pace went back to him for another first but we needed a touchdown and Drew cardi got open on the wheel route setting up Hicks to catch his second touchdown of the day which meant we were going to finally beat the Huskies I couldn't believe how bad this game started against our rival Central Michigan as our coverage downfield busted giving up a touchdown but thankfully our quarterback Ryan Pace made the best throw of his career to Steven Arrington which tied the game then our defense followed it up with a huge sack so we were rallying which was much needed and then Ryan Pace launched another nuke down the field giving us the lead and our team was just playing well on all sides of the ball holding Central Michigan to just three points but unfortunately Steven Arrington couldn't hang on to this one so we had to punt it back to them and then our cornerback got burnt down the left sideline which set up the go-ahead score before halftime for our opponent we had completely choked our lead away but thankfully Ryan Wilson had come back strong from last week's injury as he got us all the way down to the 5 yd line where I thought we could get into the end zone but Ryan Pace got intercepted off of a deflection so that really killed our confidence but thankfully our defense would step up which gave us the ball right back where we continued to feed Ryan Wilson and that was a great choice because he got some good blocks downfield with the screen and he showed off his wheels giving us the lead over Central Michigan it was clear in the fourth quarter that this game was turning into an instant classic but the mastadons were looking to end it with 2 minutes left and they would do exactly that thanks to Ryan Wilson's breakout day and we already had 17 different commits in our recruiting class we were undefeated in conference play but Buffalo had given us a hard time throughout this entire Dynasty and that's why it was so clutched that we got pressure on third down which forced them to just settle for a field goal however Ryan Pace was not looking good at all which really stunk because we had to punt the ball back to the blls and they ran the toss play to their running back who went untouched all the way to the end zone to put them up by two scores things would only get worse for us as well with Ryan Pace throwing another interception and we were desperate for a stop so at least our defensive line came to play holding the blls to another field goal and it was time for our offense to figure things out where Ryan Pace found Jackson mcgan downfield and then Ryan Wilson had plenty of room on this screen pass as he beat the defender to the sideline for a touchdown the mastadons continue to feed Wilson in the second half because he was moving the chains but he got injured for like the 47th time this year so we needed a new game plan and thankfully Ryan Pace was ready to cook even though backup running back Andrew cardi wasn't very fast he did give us the lead but we were only in front by one point and they were already driving into our territory where they would kick the go-ahead field goal on us so we were playing from behind again and Ryan Pace just got destroyed that meant the Bulls would get the ball back in our territory and it wouldn't take long for the running back to get down the field and we couldn't prevent a score which gave us our first conference loss we have never beaten Michigan State and for whatever reason they always start the game with a long rushing touchdown against our defense as their quarterback just embarrassed us so we need a good performance from Ryan Pace but he missed a key throw and this game was off to the worst possible start because Pace got hit as he threw it and they somehow intercepted it so the Spartans tacked on another easy field goal going up by two scores and it seemed like this could quickly turn into a blowout loss after this fumble and their quarterback was Freer than OJ Simpson on this touchdown so it was do or die for the mastadons who are having their best season ever and I thought that played Steven Arrington would give us a spark but then Ryan Pace would get sacked two times in a row so thankfully we do the same to the Spartans when they got near our end zone and all they' add on was another three points our offense still had time to score before the half as Steven Arrington picked up a first down and then Ryan Pace went back to him again to finally get points on the board but the Spartans were looking to ice it on us with another score and that's when we came away with a massive fumble it was far from over now and Steven Arrington continued to Feast so we were looking for a big play on second and 20 but then got intercepted by the same guy again and at that point it was was time to put in backup quarterback Brian Johnson just to see what he could do and he was already looking better than Pace because he hit Anthony Weber who hit the step back for a massive gain and then Brian Johnson showed off his speed to reach the end zone that at least ended this blowout on a good note because we fell to 4 and three our starting quarterback Ryan Pace got bench last game and it could happen again after this terrible interception gave our instate Rivals an easy touchdown so I couldn't believe that the mastadons were playing this bad after starting the year 4- one but thankfully Ryan Pace woke up and led a touchdown Drive which tied up the game and then Anthony Weber made an insane catch we got down to the one yd line but then this cornerback came out of nowhere to intercept the pass and this matchup had been a roller coaster of emotions where of course the running back penetrated the hole and left every player on the field in the dust on the very next play so I couldn't figure out if we sucked or if we were just one of the unluckiest teams in the world but they just forced another turnover and of course none of our players could catch up to their fat linemen so we were on the verge of suffering back-to-back blowout losses if we didn't make some adjustments and Ernie Hicks made a good play on this first down catch and run which led to Ryan Pace calling his number again helping us convert on Fourth and N before Dante Moss would finish the drive off and there were still 2 minutes left in the half so we could tie the game if we forced a punt and then drive down the field but that was obviously too much to ask for from our sof d as they continued to give up embarrassingly long scores but at least Steven Arrington and the rest of our offense was looking Elite and Arie Hicks got wide open to get the mastadons back within seven points to start the second half Eastern Michigan had the ball and everyone in the stadium already knew that they were going to get into the end zone because our defense was an absolute dumpster fire so we would have to beat them in a sh out as Arie Hicks scored another touchdown and then our defense miraculously forced a punt finally giving us a chance to tie up this game and it was a great time to start hooking up with Jackson McGowen before going back to Dante Moss giving him his second score I couldn't believe we were back in this as Joel Johnson broke the school sack record setting up Eastern Michigan with a second and long but our Defenders just ran into each other giving up a massive play to the Eagles but we couldn't let that break us because then we forced them to a third and three where their quarterback looked to run but Cronin made an amazing tackle so we held them to a field goal but their kicker had a noodle leg which meant we could March down the field and win this game as Ernie Hicks continued his great day then Ryan Pace found Anthony Weber for n yards on Third and 12 and that set up the go-ahead field goal attempt that we driled all we needed was our defense to get one more stop but they were already making me nervous because they got mossed for a huge gain and then on third and 13 their quarterback threw a missile so they kicked a field goal with 3 seconds left and that sent it to overtime where they scored on their first play but thankfully we were able to answer right back and we went for the win but Steven Arrington got bumped at the line of scrimmage which stopped his progress and lost it for us snow games are superior to any other type of matchup in NCA football and the mastadons had lost three straight ones leading up to the war on Route 131 so we were hoping to rebound against our biggest Rivals but hacket dropped it and they got the ball back but no one saw their receiver because their jerseys perfectly Blended in with the ground Grand Rapids already found themselves in another two-score deficit but mgan saved this drive and that allowed Ryan Pace to be a hero as he took a shot downfield which was intercepted they' add on another field goal after that but we did convert on a third and 17 so we absolutely needed to get some points on the board and it was a good thing that Steven Arrington got open because we'd eventually reach the end zone and now we only trailed by 10 but we dropped an interception which was painful so I wanted to at least get our defense off the field but they made a big play and ended the half with a field goal we started with the ball in the third quarter but I swear we have more drops turn into interceptions than any other team in the country but on the other side of things we couldn't even catch an easy pick six so it felt like the football Gods never wanted to see us make another ball game and we were finally putting together a good drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Ryan Wilson it was only a six point difference until their quarterback upended our lineman and threw a perfect pass so it continued to feel like this matchup was constantly out of our reach but we found the end zone again and continued to hope our defense would make a play as they finally did in the fourth quarter we were back to being down by six points and it felt like we had some momentum in our favor but this linebacker came completely out of nowhere to jump in front of our receiver and of course they catch all their interceptions as he turned that into a pick six and I just threw my controller into the wall so this game's over our season's falling apart because we've lost four straight games and this was not an encouraging start against Toledo but thankfully our defense would finally wake up getting a massive goal line stand here and holding the Rockets to just a field goal so then our offense would take over where we were starting back up Brian Johnson but apparently he got injured and that put Ryan Pace back in the game where he'd float this corner route to wide openen Anthony Weber getting us inside the 25 where he would then throw an ugly interception it looked like we were about to take the lead but now the Rockets brought by two possessions so at least Brian Johnson was back out there now and he clearly wasn't a much better option because he immediately threw a pick giving Toledo great field positioning where they'd score on the next play and we dug ourselves into a hole but Johnson delivered the clutchest play of the game getting hit as he threw downfield to Anthony Weber who outran the defense for a touchdown and we were finally on the board but we dropped an interception and that was definitely the most frustrating part especially because they got the ball back right before halftime thankfully to start the third quarter at least we had possession of it and Brian Johnson helped cut the Rockets lead to just three points but we needed to get a stop as we dropped another pick six so that meant we had to come up clutch on Third and 12 where we actually got a sack and and it was time for the mastadons to retake the lead but right on Q Johnson threw an interception so I was raging because nothing was going our way but this game finally gave us one back and I couldn't believe we had another chance to take the lead as Ryan Wilson cut this run back to the left side for a big gain but this drive's progress could be killed with one bad throw so thankfully we hooked up with Anthony Weber downfield and on Third and six Brian Johnson rolled right but he couldn't outrun their defense so we kicked the game time field goal instead and Toledo had choked their lead in the fourth quarter where they suddenly had no momentum because Steven Anderson got Grand Rapids their second pick so we ran down the clock and kicked the game-winning field goal to snap our losing streak if we wanted to become bow eligible we had to win one of our last two games but I couldn't believe how bad our defense started against Western Kentucky as we gave up a rushing touchdown on the very first play so we were already trailing and Brian Johnson was starting again but he threw an interception which gave them great field positioning so they scored again and the mastadons had lost four out of their last five so it felt like this team was truly cursed but at least Ryan Wilson made a great play to get to the sticks on third and 13 and then Ernie Hicks beat his man to finish the scoring drive so at least we had rebounded back from our terrible start and then when we had the ball again Brian Johnson showed off his wheels on the read option but our bad luck struck again because he fumbled it away and the hill Toppers would take advantage of our failure to score so I never thought I'd say this but Ryan Pace was our only chance at winning because he was back in getting us down the field until we made a terrible read to throw an ugly interception and I don't know if our school is cursed or not but we would have never gotten away with something like this and I couldn't blame our defense for giving up on stopping this touchdown since nothing had gone right for the mastadons today but Ryan pce ear his starting job back with this scoring drive and then we had the ball to start the half but Steven Arrington couldn't hold on so we'd have to punt it to them but then head coach Andrew Luck called a fake and that was a horrible idea because it ruined any chance of coming back as they scored again and we fell to 5- six this year this was our last chance to become bull eligible but we would have to upset number 12 Michigan on the road and we were off to a bad start because they had already scored a touchdown and it was easy to see why we had lost five out of our last six because after getting an interception they would immediately score another touchdown but we weren't ready to give up finding Steven Arrington to keep this drive alive and then Dante Moss was left wide open up the scene for another big game where we'd put in Brian Johnson just so he could run in our first score that possession raised our confidence but we still couldn't stop the Wolverines who found an open man deep down the middle and that got them inside the 15 where their quarterback ran it in to finish their drive