YEAR-BY-YEAR PLAYOFF SUMMARIES 2002 NCAA Division II National Championship Game Grand Valley State 31, Valdosta State 24 Florence, Ala. • Dec. 14, 2002 Braly Municipal Stadium Scoring 1 2 3 4 TP
Valdosta State Grand Valley State QTR Time 1 6:23 1 5:37 1
2 2 3
3
4 4 4
1:06
12:54 0:34 12:28
3:51
3:30 3:09 1:04
3 14
3 3
7 7
11 7
Team-Play(PAT){Plays-Yards} VS VS Will Rhody 26-yard field goal {9-89, 2:54} 3 GV Reggie Spearmon 9-yard run (Dave Hendrix-kick) {2-58, 0:46} 3 GV David Kircus 54-yard pass from Curt Anes (Dave Hendrix-kick) {3-54, 1:35} 3 GV Dave Hendrix 38-yard field goal {5-23, 2:01} 3 VS Will Rhody 27-yard field goal {4-2, 2:00} 6 GV David Kircus 67-yard pass from Curt Anes (Dave Hendrix-kick) {4-69, 1:37} 6 VS Aaron Jenkins 7-yard run (Will Rhody Kick) {14-56, 4:51} 13 VS Will Rhody 43-yard field goal {10-38, 3:50} 16 VS Tim Thompson 0-yard fumble recovery (C.J. Lofton pass) 24 GV David Kircus 10-yard pass from Curt Anes (Dave Hendrix-kick) {7-68, 2:05} 24 TEAM STATISTICS First Downs Rushes/Yards Passes (A-C-I) Yards Passing Total Offense Punts/Average Fumbles/Lost Penalties Time of Possession
VS 14 35/133 42-27-3 181 314 7-35.3 3-0 1-10 32:35
GV 17 30/118 36-23-1 361 479 4-41.8 2-2 6-39 27:25
24 31
GV 0
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: RUSHING: GV-Lesniak 8-56; VS-Jenkins 20-111. PASSING: GV-Anes 23-36, 361; VS-Faulkner 26-41, 139. RECEIVING: GV-Kircus 11-270, Banks 9-66; VS- Jordan 4-57, Mosley 9-47. A-9783
7
14 17 17
24
24 24 24
31
Grand Valley Claims Division II National Championship
Florence, Ala. - Harlon Hill Award winner Curt Anes hit All-American wide receiver David Kircus with a 10-yard scoring pass with 1:04 left in the game to lift Grand Valley State to a 31-24 victory and the 2002 NCAA Division II Football National Championship. The National Championship is the school's first-ever in a varsity sport. Valdosta State opened the scoring with a field goal by Will Rhody at the 6:23 mark of the first quarter. The field goal capped an 8-play, 89-yard drive and put the Lakers behind for just the second time in 2002. The VSU lead didn't last long as GVSU went 58 yards in just two plays. Anes hit Kircus with a 49-yard pass play, and Reggie Spearmon carried the ball in from 9-yards out to put the Lakers up 7-3. The Blazers were forced to punt on its ensuing drive and the Lakers struck quickly again. Anes hit Kircus again, this time with a 54-yards out and David Hendrix added the PAT to put the Lakers up 14-3. GVSU drove 23 yards in five plays and Hendrix hit a 38-yard field goal to put GVSU up 17-3. VSU added a field goal late in the second quarter to pull the Blazers within 11 (17-6) at the half. The Lakers forced a three and out to open the second half and the GVSU took advantage as Anes hit Kircus with a 67-yard scoring pass. Hendrix added the PAT and GVSU led 24-6. VSU scored it first TD of the game midway through the third quarter as Aaron Jenkins rambled in from seven yards out to cap a 14-play, 56-yard drive. GVSU missed a pair of scoring opportunities and the Blazers capitalized to close the margin. Rhody kicked a 43-yard field goal, followed by a mishandled snap by Laker QB Curt Anes that VSU's Tim Thompson recovered for TD. Buster Faulkner hit C.J. Lofton with the two-point conversion to tie the game at 24-24 with 3:09 left. Terrence Banks put the Lakers in good field position with a 30-yard kickoff return. Anes and Kircus then went to work. Anes hit Kircus with an 8-yard completion, then a 33-yard stop-n-go. Facing a third and nine from the VSU 26 yard line, Anes hit Kircus with a 10-yard completion. Spearmon ran six yards to the Blazer 10 to set up the winning score. Anes checked from a run play to pass play and hit Kircus with the National Championship winning score. Anes completed 23-of-36 passes for 361 yards and three TDs. Kircus caught a championship game record 11 passes for record 270 yards and three TDs. Terrence Banks caught nine passes for 66 yards, while Brent Lesniak rushed eight times for 56 yards. Spearmon rushed 14 times for 29 yards. DB Melvin Estes and DL Keyonta Marshal led the defense with a combined 24 tackles and 12 tackles for loss (37 yards). Estes notched 12 tackles, six tackles for loss (-21) and 2.5 QB sacks, while Marshall chipped in 12 stops, six tackles for loss and one QB sack. LB Orlando Williams notched eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one QB sack. CB Darren Smith snagged a pair of interception and notched two pass deflections. GVSU completed the 2002 season with a perfect 14-0 record, including wins in 33of-its-last-34 games.
GVSULAKERS.COM
•
165