Kucharski’s three field goals help offense
CALEDONIA, Mich. — For the second consecutive week, the Michigan Tech football team spoiled Homecoming for the opposition. This time, the Huskies won a 16-14 defensive road battle at Davenport on Saturday afternoon.
The win marks the first Homecoming loss for the Panthers, who entered the contest 8-0 on the special day. More importantly, it ties the all-time series at four wins apiece between the two teams, with the Huskies snapping a three-game losing skid to Davenport for its second win at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
Michigan Tech is now 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in the GLIAC as Davenport drops to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the loop.
“Beating Davenport on the football and not playing our best football, we’ll take that any day of the week and it’s a great win for our program,” said Tech head coach Dan Mettlach. “This game has been our Achilles heel the last couple of years and it wasn’t how we wanted it to go offensively, but the defense played their tails off and it was a great team victory in terms of playing the next play regardless of how things were going.”
Early on, it was clear that generating offense and scoring points would come at a premium as the two teams combined for just 40 yards of offense in 30 plays, with both quarterbacks throwing interceptions. However, the first quarter would still show as the highest scoring outing of the day with 17 points scored.
Linebacker Jeffrey Price picked off quarterback Mac Vandenhout on the Panthers’ second play of the day, only for the home team to return the favor on the Huskies’ second play of their second drive with the interception caught by Diamond Evans.
The Huskies got great field position starting the third drive of the day at Davenport’s 30-yard line, resulting in the first of three field goals by sophomore kicker Avery Kucharski from 43 yards.
The Panthers threatened with a lethal kick return from George Sims, returning the ball 74 yards before the opposition reached the endzone on a four-yard quarterback keeper to make it 7-3 with 8:05 to play.
Two possessions later, Michigan Tech earned its first and only touchdown of the day following a blocked punt by Jackson Zachary, placing the offense at Davenport’s 22-yard line with Nic Nora having a 23-yard rushing touchdown on 2nd and 11 to make it 10-7. In the latter stages of the first quarter, the Huskies’ defense had two drives where the Panthers mustered negative yardage.
Both teams averaged under four yards per play, with the Huskies accruing 71 yards in 20 plays compared to 35 yards in 13 plays for the Panthers. Davenport also went 0-for-4 on third and fourth down in the quarter.
Michigan Tech’s most complete drive in the quarter came down the stretch with a 12-play 61-yard drive being concluded with a 23-yard field goal by Kucharski to put Tech ahead 13-7 heading into halftime. Nora had an 18-yard reception from quarterback Alex Bueno and a 17-yard rush to set up the score.
Despite the highest combined total offense coming in the third quarter, the defenses stood tall as neither team allowed any points. Huskies linebacker Chase Koch secured his second interception in two weeks, halting the Panthers on the Huskies’ 23-yard line with 5:44 to play in the quarter. Michigan Tech’s last drive of the quarter went 65 yards in nine plays, taking 4:31 off the clock, but resulted in a 39-yard missed field goal.
With 10:42 to play, Davenport’s punter fumbled the snap, putting the Huskies offense at the Panthers’ 18-yard line, although the home team stood tall and held the Black & Gold to a 22-yard field goal by Kucharski to make it 16-7 with under eight minutes to play.
Desperate for offense, the Panthers made a switch at quarterback and Grant Thwaites with a 21-yard passing touchdown to Earnest Sanders, trekking 51 yards in five plays to make it a 16-13 affair with 6:26 to go.
After a three-and-out by the Huskies offense, the Panthers looked to have momentum and the ball with 3:55 to go. Davenport got down to the Huskies’ 27-yard line by the two-minute timeout and four plays later went for a 49-yard field goal that went wide.
With under a minute to go, the Huskies were forced to punt and Davenport’s returner, Asher Gregory bobbled the punt and Kolby Hindenach made the recovery, deciding the game for Michigan Tech in a 16-14 decision.
Hindenach rushed for a team-leading 62 yards on 12 carries while Bueno threw for 104 yards, finding Nora (53 yards) and Bryce Kurncz (32 yards) for three receptions.
Captain Dante Basanese and Koch led the Black & Gold with eight total tackles. Pierce Miller, Porter Zeeman and Connor Hindenach accounted for one sack, respectively.
Kucharski recorded a season-high three field goal makes, going 3-for-4 with a long of 43.
Up Next
The Huskies return to Kearly Stadium next week, welcoming the reigning national champions and current No. 1 nationally-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs.