so we needed to keep our momentum going on offense and Brian Johnson was actually leading a really nice drive finding Dante Moss over the middle but then wide receiver Ernie Hicks dropped a touchdown so we decided to settle for three instead and that was definitely frust rating but at least we'd get the ball back in the third quarter where Brian Johnson continued to spark our offense getting us back within four points but unfortunately they were exposing our soft D to the whole world and extended their lead so our backup quarterback had to keep us in this game and he made a beautiful throw downfield but Steven Arrington dropped it for an interception so the mastadons continued to be Their Own Worst Enemy and that was an even more painful ending than last season because we weren't even going to make a bowl game so at least we weren't losing many big names to graduation and head coach Ander luck continued to recruit well above our team's Talent level bringing in the 38th best class in the nation and setting up our program on the right path when you consider how much Michigan won at all by I feel like our loss to them wasn't that bad but Ryan Pace needs to cut out the turnovers and we also need a better rushing attack to compliment him he clearly had some solid receiving targets though and Sten Anderson was the head of our defense again going into season 4 We're 75 overall and the only ranked College on our entire schedule is Michigan so this is our highest projection ever even if we are still supposed to struggle and we'll be heavily pursuing quarterback Pat Smith this is a make or break year for Grand Rapids because we're coming off a very disappointing 5- seven season but our first game was off to a great start after the Steven Anderson interception got us the ball back and that led to senior quarterback Ryan Pace getting us into field goal range with this beautiful throw to Steven Arrington where we would strike first with three points however we need to see some improvement from our defense because they were terrible last year and South Dakota State's driving down the field so we need to make a stand as we're able to hit their quarterback and hold the jack rabbits to a game timeing field goal that they miss suddenly we had the chance to go up by two scores and we were unleashing new starting running back Demarcus Perkins and he helped us move the chain so I'm going to feed him again on this screen pass where he's going to show off his power by stiff arming his way into the end zone a PowerBack like Perkins could be the secret weapon we've needed because we've never had a player like him before and he in returning Junior Ry Wilson should be able to form a very good one-two punch for us but on third down we tried another screen pass to Perkins and this time they were all over him so the jack rabbits had the ball back but our defense had been fantastic today and got their second pick but unfortunately our offense would go for another three and out so they were driving again until our cornerback David conception laid the wood to force the ball out and Brad Jones scooped it up with no one in front of him racing Defenders all the way to the end zone for a defensive score that was one of the biggest plays in Mastadon history which helped us win this game and got season five off to a great start we have a new star running back who broke out last game and we're definitely going to need to keep leaning on him in conference play and he got our offense on the board but the Red Hawks quarterback just upended our Defender to find a wide openen man downfield for a massive gain so it felt like Miami of Ohio was going to get it into the end zone to tie it up but our defense railed their quarterback from behind for a clutch turnover and then we continued to feed the rock to Demarcus Perkins who got close to another first down but he got injured in the process which was a huge shock to our offense since Ryan Pace got sacked to end the drive and thankfully Perkins will only miss this game with bruised ribs which is good because he's definitely been our best player so far and it took five seasons but I finally made a good user play on defense with this interception now the mastadons have a chance to take a multiple possession lead where Ryan pce senior Jackson McGowen and then Ryan Wilson got opened with this screen pass for an easy score giving us all the momentum going into the third quarter where Pace was starting to heat up that meant the mastadons would add on another field goal to their lead but the Red Hawks would finally score their first touchdown so this game wasn't necessarily over as Wilson got a big pickup and we continued to run down the clock where Ryan Wilson just put that poor defender in a spin cycle to add on another touchdown and officially ice this game we have to prove ourselves because last season at Grand Rapids we choked our conference lead by losing six straight games so this season is huge and we started off the game the right way while our defense continued to be incredible all the momentum was on our side against Bowling Green but then Ryan Pac threw an interception so that wasn't great and then our cornerback got toasted immediately after so they'd take a lead since we missed our extra point we really couldn't afford to lose a conference game early in the year especially to a team like the Falcons so this was a crucial drive before halftime and luckily for us Demarcus Perkins didn't miss a beat after getting injured last week he'd help us get the lead before walking in for an easy two-point conversion and I don't know what kind of training these guys did during the off season but we were finally catching interceptions which led to us having all the momentum in the third quarter and Bowling Green offense had completely Fallen apart after Grand Rapids got another interception unfortunately though Ryan Pace went back to his old ways so we only had a 14-point lead near the end of the third quarter and I couldn't get over how much of a beast Demarcus Perkins is as the J rumbled his way inside the 25 yd line then Ryan Wilson would take over running the stretch to the left side where he stiff armed a Defender into the end zone and this was definitely our best defensive performance in school history but Ryan Pace also wanted to redeem himself for throwing that goal line interception and he made this beautiful throw to Steven Arrington it seems like no one can stop the mastadons and we've already secured three commitments it's been impossible for us to compete with Michigan State for the entire series because they always start off with a big running play for a touchdown and this matchup wouldn't be any different even though our defense has really improved so we're already in a seven-point hole and then Ryan Pace found Anthony Weber short of the sticks which meant we went three and out on our first drive of the day and their running back slipped a tackle running freely into the end zone again this was the worst possible start for our mastadons but we couldn't panic and needed to lean on our running game for first downs because Demarcus Perkins had easily been our team MVP through 3 weeks and then he got into the end zone we were on the board and our defense finally woke up as well so we were looking to tie it back up in the second quarter and while Perkins is mainly a power back he showed off some speed to move the chains and get us across the 50 where we continued to feed him down inside the five then he'd stiff arm a Defender into the end zone to tie it up and we were showing the Spartans why we were undefeated where a score before halftime gave us our first lead that meant we had scored 21 unanswered points and Michigan State was falling apart until their running back broke off a huge run into our territory and another one on the ground helped them tie it right back up both teams were refusing to throw the ball in a classic physical game and now it was Ryan Wilson's turn to put on the Jets spinning his way inside the 20 but finally one of the defenses stepped up with a goal line stand and that gave the Spartans a chance to reclaim their lead where our defense was absolutely exhausted with Hicks continuing to expose us then they'd have to put their backup for first and gold though who cut to the left side and broke two tackles for the goahead score so this drive will definitely decide one of the most thrilling games I've seen in Grand Rapids history and we need a touchdown to win it things started off pretty solid until this third and 11 where Ryan Pace threw it incomplete so the game was on the line and no one was open so we dumped it off to Jackson McGowen who somehow got enough for the first down we were still alive with 30 seconds left in the game and Perkins continue to gain positive yardage so we were down to the 11 where we threw for the game-winning touchdown but the refs were for Michigan State fans which meant it was now second and long and Ryan Pace immediately got sacked so the mastadons only had 9 seconds to keep their undefeated season alive but this would be the last play of the game and no one was open so Pace threw it up to Jackson mgon In The End Zone where the pass was intercepted and we took our first loss it would be out of the question to think we could win this game against NIU if our run defense played as bad as it did last week but thankfully we started this one off with a big play as Demarcus Perkins was able to outrun the entire defense into the end zone for a score we were still in first place in the match conference since our first loss of the Year came to Michigan State but we haven't had much success against Northern Illinois so far in this series so they tied the game up then they forced us to punt it back to them late in the first half where their running back would break a tackle to take off for a big game and on the next play their quarterback threw a laser across the field so the Huskies ended the half with the lead the mastadons needed this win to get their season back on track Following last week's loss and Demarcus Perkins would open up the second half with a huge gain where senior quarterback Ryan Pace would hit Anthony Weber to set up a first and goal and obviously we want wanted to punch it in but Perkins got stuff so we decided to go for it on fourth down and thankfully we scored coach Andre Luck let his madong hang with that bold call and we were lucky it worked because now we have the lead in the third quarter but our defense continued to miss tackles and gave up a big play to niu's tight end so I'm not sure why they were struggling after looking Elite in our first three matchups but they needed to figure it out quick because there was no way we were going to win the conference without a good defense and Ryan Pace found Jackson mgan wide open down the sideline setting up Perkins to walk it into the end zone we had our lead back but the huskys were already driving so this could be another game that comes down to the wire but we forced a fourth down and they only needed a yard but that wasn't going to happen because our defense finally stepped up when it mattered the most and shortly after that Demarcus Perkins broke off another big run helping us take down the huskys if our defense didn't improve this was going to be another rough game against our instate rival and so far we weren't looking very good because they started it off with a big game but then we came up with an interception on the goal line so that's exactly what we needed but they were able to stuff Perkins which which helped them Force us to a three and out on our first offensive drive that gave Central Michigan another chance to score and their running back went in untouched but the mastadons would have more success on their second possession as Ryan Wilson took a screen into their territory and I wish Demarcus Perkins was able to get things going but he couldn't so we had to settle for a field goal that meant we had to lean on our defense to get a stop for us but our safeties all got beat over the top and then on the very next play their running back continued to break tackles making us go down by two scores we would fall out of first place in the conference if we lost this game so we had to Rally before halftime and Weber got us to the 30 but then on second and goal they had to Defender Force an amazing interception so it looked like we were going into the locker room trailing by two scores but we backed them up to the one yd line where our D stiffened up for the safety we only had 5 Seconds to score but Dante Moss made a spectacular catch so we decided to let our kicker try a career-long 57 Y which he drilled putting us down by just six in the third quarter but our defense got pancak on this touchdown run and the central Michigan defense wasn't giving Demarcus Perkins any room so they had great starting field position with the chance to go up by three scores and it was clear that our defense had completely given up at this point in the game I can't even blame them though because our offense had only scored eight points and we got curb stomped but at least we were able to pick up three more commits if we're going to win the conference this season our defense cannot have another breakdown but this game started out the same as both of our losses with their running back out running everybody to the end zone for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage however star running back Demarcus Perkins was looking for Revenge after getting shut down last week and he helped our offense answer right back which would have been really encouraging if our defense didn't avoid their running back like he was infected with covid on another long score I don't understand why sometimes they just refuse to make any tackles after how we started this season but Anthony Weber just made a fantastic play getting us across the 50 where Dante Moss would finish off the drive at least our offense was keeping us alive in this one and it was clear that we needed to score on every single possession because that's the only way we'd keep up with the balls since they just easily scored again Ryan Pace had looked great so far and he threw a missile to Dante Moss setting up this run to Demarcus Perkins who had been quiet after a hot start to the year but got us to the 15 and then Pace foed everybody with this play fake to tie up the game there was now under a minute left in the first half and the Bulls were looking to retake the lead but even though they were already near field goal range their quarterback took a shot that we were able to intercept and that minute remained tied up going into the third quarter where Pace got sacked the Bulls would also take advantage of their rare defensive stop driving down the field and then kicking the go-ahead field goal if the mastadons didn't get it together