Football opponent outlook: Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

Saginaw Valley Athletics

The Valdosta State Blazers' season opener is 29 days away. For the next week and a half, I'll be breaking down the 2012 schedule, opponent-by-opponent. The first opponent on the docket is Saginaw Valley State.
The Blazers and Cardinals meet Sept. 1 in Saginaw Valley, Mich. The game will serve as a Red Out for the Cardinals. The season opener will mark the second straight season the Blazers will open on the road after opening on the road at Wingate last season.
The trip to Michigan will be one of two flights for the Blazers this season. They face Angelo State at Cowboys Stadium Sept. 15.

2011 recap

The Cardinals finished the 2011 season with a 7-4 record and a three-point first round playoff loss to then-reigning champion Minnesota-Duluth. At home, the Cardinals were 4-1. Their only loss was a 38-35 loss to Hillsdale.
Saginaw Valley's offense average 417.9 yards per game, 267 of which came through the air. Cardinals quarterback Jonathon Jennings was just a sophomore, but showed a lot of promise. Jennings finished the season 210 of 309 for 2,924 yards with 29 touchdowns. He also ran for 416 yards and ended the season with seven rushing touchdowns. Defensively, the Cardinals were balanced but still allowed a lot of yards through the air and on the ground. They allowed 169.2 rush yards per game and 197.5 passing yards per game.

2012 preview

Jennings is back and he seems like the offense will go through him this season. Jennings will be a junior and will only improve on his 2011 numbers. Last season's leading receiver Jeff Janis is back for his junior season. Janis posted a team-high 968 receiving yards with a team-high 14 touchdowns last year. He had three games of at least 100 yards receiving. Jennings and Janis have a proven companionship, much like VSU's connection with Cayden Cochran and Griffin Roelle and Quin Roberson.