Photo Credit: Michigan Tech

TIFFIN, Ohio — For the third straight game, Michigan Tech got off to a slow start. This time, the Huskies persevered and came away with a 21-14 win at Tiffin. The Huskies racked up 378 yards of total offense while holding the Dragons to 148 to move to 2-7 overall and 2-7 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

Tech had a short punt and gave up two interceptions on its first three possessions in the first quarter. The Huskies’ defense only gave up seven points, though.

Tiffin used a short field to get on the board on their first drive. A 37-yard pass from freshman quarterback Nate Scully was followed up by a four-yard pass into the endzone for a 7-0 lead at the 10:33 mark of the opening quarter.

The Dragons attempted a 48-yard field goal on their next possession, but it missed wide left. That was the last scoring opportunity TU’s offense had all day.

Tech tied the game at the :54 mark of the second quarter as Tim Schmalz capped a 64-yard drive with a one-yard dive on fourth and goal.

Brent Heim threw his third interception of the day in the third quarter, but the Tech defense stepped up and forced a punt. Heim redeemed himself with a three-yard touchdown run at the 1:27 mark of the third quarter that gave the Black and Gold the lead for good.

Early in the fourth quarter, Heim hit Bobby Slowik on a 68-yard strike for a 21-7 advantage, a play that would prove to be game-winning points.

Tiffin made things interesting by blocking a Huskies’ punt and returning it into the endzone with 3:08 to play to cut the margin to 21-14. The Dragons elected to kickoff deep to Tech, and the visitors responded by picking up two first downs to ice the win.

“We played really hard to overcome the bad start,” said head coach Tom Kearly. “Our defense put pressure on their quarterback all day and our offense hit some big plays. Those two things were key for us getting the win.”

In addition to holding TU to just 148 total yards, the Huskies sacked Scully five times and recorded seven total tackles for loss. Jesse Vandenberg posted a team-high 10 tackles including a sack. Chet White added eight stops and two sacks.

Despite his three interceptions, Heim completed 14-of-19 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Atkins posted his fourth 100-yard game of the season with 101 on 24 carries. Phil Milbrath added 46 yards to help the Huskies total 161 yards on the ground.

Tight end Bryan LaChappelle posted a game-high six catches for 47 yards. Five of those receptions resulted in first downs including a key conversion to run out the clock. Slowik added four catches for 139 yards.

Michigan Tech will return home to wrap up its season next Saturday (Nov. 7). The Huskies host Northwood at 1 p.m. at Sherman Field.