here this could become our third loss in a row and Ernie Hicks was wide open for this huge pickup so we killed off as much clock as we possibly could but we didn't convert on Third and long so we had to settle for a field goal and that forced our first overtime game of the year where it looked like we had their running back down in the back field but somehow he broke two tackles at once thankfully though they left Jackson mgan wide open on the corner route for the touchdown and just like Andrew Luck had done in his whole career he called a two-point conversion to end the game which was a setup screenplay to Perkins but their Defender made an amazing tackle so we lost our second straight game our season was falling apart after a 4-0 start and it had felt impossible to win any games lately because our defense had gone back to being terrible again so it's no surprise the eagle started the game kicking three and our offense would need to carry us where thankfully Dante Moss got wide open over the middle for a huge gain into Eastern Michigan territory outrunning the defense and stiff arming his way inside the 20 yd line then just one play later Demarcus Perkins would take the hand off and this nasty spin move helped him score so that was a very encouraging way to answer where our defense would then force a pun which me the mastadons had an opportunity to get a good lead going but this option attempt was a complete disaster as they fell on the fumble and the entire game changed in just one play as our cornerback got stiff armed and they retook the lead this felt exactly the same as all of our other losses but thankfully Ryan pace and the offense got back on track with a huge game to Dante Moss into Eagle territory and from there the mastadons wouldn't give up and answered right back our defense would followed up with another stop so it was time for Parkins to start tiring out their d as he got great blocks on this toss play and beat the defense to the edge for a massive run that would help extend our lead before halftime and Demarcus Perkins was definitely showing why he should be in the Heisman conversation because he had really sparked our offense this year and it's also important to note that it was a career game for our wide receiver Dante Moss so we should probably keep feeding him too but Perkins would take it in for the fourth time today and Grand Rapids was on fire to get this win we could be B eligible if we win the war on Route 131 so today the mastadons have got to play well and r d stiffened up on their first drive holding the Broncos to just a field goal that's what I was looking for because our offense exploded in last week's Victory and I'm hoping this isn't going to be any different but on third down Demarcus Perkins dropped the pass so we had to give it right back to them and their receiver was able to get wide open down the sideline for a huge gain into Mastadon territory they were off to a very fast start with 10 points on the board already and this was not how I expected the first quarter to go so we needed to get Demarcus Perkins more involved because it seemed like he helped open up the passing game for Ryan pace and all of a sudden the mastadons put up some points after getting a defensive stop it was nice to finally have some momentum and that gave us a chance to score before half time where Anthony Weber broke some ankles to get deep into Bronco territory and Demarcus Perkins easily punched it in we rallied back with 14 unanswered points and the Broncos had clearly lost all their Rhythm on offense because Browning just threw an ugly pick six to Drew Flynn with 11 seconds left so now Western Michigan needed to overcome a two-score deficit and they began the third quarter with a score but Perkins struck right back putting a lot of pressure on the Broncos quarterback who threw another interception Grand Rapids defense might have looked terrible to start the game but they made the necessary adjustments to completely shut down the opposing offense and even rubed some salt in the wound with another interception that Rodney Cronin ran back for the pick six near the end of the game helping the mastadons make a huge statement we got off to the best possible start because Rodney Cronin intercepted a pass on the first play of the game and then Ryan Pace hooked up with Anthony Weber for a touchdown we already had the lead and I thought we were going to run away with this one versus Toledo but the Rockets struck back on their next drive because conception got burnt badly over the top for the tying touchdown and the mastadons were driving on their next possession but Ryan Pace took a huge back on First and 10 and it would be really hard to make a field goal so thankfully Ryan paced through a dart to Steven Arrington which allowed Perkins to give us back the lead then on third down our defense made a huge stand so Grand Rapids had the chance to make this a two-score game before the half and Steph Arrington got this drive off to a great start with this drag route then we'd give the ball to Demarcus Perkins on the stretch run who used his speed to get around the corner and took off for a huge gain down to the 10 yd line and that would simply lead to another touchdown for the mastadons which was great because we also had the ball to start the second half and Ryan pace through a Bullet Pass to Dante Moss so we were able to score again there was no reason to keep our foot off the gas in the third quarter with Steven Arrington getting wide open downfield and we blew out the Rockets which helped our recruiting class continue to grow Grand Rapids would need a comeback in this one because we were already down by 10 points and on our next drive we tried to feed Demarcus Perkins but they were all over him which led to him getting hurt as well that meant we had to rely on our passing game where Ryan Pace immediately fumbled it back to the hill Toppers and they followed it up with another score so this was an ugly start but we finally found the end zone so we couldn't wouldn't give up because this team knew how to pull off great comebacks but then our cornerback got be over the top and they broke a tackle for six so this would be the last Drive of the half and Grand Rapids couldn't waste it Ryan Pace quickly got the offense down the field before Ernie Hicks beat the defense and we answered right back while also getting the ball to start the third quarter but we immediately threw an interception and Western Kentucky easily scored again it felt like we couldn't catch a break in this one but we weren't ready to give up because Jackson mgan got wide open on this corner route for our biggest play of the day and he and Ryan Pace hooked up again for the touchdown so it was back to a 10-point game and our defense got a stop which meant the mastadons were suddenly trailing by just one score and it only took a few plays for all the momentum to shift in our favor but their offense woke up and they were in our territory where they were faced with a fourth down and we stopped them that meant a touchdown would tied up but Ryan Pace got greedy turning the ball over for the third time today and now we needed to stop or the game would be over so thankfully r d swarmed the ball to set up a third and long where their receiver ran out of bounds giving the mastadons one more chance to pull off an epic comeback with 47 seconds left Ryan pce threw a missile to Dante Moss for a big gain and we were so close to the end zone but pasted his best Lamar Jackson impression throwing into triple coverage and that was the game losing interception Michigan got a taste of our Mastadon D to start this game so it was clear the last matchup of the regular season was going to get real physical and even though it was snowing Pace worked his offense down the field but Jackson McGowen couldn't get into the end zone so we went forward on fourth in goal where they stuffed us thankfully that turnover put them at the 1- in line and we ended up getting a safety so we had the ball back and continued to have a lot of Success Through the air which was exactly what we needed with Ryan Pace then hitting Steven Arrington across the middle of the field and with just 15 seconds left in the half Dante Moss got wide open on the Deep Corner route where we were looking to extend our lead but then disaster struck because Pace got destroyed so it was somehow only 2 to zero at the half it didn't take long for the Wolverines to get into then Z in the third quarter as they busted off a huge run and that fumble at the end of the half completely changed this game because then the Michigan defense forced a fourth down setting up a long field goal in the snow that we barely made and 6 to5 was one of the weirder scores I'd ever seen but thankfully the mastadons were looking to change it because conception jumped the route for our first touchdown of the day but we would fail to get the two-point conversion and Ryan Pace got knocked out for the rest of the game so backup quarterback Brian Johnson would need to save us especially because our defense was exhausted and gave up a touchdown down one in the fourth quarter Johnson kept our Drive alive and that helped us kick the go-ahead field goal so all the pressure was on our defense but amazingly they wouldn't even need to do anything because their quarterback pulled a mark Sanchez running into his own lineman's buttt and giving the mastadons the scoop and score helping us finally take down our Rivals Michigan and earning a spot in the Idaho Potato Bowl we could finally win our first bowl game in season 5 and it was fitting that Ryan Pace got us started with a big gain because he was one of our first recruits in school history and believed in a brand new one- win program however after he took a sack our first drive would stall out and their quarterback was bouncing off of opposing tacklers on this big gain in the Mastadon territory down near the 30 yd line the Rams would attempt a field goal from there but they missed it badly so despite the chaos this game remained scoreless and this Grand Rapids team had so many seniors playing their last games with two of them connecting on this huge play then we were faced with a third and five where we gave the ball to Junior Demarcus Perkins and he outran the defense for the score so things were looking good as we stopped the Rams offense again and we had a chance to do more damage where Ryan Pace made a perfect throw to Aaron Hicks downfield letting the mastadons make this a two-possession game our defense had definitely been better throughout this game but this was a bad time to collapse as the Rams finally scored but they would began the second half with a stop and then Anthony Weber made an insane catch so we were already across the 50 but their defense gave Ryan Wilson the business to get them the ball back and they tried to run it on third down which was a terrible mistake especially because their kicker was trash we continued to hold on to our narrow lead as Pace found Jackson McGowen and then near the end of the third quarter Anthony Weber got wide open stayed in bounds and finally got us another score we kept giving the Rams a chance to stay in it but they couldn't capitalize on it so Grand Rapids would end their best season ever with a bull Victory and that was the perfect sendoff for graduating players who helped us SC here including NFL draft pick Jackson McGowen Ryan Pace's senior year stats might not have looked great which definitely affected how our receivers performed but that's because Joo Demarcus Perkins carried us and backup Ryan Wilson was always consistent organ would win the national championship but we won with another solid recruiting class and that's headlined by freshman quarterback Pat Smith he might be the starter since Brian Johnson isn't one of our most improved and the junior QB is only a 78 overall while Pat Smith is coming in as a 75 overall Andrew Luck did decide that he wanted to start the Freshman quarterback and from here on out this screen will display our starting lineup so you'll get a better idea of who's out there on the field even though we're only a 75 overall were projected to make the MAC Championship and of all the recruits that we're targeting I really want 98 speed Zack Wilson to put it wide receiver but we got to play some of these games before we find out if we'll land him Grand Rapid shocked everyone with their decision to start a freshman quarterback but early on Pat Smith was shown everyone why I won the job in spring camp as him and Demarcus Perkins worked us down the field before the Freshman scored the first points of season six then our defense got a huge stop against the Panthers so it looked like this could be an easy win until Smith got sacked and it was somehow only a seven-point game but Demarcus Perkins started out the half with his biggest run of the day for a 24 yd gain and we were looking to open up the third quarter strong where on the very next play we ran a wide receiver screen to Clemens who outran the defense down near the 20 and this toss to Perkins finally got the mastadons back in the end zone things would only get worse for Northern Iowa because Joel Johnson got his third sack and Demarcus Perkins was trying to win the Heisman Trophy in his senior year as he wore the defense down on another long stretch run that he took inside the five obviously we had to continue giving him the ball but he Dove towards the end zone where he would fumble it away for a turnover so Rd had to step up and they were continuing to shut them down that gave Demarcus Perkins a chance to redeem himself and he did exactly that already Breaking Ben Fowler's career rushing record and even though he waited until the fourth quarter Pat Smith threw a dime for his first career passing touchdown so the Mastadon started 1 and0 this was a huge challenge for Grand Rapids because Michigan state had dominated us throughout our history and our first d Drive was going great until Pat Smith got railed so I thought we were Doom but our defense made a stand and this matchup was still scoreless in the second quarter but Demarcus Perkin spin move got us a first and then on Third and goal Pat Smith hit a wide open man so the mastadons had the lead near the end of the first half but we could add even more points because our D looked Elite and Dante Moss got us into field goal range which would help us go up by more with 15 seconds left this was one of the best performances we'd ever had against the Spartans but they quickly found the end zone and to make things worse Demarcus Perkins sprained his ankle so without our best player our offense quickly stalled out and Michigan State had all the momentum leading to them tying the game up at the end of the third quarter the mastadons were in danger of blowing a 14-point lead so they needed to find a