Ferris State Football Posts Decisive Win In Showdown At Sherman Field To Remain Unbeaten

Big Rapids, Mich. - An impressive defensive performance led the nationally-ranked and unbeaten Ferris State University football team to a decisive 37-3 win over the Michigan Tech Huskies in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) showdown at Sherman Field on Saturday (Oct. 25) in Houghton, Mich.

The Bulldogs, ranked among the top six in six different NCAA Division II football polls, forced three MTU turnovers and turned a pair of fumbles into scores early in each half while improving to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the GLIAC. MTU entered the contest ranked #13 in the national coaches poll with the Bulldogs sixth in the country.

The win leaves FSU as both the lone remaining unbeaten team in the conference along with the only squad without a loss in college football in the state of Michigan. FSU also matched a school-record by winning its 12th-straight game dating back to last year, which also currently ranks as the fourth-longest streak at any level of NCAA football.

After Michigan Tech fumbled early in the opening quarter, the Bulldogs used the short field to grab a quick 7-0 lead on a five-yard scoring run from sophomore wideout Shakur Sanders with 11:05 left in the first frame.

Ferris State then got the ball back and drove 64 yards in six plays midway thru the period to push the lead to 13-0 on a 10-yard scoring toss from junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan to slot Jamel Lockett.

The Huskies tightened up after that in the first half, but FSU took advantage of a failed fake punt try by MTU in its own end late in the period. Redshirt freshman kicker Mitch Bredberg hit a 29-yard try to make it 16-0 at the break.

FSU quickly reasserted control early in the third quarter as the Bulldog defense forced another MTU fumble deep in its own end and turned the miscue into points as Brown scored from a yard-out to make it 23-0 with 10:55 left in the stanza.

Midway thru the third, Vander Laan then engineered a 59-yard Bulldog scoring drive in only three players before finding the endzone on a two-yard run to make it 30-0 in FSU's favor.

The Bulldog lead grew to 37-0 as FSU marched 53 yards in two plays capped by Brown's 40-yard TD run with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.

Michigan Tech produced its only points of the day on a 31-yard field goal from Garrett Mead early in the fourth quarter, but the FSU defense held from there and the offense controlled the clock as the Bulldogs earned a second-straight road win over a nationally-ranked and unbeaten opponent.

Overall, Ferris State netted 353 yards on the day, including 322 on the ground. Brown ran for 150 yards on 15 carries while Vander Laan had 134 yards on 18 attempts. Vander Laan was four-of-10 in the air for 31 yards and a score despite a stiff wind at Sherman Field.

In the victory, Vander Laan also became the school's all-time career leader in total offense, surpassing former standout quarterback Matt McCarthy's school-record mark so 8,396 yards of total offense.

Michigan Tech was paced by quarterback Tyler Scarlett, who threw for 208 yards on 22-of-46 passing, but was intercepted once. Anthony Root made eight catches for 59 yards and Charlie Leffingwell had a team-high 41 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The Bulldogs' defense was led by Anthony Darkangelo's 9 tackles. Justin Zimmer added nine stops as well for FSU, including a pair of sacks and tackles for loss.

Ferris State returns home to host Lake Erie on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET) as FSU opens a two-game homestand and the final three-game stretch of the regular-season.

Saturday's contest will be Kids Day in Big Rapids with special events, activities and free admission for students in grades K-12. Tickets can be purchased online at StarTickets.com or call 231-591-2888 231-591-2888 for more information or visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com.