During the first week of the 2023 college football season, a number of GLIAC teams made statements in their season-opening games.

The GLIAC was 3-4 in games that ranged from blowouts in the league’s favor, to the opposite, to one of the games of the year between Grand Valley State and the Colorado School of Mines.

This week, the GLIAC will look to use a little home cooking to get back on track, with six of the league’s seven teams playing on their home turf this week. That also means a full Saturday of action on FloFootball, which will be streaming all GLIAC home games this year.

Leading that full slate is a showdown between a pair of playoff hopefuls, who enter Week 2 both having received votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll after a pair of victories in their respective 2023 debuts.

𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸
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OFF - Jason Whittaker // DU
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DEF - Alfred Dailey Jr. // SVSU

ST - Deion Small // FSU
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🔗 https://t.co/Gf7daJIMmR#WhereChampionsCompete #GLIACFB🏈 pic.twitter.com/enB5EZCojQ

— GLIAC (@GLIACsports) September 5, 2023

GLIAC Game Of The Week: Bowie State (1-0) at Davenport (1-0)

Location: Farmers Insurance Athletic Facility; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Last Week: Bowie State defeated Delaware State 22-11; Davenport defeated Thomas More 31-17
Series History: First meeting

Bowie State comes in on a high after knocking off FCS foe Delaware State on the road last week, using a swarming defense that kept DSU out of the end zone until less than five minutes remained, and while holding a 19-point lead.

The Bulldogs held DSU to 196 yards of offense, including 134 passing yards, despite DSU trailing most of the game and needing to throw more often. 

The key for Bowie State in the win came in the second quarter with a 7-0 lead, when Jadon Carter pulled off a scoop and score from 19 yards out to give the Bulldogs a double-digit lead they never relinquished.

Other standouts to keep an eye on for the Bulldogs include Uvel Paul Jr., who posted three sacks for 28 lost yards in the win, while also adding another tackle for loss. Sadiq Salawu also was all over the field in the win, posting six tackles, including one for loss, and a pass breakup, one of four on the day from the defense.

If there is concern to take away from a season-opening win over a higher-class opponent, it’s that Bowie State struggled to move the ball in the win, posting just 274 yards in the victory.

The big concern came on the ground, where the Bulldogs attempted 41 runs and were held to 27 yards, which includes 34 yards lost on four sacks. Even without sacks, that’s just over 60 yards on nearly 40 carries, which will not get it done most weeks.

While the run game struggled, quarterback Amir Jenkins was steady for BSU, going 18-for-25 for 247 yards. Most importantly, he didn’t have any turnovers. 

Jenkins’ top target is wideout Keshane Hinckle, who hauled in seven balls for 101 yards, while Christopher Ferguson proved to be a big-play threat, totaling 93 yards on three grabs.

Though they’re only one game in, the team knows Corey Johnson and Kevon Campbell will see the bulk of the carries this year, but they combined for just 62 yards on 21 totes a week ago.

While Bowie State used its defense to earn its first win of the 2023 season, Davenport and its offense got off to a roaring start, posting 24 points in the first half and cruising the rest of the way in a 31-17 win over Thomas More.

Picking up where he left off last season, quarterback Jason Whittaker earned GLIAC Player of the Week honors for his efforts, totaling 276 passing yards, while finding the end zone four times. Three of those came through the air. 

Perhaps the most impressive aspect for Whittaker was his ability to spread the ball around in the win, hitting 10 receivers on his 26 completions.

Davenport starts the 2023 season with a 31-17 win against Thomas More. @DU_Football https://t.co/A8wIrm52f4 pic.twitter.com/HD2tLfmsJi

— Remi Monaghan (@RemiMonaghan) September 3, 2023

Antjuan Collins was the primary target, snagging seven balls for 81 yards and a score, while Preston Smith had a pair of touchdowns on his five grabs.

Myren Harris, who transferred in from Wayne State, was a bowling ball on the ground for DSU, getting 82 yards on 15 carries. 