spark and thankfully Ryan Wilson got some amazing blocks on this kick return to go down to the 20 so we were back in business adding on a field goal and a stop would likely secure the win but their quarterback broke out of a sack and then we dropped an interception which was really unfortunate for us because our quarterback immediately got toasted to cost us our lead we needed freshman quarterback Pat Smith to be a hero and he was working us down the field picking up a first down on the ground and then quickly getting us inside the 10 with a pass so I thought we were going to pull ahead but we dropped a wide open TouchDown and this play would literally decide the game where thankfully Ryan Wilson scored so we were able to upset the Spartans we were still undefeated and I didn't expect that out of our freshman quarterback but we were going to need him to be at his best in conference play especially because our number one offensive player senior running back Demarcus Perkins is out with an injury but we clearly don't need him because Pat Smith has some serious speed and after that it didn't take long for us to get into the end zone where backup running back Ryan Wilson and stepped up exactly when we needed him that was a perfect first drive but our defense was still sorry because they got immediately Burnt Over the Top for six and that put a lot of pressure on our offense because we missed our last extra point so Smith was going to need to work us down the field and he would help us get our lead back recruiting a mobile quarterback was gamechanging but I still couldn't figure out why our defense was getting shredded and Ball State was already in our territory but thankfully we came up with a massive interception so it felt like the mastadons had all the momentum in this one where we continued to extend our lead however the Cardinals would open the second half with a score so we couldn't let our foot off the gas but Pat Smith was putting on an absolute clinic today where he led another masted on scoring drive and we continued to hold off the Cardinals it was late in the third quarter when our defense got tired of getting torched and forced to Fumble getting the ball back to our offense which continued to look Elite and this quarterback draw would give us another score in a blowout win over Ball State but I have to introduce you all to Zach Wilson because he has 98 speed and he could become the best player in Grand Rapids history if we sign him we have a Heisman Contender and our true freshman quarterback and he's the reason why Grand Rapids is off to their best start in program history because he's absolutely electric and our offense is starting to look Unstoppable but it's also worth noting that our defense has taken a huge step forward this year continuing to make plays and it stinks that we went three and out on our next offensive drive because even though Rd was better I was beginning to doubt if our run defense was ever going to improve because their running back just broke two tackles at once for a big game hoping the Bobcats tie it back up it was still early in the game so we couldn't panic but I definitely take back any good thing I said about our defense previously because David conception got got toasted on Ohio's next drive for another big gain and Ohio quickly took the lead on us so Pat Smith needed to leave a solid drive before halftime connecting with Dante moss inside the 10 and thankfully we tied the game up before the half we also started with the ball in the third quarter and one of our new receivers Jeff Shelby wasted no time making this big play so that catch sparked our offense for a massive drive that ended with a score the mastadons had fought to retake their lead back and we were in business after getting another defensive stop so starting the fourth quarter we were up by 10 points and Grand Rapids was just trying to eat the rest of of the clock away to advance to 4-0 where the Bobcat defense couldn't stop us and we scored another touchdown quicker than I would have liked but we were still able to stay undefeated and definitely impressed several visiting recruits because six of them committed I was very nervous for this game because we were facing another undefeated team in Matt conference play and whenever you play the huskys there's always a lot that's at stake so I felt decent about starting things off with a field goal but they were working it down the field on us and then just a few plays later they took the lead so it was clear that field goals would not be enough to win this game and we had to unleash Pat Smith was throwing some dots early on and then he snuck it in for six later on in the second half the mastadons had the ball which gave them a chance to extend their lead and after barely converting on Third and 11 Smith found Thomas Clemens wide open for a score so that put the huskys down by 10 and our defense had really stepped up today but they were obviously very tired because they couldn't tackle the huskys on this drive and then on Fourth and sixth they were able to get behind them which cut into our lead we have never started 5-0 and this game was going to come down to the wire where Ryan Wilson continued to get big gains so I thought we could mix in some play play action on Third and seven but the huskys weren't fooled and that meant we had to settle for another field goal but at least we drilled it because that put us up by six but they could still take the lead on this drive with a touchdown and like I said whenever we play Northern Illinois it's always so close but we could end it on Fourth and long and unfortunately for us they were able to convert it here somehow the huskys continue to get chances to stay in this one and their luck would only continue because we forced a fumble that they've recovered and that put them across the 50 where our defense immediately got beat deep down the field and then two plays later they scored the go-ahead touchdown I can't believe we choked our lead like that but it set up Pat Smith to have the biggest Drive of his career because he only has 30 seconds to get us in field goal range and Grand Rapids undefeated season is on the line where Smith rolled out to his right and threw a perfect pass on the Run getting his team inside the 30 where he threw the game-winning touchdown and Grand Rapids was somehow still undefeated this is our biggest rivalry game ever as we're going up against number 14 Central Michigan and my creative school is finally ranked after six seasons but they're getting off to a great start which stinks because Demarcus Perkins is also still injured for some reason and our team is definitely missing him because backup running back Ryan Wilson just fumbled the ball Central Michigan would then score on the very next play and this was quickly turning into a nightmare for Grand Rapids because we were showing that we probably didn't deserve to be ranked I mean their rushing attack was exposing our garbage defense as we went down 21 to Zer and the mastadons were not playing like themselves where even Pat Smith looked bad we tried to turn the game around by going for it on fourth down and our receiver got tackled literally an inch short of the yellow line and this was turning into one of the roughest beatings Grand Rapids fans had seen in a long time as they they were pounding us on our home field it wasn't even the second half yet though so we still had time to turn things around but Smith threw a pick and we were trailing by 31 points at the start of the third quarter it was clear we had a lot of work to do before we could take over the Mac but at least we found the End Zone on this play and then Pat Smith went down with the torn P Toral so senior Brian Johnson may have to start the next week which is a setup for disaster but we're putting together a pretty good class we were in shambles after having a horrible loss to our Rivals but thankfully we finally got senior running back Demarcus Perkins back from injury who stiff armed a Defender for a first and the mastadons were working it down the field against number 17 Buffalo where Pat Smith led a scoring drive then our defense stepped up big time for us so Grand Rapids was fighting to earn their spot in the top 25 back and having Perkins back was huge as we took a lead with a field goal unfortunately though the ball struck right back attacking our terrible run defense which had improved this season but it was still enough of a weakness for them to break off a huge run inside the 10 and they pulled ahead late in the second quarter but at least we had Pat Smith to help work our offense down the field where at the end of the half he got his team into the end zone with 6 seconds left it would be perfect if we could get our revenge against an undefeated ranked team like Buffalo and we had outplayed them so far where the second half was off to the best possible start because Ernie Hicks exploded down the sideline for a kick return touchdown this put the Bulls down by 10 points but they clearly weren't ready to give up because their running back just went beast mode on RD so it was really important for Grand Rapids to keep their foot on the gas and luckily for us it was the Ernie hick show as he kept making big plays setting up Pat Smith to hook up with Dante Moss to make it a two-score game then defense got a stop so we could cushion our lead even farther where Demarcus Perkins picked up right where he left off before his injury running like an absolute animal all the way to the end zone and I think this win's going to put us back inside the top 25 we had to beat number eight Notre Dame if we wanted to keep climbing the poles because after last week we got put up to number 19 in the country but their running back was giving us the business so the Irish found the End Zone on their first drive and we needed a big performance from freshman quarterback Pat Smith who threw a laser downfield on Third and eight unfortunately then he'd get stopped behind his line then so Coach Andrew Luck had to let his Mastadon hang on fourth down and we turned it over this was not a good start for the mastadons where Another Irish score put us in a 14-point hole so it was do or die at the end of the first half and thankfully we were able to score it wouldn't matter though if we couldn't start Notre Dame at the start of the third quarter and of course they found the end zone again so we were in danger of taking our second loss of the season but Pat Smith was still playing at a high level finding moss on the corner route and then he made a move to get around the Notre Dame defense to outrun them to the end zone but our defense couldn't keep up with the Irish in this one and it wasn't over yet because Pat Smith kept working this team down the field with several big plays before dumping it off to Demarcus Perkins for the score but we still needed to come away with one more stop and our defense was completely worn down after getting run over for the entire game so Notre Dame was able to score again giving us another loss but this one was a solid one if we're going to make our first Conference Championship we cannot afford to lose to two- win Eastern Michigan because we're in second place in the Mac right now but unfortunately they were able to take an early lead on us so our defense continued to disappoint us but Pat Smith helped us tied up we were struggling against a team that we were supposed to blow out because our defense looked completely helpless but I knew we could win this game if we just kept holding them the field goals so I was okay with us going down six to three because there's no way they were going to keep up with our receivers as Pat Smith took a deep shot for Anthony Weber who left everybody in the dust I think one of the biggest issues that we were running into was our D was very undersized so I was relieved that we held them on third down but then disaster struck because a receiver dropped a pass that turned into an interception so it's a good thing that their quarterback had zero pocket awareness and then their kicker showed off his noodle leg on this field goal attempt in the third quarter they started the half with three points and then they intercepted Pat Smith before getting into the end zone for the first time so we were trailing by five and needed Pat Smith to shake off that interception where Jeff Shelby made an amazing move to get us the lead back but this was clearly going to come down to the wire because they immediately were able to score another touchdown and the mastadons had not looked the same ever since that tipped interception but at least this was the best possible time to get Demarcus Perkins going down the sideline and our goal was to eat as much of the clock as we possibly could before scoring the game-winning touchdown which is exactly what we were able to do on this drive and then Goodwin sealed it up with an interception so the mastadons avoided embarrassment the mastadons were competing for a spot in the conference Championship game and they were up against Western Michigan where the war on Route 131 was not off to a good start until our linebacker got a huge interception but then they would stop senior Demarcus Perkins on Third and seven so we gave the Broncos another chance to take the lead and their quarterback finally broke the tie another win would put Grand Rapids into the top 15 for the first time ever so there was a lot at stake as Demarcus Perkins got a huge gain and then it looked like we were going to kick a field goal but we fooled everyone in the stadium with the decision to fake it which paid off it was a ballsy move but it helped Grand Rapids tie up the game and then the Broncos answered right back with a touchdown that meant the mastadons needed to get into then Zone again before the half and thankfully we had Pat Smith who rolled out right and launched a perfect pass downfield to Dante Moss so things were looking good as our defense started the third quarter with a stop but then Pat Smith got knocked out of the game and it was up to senior backup Brian Johnson to step up in this tight match up it would probably be wise to just give Perkins the ball as much as possible keeping the chains moving since he was making big plays with everything that he touched and that led to Grand Rapids finally taking the lead then David conception who's normally our biggest defensive liability got an interception so we were looking to run out some more of this clock but then Brian Johnson got hurt and I don't even know who our third Stringer is but this field goal just iced the game I'm just hoping Pat Smith stays healthy for the rest of the year because all of a sudden we're ranked 12th in the country I was shocked that Grand Rapids could earn a spot in the top 10 with a win over Toledo and it didn't take long for our offense to find the end