ASHLAND — The celebration for Ashland University’s 500th victory was short-lived.
With Division II juggernaut Grand Valley State waiting in the wings, the Eagles needed all the prep time they could get.
Fresh off last week’s 31-28 come-from-behind win at Northwood, AU (2-2, 1-1 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) will head to Allendale, Michigan, on Saturday for a date with the ninth-ranked Lakers (4-0, 2-0).
Ashland trailed Northwood 20-10 after three quarters last week before freshman tailback Gei’vonni Washington rushed for three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Eagles outscored the Timberwolves 21-8 in the period and forced three turnovers to become the 31st Division II program to reach the 500-win plateau.
“The guys showed a lot of heart today,” AU coach Lee Owens said. “The tradition we have here, never giving up at the end, expecting to win, that’s all part of our tradition. That’s why we have 500 victories. All the players who have come before here, all the coaches that have come before here, that’s how we’ve always played.
“It’s probably a good thing it was a game like this, because it exemplifies the program and the tradition of the program. You don’t lose your poise, you don’t lose your composure. I’m proud of the guys and the way they played.”
Washington carried the ball 30 times for a career-high 125 yards and three TDs. Quarterback Austin Brenner added 73 yards on 10 carries as the Eagles piled up 228 yards on the ground.
“It feels good for me to be able to contribute to my team winning today,” Washington said afterward. “In my head, I knew I could handle it, no matter how many times we wanted to run the football.”
Brenner completed 14 of 22 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Logan Bolin had four catches for 82 yards.
“We were able to pound it and pound it and pound it, and, hopefully, it starts to wear them down,” Owens said. “It helped our play-action game.”
Safety Jason Harrison had a pair of fourth quarter interceptions. Clay Shreve led the way with 12 tackles.
Like Ashland, Grand Valley needed a fourth-quarter comeback in a 21-16 win at Michigan Tech. The Lakers scored the game-winning touchdown with 24 seconds remaining, outscoring Michigan Tech 14-6 in the period.
“Obviously it was really huge for us to make those plays,” GVSU coach Matt Mitchell said. “We hadn’t really done a lot offensively for a majority of the game.”
Quarterback Cade Peterson completed 8 of 13 passes for 157 yards. Running back Aryuan Cain-Veasey carried the ball 27 times for 101 yards and all three GVSU touchdowns.
The Eagles, whose two losses are to nationally-ranked and unbeaten Indianapolis and Ferris State, are in search of a signature victory.
“We have a great Ashland team coming in,” Mitchell said. “Their two losses are to two teams ranked very high in the national polls. They’ll be very hungry.”
