Lake Erie College's Mark McNellie wasn't the only Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach solemnly staring at the scoreboard following his team's opener.
The powerful Division II conference endured a difficult Week 1. The 13 teams that played last weekend went a combined 3-10. Grand Valley State, Findlay and Ohio Dominican were the only winners. Grand Valley State handled Azusa Pacific, 38-17, Findlay outlasted Urbana, 51-33, and Ohio Dominican crunched Georgetown (Ky.), 41-14.
The losses came in a variety of forms, with Lake Erie allowing a late touchdown in a 36-33 loss to Gannon and Ashland and Sanginaw Valley State losing to Indianapolis and Northwest Missouri State, respectively, in games featuring two ranked teams. Ashland, which lost to Indianapolis, 10-9, tumbled from No. 9 to No. 21 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll. Saginaw Valley State, which fell to Northwest Missouri State, 45-24, dropped out of the Top 25.
No GLIAC team had a more difficult Week 1 assignment than Ferris State. The Bulldogs faced two-time FCS champion North Dakota State in the raucous Fargo Dome. North Dakota State, which opened the season by defeating Kansas State, whipped Ferris State, 56-10.
Up next for Ferris State? The Bulldogs play host to Lake Erie on Saturday night.
Two GLIAC teams -- Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan -- begin their seasons this weekend. They join Grand Valley State as the only North Division teams without losses.
-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy
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