zone but the Rockets showed us that this would not be an easy win we tied it up at 7 late in the second quarter and Jeff Shelby burnt his man but dropped the pass so we had to convert on fourth and one to keep this drive alive and then Pat Smith hit Thomas Clemens over the middle for a huge gain helping the mastadons retake their lead this was a huge drive for our defense but we couldn't stop their ground game and they were in field goal range until we got a third down sack but then their kicker completely embarrassed himself with this attempt which helped us work it down the field to extend our lead before before halftime our second half strategy was to tire out their d by letting Perkins pound them and it was really working because we started the third quarter with an easy scoring drive so we led by 28 points but the college football gods were clearly not okay with it since our whole team ganged up on their quarterback in the back field but he was somehow able to escape and then get in front of everyone for one of the craziest plays I'd ever seen after that our defense was gassed and immediately gave up a rushing touchdown so this one wasn't over especially because Smith got railed on Third and five so we would need to punt the ball back to the Rockets but there were Turner muffed the punt and Grand Rapids somehow recovered it that play was absolutely embarrassing and there was no hope left for Toledo as Perkins just went untouched on a toss play all the way to the end zone so we're 9-2 But Central Michigan had an even better season so we're not going to be in the MAC Championship Game this could be Grand Rapids First 10- Win season ever but we had to beat number 19 Michigan who started the game off with a score and then Jeff Shelby dropped a third down pass so the last game of the regular season was already off to an ugly start and things only got worse as their quarterback picked up a massive gain on the read option and then our defense left him uncovered again so the Wolverines went ahead by two scores a win for the mastadons would most likely push us into the top 10 but Pat Smith swallowed two huge sacks in a row before taking a shot on Third and 27 that was intercepted so they could extend their lead to make this even more of a nightmare for the mastadons and there was no way we were ever going to stop their running back in the open field we were down 28 points but a score before the half could still keep us in this game and it was time to unleash Pat Smith who got a big gain and finally got the mastadons into the end zone we had our work cut out for us in the the third quarter but the mastadons finally had some momentum so it looked like we would score again but Pat Smith threw a pick and it felt like our comeback hopes were completely crushed on that play as our defense must have decided to watch film from Grand Rapid season 1 because this was the saddest excuse for tackling I had ever seen especially against a quarterback we're going to pretend that this game never happened and look forward to the Quick Lane Bowl against Nebraska we were off to the best possible start in our biggest bowl game in school history because Pat Smith just threw an absolute laser to Jeff Shelby who took this one to the crib on our first pass of the game and then our defense forced a three and out so Pat Smith and the offense could extend our lead and it didn't take long for them to find the end zone again we hadn't opened up a game better than this one all season but we couldn't count out the Corn Huskers because they walked it down the field and then their quarterback sucked which meant they'd only end this drive with a field goal and another score would give us a huge Advantage early on but Pat Smith threw a pick and that allowed them to score easily before halftime so it was suddenly only a fourpoint game but thankfully Demarcus Perkins decided to be a beast in his last college game ever and helped us eventually find In The End Zone then a touchdown to Dante moss in the fourth quarter would make this a three-score game and Grand Rapids won its second bowl game in school history but our team will look very different in season 7 since we're losing a ton of important players and there is one player that could change everything which is why I dumped all of our points in the Zach Wilson the 98 speed athlete committed to Grand Rapids and that was definitely the best player in this very talented recruiting class that was somehow only ranked 45th in the country compared to our receivers from last year Zach could put up better numbers than all of them but Pat Smith could have also done a better job at throwing the ball and Demarcus Perkins regressed a lot from his junior year linebacker Drew Flynn led the team in tackles for the first time and Central Michigan represented the Mac in the playoffs but Georgia was the team that won it all with this new lineup we're sitting at an 83 overall and players like Joel Johnson are monsters on defense while freshman Zack Wilson is already starting at returner our schedule does concern me a little bit though because even though we're projected to finish near the top 25 the Mac is supposed to be the fourth best conference and I've never seen it this good before in NCA football Grand Rapid season 7 is here and we started the year ranked 24th in the nation which is no surprise after having our best season in school history and it didn't take long for true freshman receiver Zack Wilson to get into the end zone for the first time however there were still a ton of questions about our defense and they didn't look good so this could be another up and down year but thankfully we still had Pat Smith who helped us take our lead right back and then r d actually came up with an amazing stop so this was our chance to pull ahead and Zach Wilson showed off his incredible 98 speed on this deep bomb as we added on another field goal I thought we were going to go into the half up by 10 points but our run defense has been biggest weakness throughout this entire series and it clearly wasn't going to improve anytime soon because we gave up a touchdown but with 8 seconds left Pat Smith sent a prayer down the field that was answered so we could at least add on some more points I couldn't believe how good Zach Wilson was looking as a true freshman and he wouldn't stop making plays so we found the end zone and while the hoers kept it close we never gave up our lead so we started the season 1 and0 thanks to a great performance from Pat Smith it was starting to feel like we were on the path to become National Title contenders but we have to make sure that we continue to land more Elite recruits we have the best freshman in all of college football because Zach Wilson was already our best wide receiver and he could also make some amazing plays in the return game where he single-handedly got us into the End Zone on our first drive running the spin cycle for a score I have no idea why he chose to go to Grand Rapids but I definitely can't complain because he's the main reason that we're winning this one and I wish I could show some more highlights of our other players but Zach was stealing all of the spotlight after burning the Bearcat defense again for his second touchdown we led by seven with 21 seconds to go but we still had three timeouts and to follow Zach Wilson's catch that got us across the 50 our running back would be able to reel one in as well so that put us in field goal range to go up by 10 points I also need to give credit to our defense for making some really clutch stops today because they held Cincinnati to a pair of field goals and this is good because we would have won the MAC last season if they weren't terrible and then Jeff Shelby got wide open but this game wasn't over yet because the Bearcats converted on a third and five so r d needed to stiffen up and this sack was a great start however on Fourth and long we left the receiver wide open with a streak so it was only a one- score game but thankfully Josh Hartman was beginning to fill the shoes of Demarcus Perkins by breaking off this huge run and he was able to punch in this touchdown which keeps us undefeated this was the worst possible start we could have had because Pat Smith threw an interception and it would be very embarrassing if Ball State gave us our first loss of the year as their running back beat our defense to the edge so they were driving and struck first with a score a loss would almost certainly knock us out of the top 25 so we needed to stay focused but it's hard to win when your Corners keep getting beat deep and Pat Smith was suddenly missing throws so I didn't know what to do and thankfully Zach Wilson was able to run straight past his man but Pat Smith overthrew him and in Pat's defense Wilson didn't even die for it which was probably because he wouldn't get good nil offers if he got injured but eventually we'd need Smith to start playing like himself again and Josh Hartman helped us cut into the Cardinals lead now all we needed was a stop but that would be too much to ask for from our garbage defense and I really don't understand how they haven't even gotten a bit better at stopping the run through seven seasons but they need to figure it out because guys like Smith and Zach Wilson would definitely enter the transfer portal if we didn't win the conference and on Third and two they stopped us behind the line I couldn't believe we were choking away our first conference Game of the Year especially after placing second in our division but if there was anyone who could give us a spark at the end of the half it was Zach Wilson who scored his first kick return touchdown and then we started the third quarter with an interception so we'd follow that up by continuing to feed the hot hand setting up a screen to Wilson which was an amazing decision because he tied the game we scored 14 unanswered points and it was clear that the Cardinals had no momentum left as we didn't lose our lead after that sealing this one with an interception to stay undefeated I don't know how it's possible but every time we play the Spartans they start the game with a huge run and this time was no different as our defense let them open it up this way and then their quarterback was able to run it on the very next play as well so this one was not going our way so far but I still believed in our offense because Pat Smith looked even better in his sophomore year and this read option tied it back up then we actually got a big stop in the back field so we had really turned things around as Smith found a wide open man across Midfield and set up an easy field goal but our kicker didn't have the leg for it and it sucked that we didn't score because Michigan State immediately got into the end zone so now we needed to answer before halftime where coach luck called a triple option with Zack Wilson who used his speed to outrun the Spartans defense for a huge pickup and shortly after that Pat Smith was left unguarded on the read option once again to get us inside the five where Josh Hartman tied it up however we weren't done because the Spartans would go three and out so Smith and the offense could add on another score and they went up by seven to end the first half it would be amazing if we could beat Michigan State to stay undefeated because they had consistently dominated us and this could be the win that push Grand Rapids into the top 10 as Zach Wilson left their cornerback in the dust helping us seal a massive win for the m on this is a huge game because Northern Illinois is one of the best teams in our division and we're fighting for a spot in the top 10 so it's a good thing this matchup started out great because we marched down the field where Stevenson scored on this triple option but the Huskies showed that this wasn't going to be an easy win for us because they were able to answer right back Grand Rapids offense was on fire though and one of the Northern Illinois Defenders teleported away from the tackle to let wide receiver Ernie Hicks get loose on the handoff so it didn't take long for the mastadons to find the end zone and it really looked like this one could become a shootout because neither defense decided to show up given up huge gains with the Husky scoring yet another touchdown so we were just trading scores back and forth and Pat Smith clearly had a problem with this because he went crazy on this run with a nasty double Juke that sprung him into the open field where from there no one was going to touch him and then Rd demolished them on Third and two so it was clear that the huskys couldn't keep up with Grand Rapids who scored again and our defense had completely turned this game around one of the maston's favorite new plays was this triple option with Zack Wilson lined up as the pitch man and it continued to be completely Unstoppable as he got into open field for a massive gain down to the one where Josh Hartman easily punched it in and we were undefeated but this was easily the best we' look the entire season because we dominated the huskys up front and making the playoffs is a real possibility it was time for Revenge because Central Michigan had kept us out of the playoffs last year but they were having a terrible start to their season so I assumed that this would be a guaranteed win but they quickly took the lead on us and then they forced a punt so this could get ugly but we came up with a huge interception and even though our Defender jumped out of pure excitement it didn't stop him from outrunning the trailing Defenders for a score so that pick six changed everything and Grand Rapids continued to lean on their option game where Josh Hartman was quietly having a really good season he helped us move it down the field to go up by two scores and Central Michigan really needed to get some momentum they weren't ready to give up yet because our Corner got toasted on the left side for a quick touchdown so now the mastadons only had a minute to score before the half and started strong with a huge pass but instead of throwing to the wide open man here Pat Smith took a sack out of field goal range and that forced us to go for the hail Mar where unfortunately for Central Michigan we had Zach Wilson at this rate our opponent was going to have a really hard time keeping up with us especially because we came up with a huge fumble and another score would almost certainly put this one out of reach as Pat Smith went to work to get us back into the End Zone it was a miracle to even get one turnover in this game so I couldn't believe my eyes when we forced a second fumble and after that Central Michigan had nothing left to play for as they just gave Pat Smith an easy score we ended up blowing out our Rivals and we also have our first Heisman candidate I couldn't believe that Grand Rapids was up to number four in the nation because we were one of