ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State University Lakers turned back the No. 8-ranked Northwest Missouri State University football team in a defensive battle in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Division II Playoffs, 13-8.
 
The Bearcats (10-3 overall) clawed back from a 7-0 deficit to take an 8-7 lead with 3:49 to play in the fourth quarter before the Lakers (12-0 overall) scored with under two minutes to play to take the playoff victory.
 
Northwest and Grand Valley State traded turnovers early in the first quarter with neither squad taking advantage of either miscue.
 
Bearcat quarterback Braden Wright was intercepted on the third play of the game. However, the Bearcat defense responded by not allowing a first down and stopping GVSU on a fourth-down attempt.
 
After a Bearcat three-and-out, GVSU's Kyle Nott muffed a punt and it was recovered by Northwest's Brian Boyd at the 39-yard line. Northwest could not gain a first down though and was forced to punt. Bearcat punter Mike Hohensee pinned the Lakers at the 11-yard line.
 
GVSU quarterback Cade Peterson dug the Lakers out of their own territory with a 42-yard scramble on third down. Peterson began the game by missing on his first six pass attempts, but hooked up with Jahdae Walker on a 29-yard pass play on a third down to put the Lakers at the Northwest 15-yard line. Peterson scrambled again for an 11-yard gain to take the ball to the four. GVSU running back Tariq Reid scored the game's first touchdown on a four-yard run with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter. The GVSU scoring drive consisted of nine plays for 89 yards and consumed 5:51 off the clock.
 
Northwest ran 15 plays in the first quarter for 21 total yards and did not gain a first down. That would all change quickly in the second quarter.
 
Hohensee came on in relief of Wright and promptly hit wide receiver Kashan Griffin on a quick pass play that resulted in a 53-yard gain to the 22-yard line. Northwest's drive stalled and the Bearcats settled for a 36-yard field goal attempt by kicker Cole Lammel. Lammel's kick sailed wide right and left the Bearcats trailing 7-0.
 
GVSU drove deep into Bearcat territory on the ensuing drive. A seven-yard sack from Sam Phillips on 3rd-and-6 from the Northwest 13-yard line knocked the Lakers back to the brink of field goal range. GVSU's Kollin Kralapp attempted a 37-yard field goal but it was wide left and kept the score at 7-0 in the Lakers favor with 9:50 to play in the second quarter.
 
Two long passing play connections between Hohensee and Trevon Alexander for 24 yards and 31 yards that moved to the ball to the GVSU seven-yard line. However, Bearcat freshman running back Jay Harris fumbled a handoff and GVSU took over on the six-yard line with 6:40 left in the opening half.
 
Grand Valley State took over on the fumble and drove 66 yards to the Northwest 28-yard line. On fourth-and-one at the 28, Northwest's defense led by Andrew Dumas and Kobe Clayborn stuffed Reid's rushing attempt to turn the ball back over to the Bearcats with 1:30 left in the half.
 
After a 14-yard pass play from Hohensee to Griffin, the Laker defense stiffened and forced a Bearcat punt. Hohensee lifted a 60-yard punt into the end zone for a touchback with 44 seconds remaining before the half. GVSU let the clock run out and the teams went to the locker rooms with GVSU holding a 7-0 lead.
 
Northwest put up 142 yards of total offense in the second quarter after managing 21 yards in the first quarter. The Bearcats gained five first downs in the second stanza.
 
The Bearcat defense answered the call at the goal line to begin the third quarter. GVSU marched the ball to the one-yard line only to have Reid stuffed again on a fourth down run by Elijah Green. The fourth-down stop gave the ball back to Northwest on the one-yard line with 10:39 to play in the third quarter.
 
Hohensee kept the next drive alive when he hit Jamar Moya on a short pass that resulted in a 17-yard gain on 3rd-and-16. Moya got to the first-down marker via a key block from Griffin on the play. The Lakers were flagged for pass interference on a pass attempt to Alexander that gave the Bearcats the ball at the GVSU 21-yard line. Hohensee hooked up Cole Hembrough for an 11-yard gain that resulted in a first and goal from the 10. Hohensee's third-down pass into the end zone for Ra'Should Shelton fell incomplete and Northwest had to settle for a field goal. Lammel connected on a 34-yard field goal with 3:30 left in the third quarter to cut the GVSU lead to 7-3. The Bearcat drive, which began at its own one-yard line, went 82 yards on 15 plays and took 7:09 off the clock.
 
MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Elijah Green sacked GVSU's Peterson in the end zone and forced a fumble. The ball was knocked out of the end zone that resulted in a safety for the Bearcats. The safety cut the GVSU lead to 7-5 with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
 
Bryce Krone returned the free kick 15 yards to the Northwest 48-yard line to set up the next Bearcat drive. On the first play of the drive, Hohensee lofted a deep pass up the left side line that Griffin hauled in for a 33-yard gain to the GVSU 19-yard line. Hohensee was intercepted in the end zone by GVSU's Nyzier Fourqurean to thwart a Bearcat scoring attempt with :41 left in the third quarter.
 
Bearcat linebacker Andrew Dumas came up with a blocked punt at midfield with 9:50 left in the game to give the ball back to the Bearcats. Northwest's Andrew Blum recovered the blocked punt at the 50-yard line. On a 3rd-and-7 at the 35-yard line, Hohensee slung a pass that was caught by Ra'Should Shelton at the 23-yard line for 12 yards and a crucial first down.
 
Facing a fourth and inches at the 14-yard line with 6:33 to go, Hohensee kept it on a quarterback sneak and converted to give the Bearcats a new set of downs at the 13-yard line. Hohensee scrambled to the eight-yard line on third down to shorten the field goal length for Lammel. Lammel split the uprights for a 25-yard field goal with 3:49 left to give Northwest an 8-7 advantage.
 
On 3rd-and-1 at the GVSU 37-yard line, Peterson connected with Walker on a 52-yard passing play to give GVSU a first down at the 11-yard line. Two plays later, Reid scored on a seven-yard touchdown around the left end with 1:55 left to give the Lakers the lead again at 13-8. The two-point conversion failed.
 
Northwest's final drive ended after two sacks and a Hohensee interception with 1:00 to play. GVSU kneeled on its final two plays to run out the clock.
 
Hohensee passed for 237 yards on 12-of-23 passing but tossed two interceptions. Griffin caught five passes for 133 yards – his third 100-yard receiving game this season. Griffin accounted for 171 all-purpose yards.
 
Dumas recorded a game-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Dumas also blocked a punt. Zach Howard, Sam Phillips and Elijah Green each recorded quarterback sacks. Brian Boyd was credited with a fumble recovery.