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HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech's football visit to Wayne State is gaining in importance by the minute.

With Grand Valley State losing to Hillsdale last weekend, the Huskies can stay one game ahead of the Lakers in the GLIAC North Division standings with a win in Detroit.

The Huskies are ranked 19th in this week's D2 football.com poll while Wayne State is 13th.

Tech's defense rose to the occasion several times in the 41-10 win over Lake Erie.

There's no question the Huskies must raise their level of play to defeat the Warriors.

"They're very good defensively. They've got nine or ten back from a real dominant defense, but so do we," says MTU Head Coach Tom Kearly. "We think it should be a very physical, well fought football game."

"Wayne State, they're a pretty good team, they're a pretty good team," says Tech running back Akeem Cason.  "We're going to practice hard next week, stay focused and be ready to play."

"They're a great team. They're ranked very high. They've got a high powered offense,"  according to Tech defensive end Drew Vanderlin.  "I've heard that their defense is pretty good. But we're up to the task, and we're ready to take the next step towards becoming a great team, too."

Kickoff from Tom Adams Field in Detroit Saturday is noon.  This game is Wayne State's homecoming.