the worst teams a few seasons ago but now we had a Heisman candidate in Pat Smith and we needed to convert on an early fourth down where our receiver dropped the ball this was not good as Buffalo's offense went to work getting a big gain on the ground and they were about to take the lead but we came up with a pick so the mastadons caught a huge break especially because Buffalo defeated them last season as we unleashed Pat Smith who had plenty of speed to get around the corner and shortly after Josh Hartman gave us the lead so the Bulls were in danger of falling behind and their quarterback went deep against Rd for another interception however we would have to punt it back to them and this is is where we ran into trouble because our run defense had consistently been this team's biggest issue and buffalo was able to take advantage of it but they couldn't get a touchdown as our D got revenge and held them to just a field goal that kept it a low-scoring game where Pat Smith would then take a big sack so that would allow Buffalo to end the half with a lead and we needed to get some momentum back so this was the perfect time for one of the weirdest fumbles I'd ever seen when playing this game that set us up with a short field and it was time for Zach Wilson's routine touchdown and apparently our defense had also transformed into the legion of boom because they were shutting down this pass game where Grant Sanders had nothing but green grass in front of him for the biggest score of the day Buffalo would answer with a long touchdown drive but their defense was exhausted as this run went all the way to the crib and the mastadons would pick up yet another win this was our year because we were up to number three in the country and Grand Rapids continued to pull away from their M competition every single week as they made an early statement with two quick scores against the Eagles including this long run from wide receiver Justin Stevenson our defense had also been amazing but they gave up some plays early on in this one so at least we still held Eastern Michigan to a long field goal that they didn't even come close to making and college football's worst nightmare Zach Wilson was back there to return the kick as he used his 98 speed to be everybody down the sideline to get us past the 30 we would then tack on three points with this kick but the mastadons didn't let off the gas before halftime and Zach Wilson made this a three-possession game it was a good time to be a dawn because we had two of the best players in college football who connected for another touchdown and while I was critical of Rd early on in the season they had really stepped up lately so Grand Rapid wanted to keep running up the score and Josh Hartman was definitely our most underrated player because he had been a beast over the past few weeks he would punch it in late in the third quarter and the massacre in Michigan would only continue after another interception from our defense because that set up Josh Hartman to get another rushing touchdown and I'm sure the Eagles wish I could say we were done but Josh Hartman decided to show no mercy today as he ran the spin cycle to make an incredible play for another score it was no surprise that he was player of the game and even the recruits were vibing with Grand Rapids we made history getting up to number one in the country as a mat Conference team but we had a problem because our instate rival quickly scored so I feared this could be a trap game and we would need our offense to play great in the snow as Zach Wilson got loose on this return taking it down inside the 40 where we were able to at least tack on a field goal we would need to stop the Broncos though and thankfully r d was able to lay the wood but it wouldn't matter because we dropped this pass and we had to give it right back to Western Michigan whose quarterback broke loose for a huge run inside the Red Zone and thankfully he was really slow they'd still find a way to punch it into the end zone again though and Pat Smith had fallen out of the Heisman race after a slump but thankfully Josh Hartman was on fire as he made this a four-point game and you already know the only reason I'm showing a punt return is because Zach Wilson did something ridiculous and he evaded the entire Bronco defense to give the mastadons the lead then Western Michigan was faced with the fourth and inches but our cornerback made a play so it was time to start chewing the clock late in the third quarter with a one-score lead and we continued to lean on our option game just like we had done all season long with Josh Hartman having tons of room after this pitch getting us down to the one and he would have eventually punch it in the mastadons were now 8 and0 but we lost a key recruit to LSU and I guess it doesn't matter as long as we stay at number one every team wanted to destroy us because no one likes the best team in the nation and even a single loss down the stretch could cost us a spot in the playoffs so there was a ton of pressure but Pat Smith looked ready to step up and because Toledo missed their field goal we were up by a point but the Rockets wouldn't go away breaking several tackles for a first down which led to them going up with this field goal then Justin Stevenson couldn't get a foot in on third down so he failed to score before half but thankfully Zach Wilson started the third quarter strong with a good return getting us to the 40 yd line and we put together a solid scoring drive a two-point conversion would get us up by six late in the third quarter but it wouldn't matter if our run defense continued to suck and this was my biggest concern if we didn't make the playoffs because the country's best teams were going to run the ball however we might not even get to the playoffs because we're losing to 5 and5 Toledo and we were in danger after a terrible interception but it was third and 17 where r d couldn't make a tackle so their Drive continued and I honestly think our defense might be betting against our own team like Kon booty because they were absolutely throwing and there was no other explanation for this missed interception so the NCAA could be launching an investigation very soon and this was bad because we needed eight points with just under 5 minutes to go but Pat Smith wasn't ready to give up on our undefeated season just yet where of course he'd then immediately get knocked out of the game at least we were able to get a field goal but our defense was clearly not on our side because this was a brutal dropped interception and we'd still get a stop but we needed a game-winning drive from our backup quarterback where Zack Wilson was determined to make this a little easier for him as he showed off his athleticism to run around their entire punt team to get us down to the 20 thankfully Brian Johnson didn't even have to throw a pass because we had Josh Hartman but it seriously felt like Johnson had been our backup forever and we fought back to take a three-point lead but the Rockets had way too much time here so the entire stadium was just praying for the undefeated season to stay alive and it didn't matter as the Rockets were going to force overtime however they made a terrible mistake leaving one second on the clock and clearly forgot that freshman Legend Zach Wilson was back here because they actually kicked it deep and he did what he had done the entire season making the biggest play in Grand Rapids history and he was definitely going to have a good night after getting us this result this was the worst possible start we could have had because we fumbled this pitch to our running back and the hill Toppers turned it into a scoop and score so I was wondering how long Grand Rapids could stay unbeaten because we had way too many close games throughout the year but Zach Wilson continued to come through in the clutch after being last week's hero and he answered back with another amazing kick return Pat Smith was also back in the Heisman race but maybe not for long because that was his second turnover of the first quarter so Western Kentucky went back to work getting a huge play all the way down to the one where they successfully took a two-score lead and we desperately needed a spark but Smith got sacked so it looked like the number one team in the country was completely broken because another Hilltop or field goal put us down by 17 points and thankfully Pat Smith woke up and got us into the end zone before halftime this was a huge second half now because we hadn't looked this bad all season and thankfully Josh Hartman converted this third and five inside the 20 so suddenly it was only a three-point game but Rd had to get us a stop and thankfully they called a screen on Third and 11 it's hard to believe that the mastadons could take a lead on this drive after their terrible start but they had scored 14 unanswered points and then on first and goal Josh Hartman bulldozed a Defender for six Western Kentucky painfully watched their three-score lead over the number one team in the nation disappear and they couldn't take the pressure of playing from behind as Pat Smith ended it and the Mastadon survived this was our biggest challenge of the entire season but it came at the perfect time because we were 11-0 and we could finish the regular season as the number one team however Michigan embarrassed us last year so we were going to need to step up our game if we wanted to stay unbeaten especially because they're the type of team we could face in the college football playoffs now we should have had a pick six but instead they're going to get a field goal and I was feeling confident until Pat Smith gave it right back where they easily scored again that put them in front of us so we had to answer back before halftime but Pat Smith almost turned it over here and to start the third quarter the Wolverines had the ball where their running back picked up a massive gain on us so we were in danger of falling behind by two scores but we came up with an interception and that could have changed everything but this was a rare Zack Wilson drop so we wasted the opportunity to take the lead but they threw another pick and then we handed it off to Josh Hartman who bounc this one to the right side for an easy touchdown we were very used to playing from behind and we continued to prove that no one in the nation could stop us once we got rolling because we took our third interception back for another score and every Michigan fan in the world was wondering how their lead magically disappeared as their quarterback couldn't stop turning it over so we finished 12 and0 and we were finally going to be in the conference Championship our first Mac champion ship in school history could not have gotten off to a better start because Zach Wilson made ball State's entire defense look silly on the step back and then he used his blazing speed to outrun everybody for a game opening touchdown there was no question that he was going to be Return Man of the Year and a freshman All-American because he was the reason we finished the regular season undefeated but Rd gave up some big plays early on so the Cardinals found the end zone that should have tied the game but the mastadons caught a huge break when they missed their extra point and Pat Smith got loose for a big run down inside the 20 where we scored One play later and then our defense wanted to redeem themselves by forcing this fumble for the game's first turnover we were already wearing down ball State's defense with our option attack as Smith got another big pickup into their territory and that led to another easy score for us so we were up big late in the first quarter where we'd somehow Come Away with another turnover Pat Smith also continued to unleash his inner Lamar Jackson in the championship game as he spun past Defenders and got the mastadons back across Midfield so we were putting on a clinic until Smith threw a fourth down interception and then the Cardinals got themselves back in this one with a score it definitely wasn't over but another big return from Zach Wilson would make this even more of an uphill battle for them and I was confused why they were taking no interest in containing Pat Smith who ran untouched up the middle for six the nightmare would only continue for Ball State who found out that Zach Wilson could also torch them through the passing game and Pat Smith was going for the Heisman Trophy but Josh Hartman was definitely feeling left out and wanted to remind everyone that he was still on the team we ended up winning our first Mac title and Pat Smith even took home the Heisman I don't know how because his passing stats weren't great and he wasn't our team's leading rusher on the ground but he still took the Heisman and Zach Wilson was our only good receiver The Freshman would actually win the jet award for the best kick returner and Drew Flynn went out on top as a senior in tackles but nothing compares to Joel Johnson racking up 47 career sacks and this is what the playoff picture ended up looking like where if their quarterback didn't play so bad we would have face Kansas State in the quarterfinals our first college football playoff matchup in school history was against USC and I was starting to worry that our defense wasn't good enough to win it all then wide receiver Dante moscot pounded for a quick turnover so all of a sudden we could be in a lot of trouble but but they chose to go for it on Fourth and inches where we stopped them and after that Heisman Trophy winner Pat Smith put together a good drive but he also got injured and we had to hope that it wasn't serious because we really needed him unfortunately he would miss two quarters so we just needed to survive until then but our defense had not given us any reason to be optimistic as they continue to give up big plays which allowed the Trojans to retake the lead and the mastadons would need to rely on backup quarterback Brian Johnson where this was not a good start Pat Smith wouldn't be back until the fourth quarter but USC started the second half with the ball and their quarterback juked out our entire defense for another explosive play so shortly after they put up some more points and the mastadons would need to overcome a 10-point deficit where this pitch to Josh Hartman was a great start as he was able to get around the edge and then we made it a one- score game our defense just needed one more stop against the Trojan offense but it was more clear than ever that it wasn't going to happen as their quarterback carried our defense into the end zone and Pat Smith still wasn't back in the game so Brian Johnson needed to convert on this third and six where Jeff Shelby got a block and thankfully only had green grass in front of him for a quick answer us tacked on another field goal but Pat Smith was finally cleared to reenter the game where he found