Two Ferris State Standouts Receive National Player Of Week Honors After Impressive Road Win
Big Rapids, Mich. - A pair of Ferris State University football standouts have received national acclaim after leading the unbeaten Bulldogs to an impressive 34-19 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road win at Ohio Dominican on Saturday (Oct. 18) in Columbus, Ohio.
This week, junior All-America quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) was tabbed as the GLIAC's Offensive Player of the Week and he was also chosen as one of three Division II National Quarterbacks of the Week by the Beyond Sports Network.
Along with Vander Laan receiving conference and national praise, Bulldog redshirt freshman safety KC Zenner (Rockford) was tabbed by BSN as one of two Division II National Defensive Backs of the Week.
Vander Laan engineered the Bulldogs' victory over defending league champion Ohio Dominican in a battle of unbeaten and nationally-ranked foes at Panther Stadium. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate accounted for three touchdowns on the day as FSU rolled up 459 yards of total offense against one of the nation's top defensive units.
On Saturday, Vander Laan completed 18-of-26 passes for 207 yards and two scores while also running for 63 yards on 17 carries and a TD. Vander Laan played mistake-free football and led FSU on a key 70-yard touchdown drive in the final minute of the first half, extending the Bulldogs' lead to eight points at halftime.
In the second half, he also led FSU on two 50-plus yard drives that resulted in made field goals while chewing up the clock. His performance helped FSU compile 251 rushing yards while also posting a 50% efficiency on third and fourth down as the Bulldogs won their Division II leading 11th-straight game dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Zenner was all over the field as FSU snapped Ohio Dominican's 21-game regular-season unbeaten streak. In the win over the Panthers, Zenner had a personal career and game-high 13 total tackles to lead the Bulldogs, including six solo efforts and a tackle for loss. His performance helped the FSU defense limit ODU's offense to only 376 total yards and the Bulldogs also forced three interceptions on the defensive side.
The defense played a key role early as Ferris State fumbled the opening kickoff deep in its own end before the unit limited the Panthers to only five total yards and a field goal to start the game. Zenner's play helped FSU hold the Panthers to only 123 yards rushing in the battle that pitted a pair of unbeaten and top 15-ranked programs.
This week represents the fourth-straight week in which at least one FSU standout has been chosen as one of the BSN National Athletes of the Week. Vander Laan previously earned the distinction after FSU's road victory at Saginaw Valley State (Sept. 27) while redshirt freshman back Jahaan Brown (East Grand Rapids) was a recipient following wins over Findlay (Oct. 4) and Tiffin (Oct. 11).
Overall, Ferris State has currently had at least one National Player of the Week or honorable mention selection from BSN or USA College Football in all seven weeks of the 2014 campaign to date.
The Bulldogs, who are ranked among the nation's top 10 overall in six different polls covering Division II football, are presently ranked first in the country this week in the CompughterRatings.com, Atomic Football and Beyond Sports Network Power Rankings. FSU also climbed to second in the Massey Ratings and sixth this week in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
Presently, the Bulldogs are tied for the fourth-longest active win streak among all schools at any level of NCAA competition and the Bulldogs are only a single win away from matching the school-record of 12-straight wins set back in 1995.
This year's 7-0 start for Ferris State represents the program's best season-opening victory total in 19 years since winning its first 12 games en route to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals in 1995, which is the highest finish in Bulldog history.
This week, for the second-straight week, FSU will square off with another nationally-ranked and unbeaten opponent as the Bulldogs venture to Michigan's Upper Peninsuala to battle Michigan Tech on Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon. The "Showdown at Sherman Field" kicks off at 1 p.m. (ET).