PREVIEW: Unbeaten Bulldogs Host Lake Erie This Saturday To Open Two-Game Homestand

This Week: The unbeaten and nationally-ranked Ferris State University football squad opens a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) homestand on Saturday (Nov. 1) against the Lake Erie Storm at Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET).

Presently, Ferris State is Michigan's only remaining unbeaten collegiate or professional football team this season. FSU is a consensus top-five team in a total of six different NCAA Division II national polls and holds the nation's longest unbeaten streak in D2 football at 12-straight contests. Ferris State is also the number one team in the initial NCAA Super Region Four Rankings.

Best In 19 Years: This year's 8-0 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.

Ticket Info: Tickets for Saturday's game are currently on sale and can be bought online at www.startickets.com or purchased in person at the FSU Athletics Ticket Office. The ticket office will be open inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) along with extended hours on Wednesday until 7 p.m. (ET).  Fans can save and avoid potential lines by purchasing in advance. Additionally, the gameday ticket office located at Top Taggart Field will open on Saturday at 9 a.m. (ET). For more info, visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com or call (231) 591-2888.

Kids Day: Saturday will be Kids Day in Big Rapids with all students in grades K-12 earning free admission. As part of the Kids Day event, a variety of events and activities will take place, including a Halloween Costume Parade, football skills challenge, in-game contests, autographs will players, bounce houses, events with the team and more. It will also include a celebrity appearance by the Detroit Pistons' Kid Dancer.

Media Coverage: Saturday's game will be carried live locally by the Bulldog Sports Network and Sunny 97.3 FM with the veteran broadcast team of Rob Bentley (play-by-play) and Sandy Gholston (color) calling the action. The contest will also be streamed via pay-per-view in HD along with a free live audio feed online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. FSU will also provide live internet statistics.

Follow On Twitter: In addition to radio and internet coverage, Bulldog fans can also follow Saturday's contest and all other FSU games this year with live scoring updates on several official social media platforms.  Visit www.twitter.com/FerrisFootball to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring updates or visit www.facebook.com/FerrisFootball.

The Records: Ferris State is 8-0 overall and leads the GLIAC with a perfect 7-0 conference mark. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back league road wins over unbeaten and nationally-ranked opponents as FSU topped defending GLIAC Champion Ohio Dominican 34-19 on Oct. 18 in Columbus, Ohio, before posting a decisive 37-3 road win at Michigan Tech this past Saturday (Oct. 25) in Houghton. Last year, FSU posted an 8-3 overall record in 2013 and placed second in the GLIAC North Division standings with a 8-2 conference mark. FSU, which won seven games in head coach Tony Annese's debut season in 2012, closed the 2013 season riding a four-game winning streak and narrowly missed receiving the school's first NCAA playoff bid in 17 years.

Lake Erie is 4-4 overall and 3-4 in league play to date this year and has won three-straight games coming into Saturday's matchup. The Storm own wins this year over Walsh, Notre Dame (Ohio), Saginaw Valley State and Malone. LEC topped Malone 55-34 on the road last Saturday. A year ago, the Storm posted a 4-7 record and was 3-6 in the GLIAC.

Big Win Streak: Ferris State can break a school-record by winning its 13th-straight game dating back to last year on Saturday. Presently, the Bulldogs own the fourth-longest active win streak at 12 among all schools at any level of NCAA competition, trailing only FCS member North Dakota State, Division III power Wisconsin-Whitewater and reigning FBS National Champion Florida State. Ferris State tied a school-record with the win over MTU last weekend by capturing its 12th-straight victory and the mark is the longest active streak in Division II football.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 3rd season, 23-7-0 (.767) – (2-0-0 vs. Lake Erie).  Annese recorded a 195-41 (.826) mark as a head coach in four stops at the high school level before totaling a 30-4 (.882) record in three years as the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College.  His overall career mark at all levels is 248-52 (.827) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns. He coached his 300th career game at all levels last week and needs two wins to notch his 250th victory overall.

Lake Erie – Mark McNellie (Baldwin-Wallace, 1988), 8th season - (0-4-0 vs. Ferris State).  McNellie became the program's first head coach prior to the 2007 season in which LEC posted a 7-2 mark as a club team.  They began varsity action in '08.  Previously, he spent 17 years as an assistant at Mercyhurst along with two at Fairmont State (W.Va.). He played collegiately at Baldwin-Wallace.).