Zach Wilson and then Josh Hartman punched it in so this onside kick was our last chance but unfortunately we couldn't recover it and USC ruined our perfect season Michigan would actually go on to win it all over none other than the rivals Ohio State and we're losing quite a few good players this season we've never had this many guys get drafted but now that we've been able to recruit four stars as a bigger program we've had a recruiting class finish inside the top 25 for the first time our player progression made our roster even better too so we're going to be an 86 overall team and I'm so excited to see how our offense does without Joel Johnson our defense could take a step back though and of course Zach Wilson is going to be returning kicks our schedule looks like it could be the toughest one that we've had yet but we are projected to be one of the top teams in the country and we even have two players favored to win the Heisman Trophy this season would be a huge disappointment if Grand Rapids didn't win the national championship because we're a better team than we were last year but we're starting the season with a top 10 matchup against Iowa who we've never played before and they were off to a great start until they missed this field goal this one was still scoreless near the end of the first but Heisman winner Pat Smith was cooking up so we would finally break the tie and our defense was very up and down last season but it was good that they came up with this pick because we could score our first touchdown then we got the kickoff to start the second half where our sophomore star Zach Wilson hit the double Juke and he had plenty of speed to do some serious damage taking it down the left sideline to the 35 even though this game started slow we were finally seeing the team we all expected and we went up by three scores then the nightmare only continued for the Hawkeyes because their quarterback made one of the most terrible decisions I'd ever seen and the mastadons were able to make him pay by running this one back and even though they managed to score on their next drive all that did was fire up Zach Wilson even Moore who would not let his second kick return of the day go to waste by outrunning everybody to the left side of the field putting the mastadons back up by four scores we obviously won in a blowout against a good team and Josh Hartman was an early Heisman favorite this next one could easily make or break our season though since Michigan is number two in the country so we were looking to prove that we belonged back in the college football playoffs and it was not looking good early on as they railed Smith for a fumble but to make things even worse Johnson would stay in bounds and somehow outrun everybody for a touchdown Pat Smith also got injured on the play so we needed to lean on Josh Hartman but I also found out that our new quarterback was even faster than Smith which was good because he would need to play the rest of the game this was a tough challenge for a freshman to step in the second game of the year but he managed to lead a scoring drive so I was feeling a little bit better about losing our star quarterback on the road against the number two team but this was definitely going to be tough because they added on another field goal on their next drive all eyes were on John Davis to lead us to Victory and thankfully all he needed to do on this drive was pitch the ball to Jeff Shelby who would outrun everybody for the go ahead touchdown but the Wolverines would take their lead right back and then they got the ball to start the second half and continued to shred our D so we suddenly fell behind by two scores then on aiar down John Davis would miss this throw and the Wolverines would continue to expose our run defense so we needed a miracle to get back in this one especially because Josh Hartman was also knocked out of the game but we finally stepped up with this stop behind the line and then we broke up a pass on Third and 15 it was the fourth quarter so we needed to put something together fast and coach decided to lean on our favorite play which worked to Perfection with Justin Stevenson and then John Davis ran it in on Fourth and two so we just needed one more stop but this was the worst time for our defense to get toasted over the top because they immediately scored I was quickly losing hope but thankfully Zack Wilson decided to return a kick that was seven yds Deep In The End Zone because this drive would start at Midfield where John Davis quickly got us into the end zone and then r d stiffened up on Third and eight so I couldn't believe we had a chance to Take the Lead against the number two team in the country and Davis threw it as far as he could to a wideopen man who spun down to the one where Davis ran it in we had the lead but we might have scored too early because the Wolverines could win it with a touchdown and they were threatening in our territory so this one would come down to the final seconds they got it to the one yd line with 1 second left where they decided to pass and we batted it down so we secured a huge win over the Wolverines and now we were the number two team in the country headed into conference play against Bowling Green where Pat Smith was back from last week's injury we would definitely need him for the rest of the season but then he got hurt again and I don't know why he was suddenly made of glass but this was like his fourth concussion in college the Falcons would actually take a second quarter lead on us but I wasn't panicking yet because John Davis played pretty well in last week's win against Michigan but he wouldn't even need to touch the ball on this drive because Zach Wilson hit the step back and outran everybody to the end zone to put us back on top we were very lucky to have the Speedy sophomore as our defense was still struggling but at least they held them to a game timeing field goal and Grand Rapids needed to have a passing game but clearly that wasn't going to happen with their backup so we went right back to the option where Davis flipped it to Shelby who took off for a huge gain inside the 25 Andrew Luck decided did not take the points before halftime though which was a bad decision and the Falcons opened up the second half with the ball where they continued to make huge plays against us with this run into our territory I really don't understand why we weren't blowing out a team like them because we just opened up the year with wins against two top 10 teams so we needed to figure this out and thankfully Zach Wilson was carrying our offense today as he was able to take another return to the crib our kick return Turner had scored our only two touchdowns of the day and had single-handedly kept us in this game against a Mac team which was very embarrassing but we forced to stop so this was our chance to take the lead as we fed Josh Hartman but then we decided to throw the ball and Davis threw an interception I couldn't believe we were sabotaging ourselves against a team like Bowling Green as we were on upset alert early in the year and this would likely be a blowout at this point if we didn't have the greatest kick returner of all time in Zach Wilson we definitely didn't want to waste his Elite Performance as we set up a screen to Jeff Shelby who scored the game tying touchdown and this was our chance for Rd to redeem itself but they gave up a huge play so the Falcons were once again threatening in Grand Rapids territory fortunately their quarterback made one of the dumbest decisions I'd ever seen on this interception and we were lucky that he turned into the playoff version of Lamar Jackson because Zack Wilson was wide open downfield so we could Now drain out the clock to survive against Bowling Green we also may have the best kick returner in college football history because Zach Wilson single-handedly won US last week's game and then he quickly made an impact against Northern Illinois where he took his fourth return back in four games however our defense had to play better this week and things were not looking promising on the Husky's first drive of the day so we were back on offense and by that I mean Zack Wilson gets to return another kick and he would have scored if he hadn't collided with his blocker but we were finally seeing the masted on offense late in the first quarter and thankfully Pat Smith was back because I couldn't take much more of our backup as this screen went for a big gain inside the five and then Josh Hartman punched it in I was shocked that r d got a stop because we had a chance to extend our lead at the end of the quarter where this pass to Zach Wilson was an easy score it was a major side relief for our defense to finally start making plays again and it made all the difference because we would get the ball back but Zach Wilson wouldn't even let our offense touch the ball as he raced down the left sideline and swerve Defenders for another return touchdown Pat Smith and Josh Hartman were a preseason Heisman candidates which was welld deserved but it was clear to every true Mastadon fan that Zach Wilson was the real MVP because he continued to make opposing teams regret kicking it to him and this became his first three- return touchdown game in his career it was getting completely out of hand by the second half and Pat Smith wanted to remind everybody that he was still the defending Heisman Trophy winner but unfortunately the Huskies scored again which only meant that we would get to see Zack Wilson return another kick and he once again got great blocking up the middle and had just one man left to beat on his fourth return touchdown Which was definitely an NCA record this was an absolute blowout and every recruit wanted to play with Zach Wilson it really feels like this could be our year and we're going to have an actual chance to win the national championship as we're number four in the country but we missed an early chance to score because our kicker didn't have enough leg here and then Central Michigan would take advantage of our mistake to get on the board we were already nearing the first quarter so we needed to put something together fast and luckily for the mastadons wide receiver Jeff Shelby got wide open for an easy score which was followed by a defensive stop putting the ball back in Pat Smith's hands where our kicker was able to redeem himself however our tackling issues were also back because this should have been another stop but their running back was able to break two of them on this first down catch so I thought they were going to find the end zone but Grant Sanders made an amazing defensive play by jumping in front of this wide receiver screen and that gave us the chance to go up by two scores before the half where we hit Zack Wilson before Pat Smith would lob a perfect pass into the end zone we picked up right where we left off in the next half as well where Smith made a nasty spin move and outran the central Michigan D letting Josh Hartman finish off the drive so I couldn't believe we were suddenly up by 24 points and the nightmare continued for them because we forced a fumble and then our offense scored again on its next play I was a bit nervous about this game in the first quarter but this team always seems to finish games very strong and Pat Smith was still doing damage late in the third quarter quarter on this long run where he was making a strong case for another Heisman but he was still outside the top five I definitely built one of the most fun teams I'd ever played within this game though and this season felt very special because we were undefeated after making it all the way to the playoffs last season and the emergence of Zack Wilson as one of our best players ever had been a huge reason for that as we got on the board against Buffalo I was also very relieved that our defense was slowly improving since we were going to need them at their absolute best if we wanted to win the national championship and Zach Wilson just can't be stopped in the return game his great play allowed our offense to start near the 20 yd line where Pat Smith found Stevenson so we were up by 21 points at the end of the first quarter but Buffalo finally caught a break as we missed a tackle to give up a score but obviously we weren't going to let our foot off the gas against a one- win team before the end of the first half and Pat Smith was able to get the mastadons back in the end zone this was looking like another easy win for Grand Rapids as Josh Hartman went untouched for another score but I was surprised that Buffalo was still hanging on in this one and we dropped a first down catch so they were able to cut our lead to 14 I was starting to get nervous but at least we managed to recover the onside kick which Jeff Shelby almost took back to the house with 3 minutes left and that officially made us B eligible where we had also established ourselves as Elite recruiters this next game was going to be a huge challenge though because Penn State is one of the best teams we've played this year and our defense was off to a very slow start as the nitty Lions ran the ball all over us however every Grand Rapids fan in the nation knows that we were going to run the ball right back at him as Smith got loose for a first and then we hit Zach Wilson who had been much quieter over the past few games where we were able to tie it back up and then Rd redeemed themselves on this third and seven that gave us the chance to go ahead but Pat Smith would turn the ball over and he tried to do too much but thankfully it only cost us a field goal so we needed to figure things out on offense now because so far the nitty lines had been much better up front and we gave their running back another massive crater to run through this is a huge third and long where we stopped them and I knew that we couldn't afford any more mistakes late in the first half but that incredible catch may have just saved us because we scored it felt like we shouldn't be winning this game with all the mistakes made in the first two quarters but Zack Wilson just took the top off of the defense and that should have helped put us up by 11 but Pat Smith decided not to run this one in making it a fourth and goal where his throw was dropped we've now blown every chance that we've had to take control of this game and our defense was back to its old ways giving up another big play as this was a very frustrating long drive once again though we got the stop when it mattered the most so this field goal helped us keep the lead and I was begging for Pat Smith to get something going but instead he got absolutely rocked for a fumble and their bat lineman picked it up where no one was able to catch him for this touchdown return the entire game had changed in one play and this clearly wasn't Pat Smith's best performance as there was no chance he would get back into the Heisman