While the offense was rolling early, the defense pitched a first-half shutout and finished the day allowing just 273 yards, while grabbing a pair of interceptions.

In addition to the pair of picks, one each from Nick Cain and Xavier Marquez, the Panthers held Thomas More to just 17-of-39 passing for 160 yards, despite them being in comeback mode the majority of the game.

Bowie State and Davenport have never faced one another, but they did have a common opponent last season in GLIAC foe Saginaw Valley State, which rolled past Bowie State in Michigan (40-12). Later in the year, Davenport downed SVSU, 29-28.

GLIAC Games At A Glance

*All games are scheduled for Saturday

Hillsdale (0-1) At Michigan Tech (0-0)

The season-opener for the Huskies sees intrastate rival Hillsdale make the long drive up to the UP. 

Tech was 4-7 last season and looks to improve on a defense that held opponents under 20 points just two times all year. 

In the preseason poll, Tech was picked to finish fifth in the GLIAC. They’ll face a Hillsdale team that was 5-6 a year ago and dropped its opener last week on the road to Indianapolis, 39-20, getting outscored 24-6 in the second half.

Missouri S&T (0-1) At Wayne State (0-1)

The Warriors welcome home new coach Tyrone Wheatley for a meeting with Missouri S&T. 

Wayne State hung tough on the road last week against a ranked Slippery Rock team, but fell 28-17. 

In that defeat, the Warriors rushed for 223 yards as a team, including 83 and a score from Jayden Waddell on 14 carries. 

They’ll face a Missouri S&T team that was handled at home by top 10-ranked Delta State, 48-20, giving up 31 points in the second half.

Lake Erie (0-1) At Northern Michigan (0-1)

It was rough sledding for the Wildcats in Week 1, facing a tough opponent on the road in Minnesota-Duluth, which rolled past NMU in a 47-10 decision. 

Mariano Valenti and Sam Peiffer hooked up for the lone score for Northern in the loss. 

Lake Erie also dropped its opener, falling at home to Franklin Pierce, 26-10. 

The Storm posted nearly 400 yards of offense in the loss but were doomed by three turnovers and eight penalties.

Northwood (0-1) At Saginaw Valley State (1-0)

Saginaw Valley State shined in its opener, taking on a ranked Winona State team and scoring 27 first-half points in a 34-24 win. 

The Cardinals did it all on the ground, racking up 406 rushing yards in the win, led by Terrance Brown, who posted 168 yards on 20 carries, including two scores. Jairus Grissom and Mike O’Horo combined for 176 yards on 21 carries behind Brown. 

Former GLIAC member Northwood was plastered in Week 1 at home by Glenville State, 44-9, with the Timberwolves coughing up the ball five times in the loss.

No. 25 CSU-Pueblo (1-0) At No. 7 Grand Valley State (0-1)

The Lakers look to get back on track after a loss at the Colorado School of Mines last week, one that nearly saw GVSU pull off the comeback of a lifetime, scoring 21-straight points in the fourth quarter to tie the game, only to see the Orediggers go down the field and win on a walk-off field goal. 

GVSU will take on a CSU-Pueblo team that crushed Midwestern State in its opener, 37-8, helping it into the AFCA Top-25 rankings this week. 

The two teams met last year at CSU-Pueblo, where GVSU rolled to a 35-10 win.

No. 1 Ferris State (1-0) At No. 21 Ashland (0-1)

The lone GLIAC game not streaming on FloFootball sees the top-ranked Bulldogs travel to Ohio for a top-25 showdown. 

The Bulldogs were clicking on all cylinders in Week 1, crushing Mercyhurst to the tune of a 54-12 win, scoring 42 unanswered points to close the game, while totaling 651 yards of offense. 

Deion Small to the house 🏠

First Bulldog touchdown of the season comes from a punt return!@FerrisFootball | @GLIACsports pic.twitter.com/2oheR5XF9F

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) September 1, 2023

Ashland, which entered the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll, drops to No. 21 this week after falling to No. 13 Indiana (PA) in a tight game, 24-17.