race but we got the ball back and thankfully our defense bailed us out where Josh Hartman was then able to tie it back up now this could potentially be the game-winning drive if we move it down the field again is Zack Wilson got a huge pickup on this toss and Smith kept it himself to get into field goal range where we ran out the clock to hold off another ranked team and stay unbeaten after many painful Seasons this team has finally come together and we're making a strong push for a championship as we're significantly better than any of our Matt conference Rivals but we've learned that we definitely can't underestimate them because we've already been close to being upset by bad teams and what a run from Pat Smith unfortunately though there was a late penalty and I guess Smith got injured on that play So the backup's in again but thankfully wide receiver Mark Adams got wide open on the C route for the first score of this game for some reason our defense usually gives up big plays against weak competition as they got toasted again putting them in field goal range but then we got a Z this would be a long try for them so coach decided to put Zack Wilson back there in case he can't make it and as you can probably guess this ended up being a very smart decision because Zach Wilson evaded the entire defense like OJ in his white Bronco and cut it back with one man to beat for a huge kick six that just turned a pretty bad situation for Grand Rapids into a two-score lead and it's a good thing it did because here's a rushing touchdown and then on our next Drive Pat Smith got buried it's a one- score game but the difference is that the mastadons have Zach Wilson on their side and if I'm showing a punt return highlight you know it's going to be good as he just outran everybody on the field making them look silly for a touchdown so even though it feels like we always start slow in conference games it doesn't seem to matter because our offense wakes up and that's exactly what happens here another big win gets Grand Rapids up to 8-0 and the war on Route 131 has become extremely one-sided where Grand Rapids is now much better than Western Michigan this one was actually tied up at the start of the second quarter though so maybe there's a chance for this one to be a bit more exciting but Zack Wilson is going to crush the Broncos hopes and dreams and this game's Heisman logic makes zero sense because Wilson should be leading the race since he has single-handedly won a few games for this team and here's a very ugly pick six to make it a two-core game this matchup is on the verge of getting out of hand especially after another turnover and unfortunately for the Broncos they never had a chance it's 38 to13 late in the third quarter but I have to show this play because Pat Smith just ran the spin cycle on three guys at once before stiff arming a Defender into the end zone and that's one of the best ways we could have ended this one now Toledo has given us a run for our money in recent years so we can't underestimate them late into the season and we're off to a great start on the ground which is good because any late loss could derail our entire season and I'm glad that our offense found the enone because apparently our defense needs time to warm up Jeff Shelby has already had one big carry on the triple option so we're going to keep feeding him which is a smart decision because he's going to outrun the entire defense to the edge and then take this one all the way to the crib the Rockets needed to answer back and through eight seasons the Mastadon still have not figured out how to stop the run so Toledo is going to attack that weakness this would be a huge Breakaway that's going to go all the way and then tie the game up once again so Grand Rapids haven't been able to hold on to a lead to save their lives and this is officially very bad that turnover will allow Toledo to go ahead for the first time so we really need a hero and of course I'm showing a Zach Wilson kick return highlight here because he has always stepped up when his team has needed him and this was a perfect time for him to take the kick all the way back to the crib then our defense finally got a stop so it's time for Pat Smith to cook and Jeff Shelby will continue his great game by slipping away from the defense for another long touch tou down and the rockets are looking to answer but we're going to turn the tables on them with a big hit stick fumble that Williams picks up and he is Off to the Races def finally put the mastadons up by two scores this is the biggest lead that either side has had so far and another fumble deep in Mastadon territory could finally bury the Rockets but it wasn't sealed until Jeff Shelby got this touchdown making it a three possession game and he would rightfully earn player of the game as well I am shocked that we're still the number four team in the country though because we're even better than we were last season and there are two more games left so at least we got off to a very fast start against the Western Kentucky Hill Toppers and after last week it feels good to start this game with a three possession lead of course this wouldn't be a true Grand Rapids game without a Zach Wilson kick return touchdown and he's going to deliver that for us in the second quarter after a Western Kentucky field goal got them on the board but the wide receiver just destroyed their confidence and it's not even the second half yet but it's already 28 to3 and Grand Rapids isn't done scoring because they just got an interception and I don't even think the starters are going to have to play in the rest of this game that was a complete blowout so we've entered our final matchup of the regular season season against the Michigan State Spartans who have really taken a fall throughout this series and we're still number four in the country but hopefully we can increase that before the playoffs for a seaing advantage and another dominant win could help us climb in the poles after having trouble building momentum in a lot of matchups this year we found a rhythm late in the season and we're going to go up by three possessions before the end of the first quarter the college football world would probably doubt Us in the playoffs after last year's performance against USC but just one season later we're shown that we deserve their respect after dominating like this and we're looking to go up 35 to Z before the end of the first half of play where Smith flips it to wide receiver Mark Adams who is plenty of open field in front of him doing exactly that helping the Mastadon secure another 12-0 season the MAC Championship is now the only game standing in our way of the playoffs but I'm honestly not nervous because we're up against the six and six akan Zips and Zach Wilson just gave us the lead with a kick return touchdown to my surprise though akan wouldn't go away and took the lead right back with a rushing score and neither defense came to play today as Pat Smith LED another go-ahead touchdown drive but after after forcing a punt the mastadons have a chance to make this a two-score game before the half and Josh Hartman punched it in as we've seen all year this team becomes even more dangerous in the second half and they proved that again with a deep bomb to Zack Wilson that gave us an even bigger lead so unfortunately for the Zips we were not going to take our foot off of the gas especially with another trip to the playoffs on the line and Zach Wilson's second punt return touchdown of the day will deliver the dagger to win us the MAC Championship we were going into the playoffs undefeated again but unfortunately so were three bigger programs and Pat Smith wasn't even in the Heisman running Josh Hartman was supposed to be as well but his stats took a bit of a step back and nothing about our receiving ones was impressive so Zach Wilson had to make up for it in the kick return game where his stats broke all of the current returning records now it's time for a huge Rose bow rematch against the only team that beat us last season in USC and we were working it down the field early on until Smith turned the ball over the Trojans would take the lead with a field goal but now it's Zach Wilson's time and he's going to hit the step back and burn the entire defense to the edge where he's Off to the Races and I have never seen a non-quarterback affect a game as much as him and I'm glad he's on our side even though Zach Wilson would put us up though USC decided to start torching our defense so they would quickly answer back with a score and both offenses have looked Unstoppable up to this point but Pat Smith just made another huge mistake with this end zone fumble so we really needed r d to stiffen up and that's what they did on Third and three if you can remember last season you'll know that Pat Smith got hurt early in this matchup but he's doing no better this season turning the ball over twice so it's a good thing we have Zach Wilson I have to say this is quick turned into one of the most exciting games in Grand Rapids history and USC would strike first to open up the second half and luckily this Trojan defense is even softer than they are in real life so after getting a stop we took the lead in the fourth quarter overtime is a real possibility if we can't keep USC out of the end zone though and we're clearly very tired but they still left a lot of time on the clock and this will be Pat Smith's chance to redeem his poor play throughout this game but he may not even get an opportunity because Zach Wilson is bailing him out with another return touchdown he is on absolute fire and I've lost track of how many times he's taken it back this season but even though he single-handedly created nightmares for the Trojans this game is once again tied up and all the maston's need as a field goal where Zach Wilson gained a huge chunk of it on Third and seven we were just 20 yards away from field goal range and then we picked up another first so now all we have to do is run out the clock and attempt the game-winning kick which was straight down the middle just one season after a heartbreaking loss we got revenge against USC and now we're up against the number one team in the nation with the Bulldogs making a huge statement early on with this Breakaway way touchdown run a long masted on drive would tie it back up though and then our defense got a huge stop so we had an opportunity to take our first lead but our offensive line gave up three sacks in a row and a safety so we had to punt it back to Georgia where our defense came up big again this game could definitely be going much worse for us and we were driving until Pat Smith fumbled inside the five so this is the opposite of our matchup against USC because Georgia is a very physical defensive team and we've really struggled to move the ball anytime we've scored they've answered right back as this wide receiver reverse gave them the lead late in the third quarter and Zach Wilson had been very quiet so far but we needed him to deliver with Grand Rapids down by three and he broke off his longest Return of the day all the way down to the 30 yd line that was the spark we needed as Smith found Mark Adams on the corner route and then Josh Hartman punched it in so momentum had completely shifted after our defense forced a three and out two and it was time to unleash Josh Hartman the Bulldog defense was exhausted so we were able to take advantage of them and we went up by two scores so despite playing in the mat conference we proved that we could beat an SEC Powerhouse and we were one game away from taking it all little Grand Rapids had made it to the National Championship where we're up against Penn State who we've already beaten this season but they clearly want revenge and it would suck to come all this way just to lose to a team that we've already defeated that means there's no room for error on this first drive as we're running the triple option and managed to tie the game back up but our defense who came up with some big stops against Georgia have not looked good so far and this is another long touchdown to give Penn State the lead then Grand Rapids would drive down the field but Pat Smith was picked off in the end zone so Penn State would tack on another field goal and we're in big trouble late in the first half but at least we punched it into the end zone we then had the ball to start the third quarter where a touchdown would give us the lead and thankfully we erased a two-score deficit so it felt like we had all the momentum in this game as Penn State's quarterback got desperate pitching this one way back behind the line where we scooped it up and ran it in for our third consecutive touchdown the tables had turned in this National Championship but this was the worst time for a fumble because the nitty Lions had previously kicked a field goal to make it an eight-point game and they would quickly SC again on this option a two-point conversion would tied up but we got the stop so now we just needed to hang on to the ball and run out the clock with Josh Hartman we drained all of their timeouts and took a knee to finally win the Grand Rapids mastadons national championship and it took eight long Seasons to get here but we have finally reached the top of college football that would get us an invite to join the Big 10 so even though we lost Pat Smith we were still supposed to be good because we have Heisman favorite Zack Wilson but our schedule in a new conference was really difficult so I was stunned we made it back to the playoffs and our new starting quarterback John Davis won the Heisman after winning two straight we'd get put against the Wolverines and this was the stop that got us our second straight national championship because for whatever reason Michigan punted it and they would never see the ball Again by now Grand Rapids will always be a top program and to seal that we'd make our third straight Championship where we were playing against number two seed California and we needed to stop on this fourth and 11 to win it all which we were able to get it was a long journey from the bottom but using a creative school I made a Powerhouse in NCA football and head coach Andrew Luck retired after winning his third straight national championship

Channel: Bordeaux

Views: 241,570

Keywords: ncaa football 14 gameplay, ncaa football revamped, college football revamped, ncaa football 14 mod, ncaa football 14, cfb revamped, ncaa football 24, new ncaa football video game, new, ncaa football 14 dynasty, cfb revamped dynasty, college football 24, ncaa football 23, custom team, teambuilder, ncaa teambuilder, ugf pandas, nte, not the expert, gru, grand rapids, grand rapids mastodons, dynasty, custom dynasty, teambuilder dynasty, create a school, create a team

Id: hWTb620jY4A

Length: 160min 19sec (9619 seconds)

Published: Sun May 05 2024