Decisive Road Win: Ferris State beat a second-straight unbeaten and ranked opponent on the road last Saturday as FSU posted a decisive 37-3 road win over Michigan Tech in Houghton. The Bulldogs forced a key fumble early in each half and ran for 322 yards in the victory against one of the league's top defensive units. Redshirt freshman back Jahaan Brown ran for 150 yards and two scores while junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan piled up 134 yards rushing for the Bulldogs.

The National Rankings: FSU is a consensus top-five nationally-ranked squad this week and is ranked first in the country in four different online computer polls - the Massey Ratings, CompughterRatings.com, Atomic Football and Beyond Sports Network D2 Power Rankings polls. n addition, the Bulldogs moved up to third in this week's D2football.com poll and are fifth in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II National Rankings. The number one ranking this week in the four online scientific rankings is the Bulldogs' best in any type of ranking since being tabbed first in the country for two weeks back in 1996, which happens to be the most recent time in which FSU has advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Breaking The Mark: The Bulldogs can officially break the school-record for most consecutive wins on Saturday. FSU has won 12 games in a row overall dating back to last year. Previously, FSU won its opening 12 games in 1995 before falling in the Division II National Semifinals, which was the Bulldogs' best finish in school history.

Year Three Under Annese: A proven winner at all of his previous coaching stops and highly-regarded across the country, Tony Annese is directing the Bulldogs for the third time this fall. He came to FSU following three impressive years as the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College, which came on the heels of a highly successful 25-season stint at the prep level.  He owns an overall career head coaching record of 248-52 (.827) and was 30-4 (.882) as a junior college head coach at GRCC.

Rushing Attack: Saturday's game will match two of the nation's top eight rushing offenses in Ferris State and Lake Erie. The Bulldogs come into the contest ranked fourth in the country at 333.3 yards per game on the ground while LEC presently ranks eighth at 299.0 rushing yards per outing. Together, they also own two of the top five single-game rushing totals in the nation this year with the Bulldogs' 556 yards rushing versus Tiffin (Oct. 11) ranking second-best overall.

Scouting The Storm: A year ago, Ferris State and Lake Erie battled to the wire in a high-scoring tilt at Top Taggart Field with the Bulldogs prevailing 56-49 in the conference opener for both squads. Lake Erie is led by talented junior back Anthony Bilal, who leads the nation with 1,483 rushing yards to date this year. The Storm are both 2-2 at home and on the road this campaign.

Series History: Ferris State and Lake Erie will meet for the fifth-time ever on Saturday.  The Bulldogs pulled out a 22-12 win in 2010 (10/2/10) in the first game at Painesville, Ohio.  FSU then recorded a 38-14 triumph in 2011 (10/1/11) in Big Rapids before a 49-21 road win two years ago (9/8/12).  In 2013, Ferris State was a 56-49 winner at Top Taggart Field. LEC posted a 7-4 overall record as a Division II independent in 2009 before joining the GLIAC where they posted identical 3-8 marks their first three seasons before going 4-7 a year ago.

Regional Rankings: Ferris State, the region's only remaining unbeaten team, is currently listed first in the initial NCAA Division II Super Region Four Rankings announced this week. The NCAA Regional Rankings help determine the six teams in each region that will receive NCAA Division II Playoff bids at the end of the season. FSU, which has won a Division II nation-leading and school-record tying 12-straight games dating back to last year, is the lone remaining unbeaten squad in Super Region Four. The regional top 10 includes four GLIAC member schools in Ohio Dominican (#3), Michigan Tech (#6) and Ashland (#7). The region encompasses four different NCAA Division II conferences, including the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

School Record Holder: Standout quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Jason Vander Laan etched his name in the record books this past Saturday (Oct. 25) as he became the school's all-time leader in career total offense in the win over Michigan Tech. Vander Laan tallied 165 yards of total offense in the decisive win, including 134 on the ground, while surpassing former record holder Matt McCarthy's school mark of 8,396 yards recorded from 1996-99. The Bulldog All-American presently has 8,561 yards of total offense in his three seasons as the FSU starting signal caller, averaging a school all-time best 285.4 yards per contest.

National Award Winners: A pair of Ferris State standouts eceived national acclaim after leading the unbeaten Bulldogs to the win at Ohio Domincian two weeks ago (Oct. 18). 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 completed 18-of-26 passes for 207 yards and two scores versus ODU while also running for 63 yards on 17 carries and a TD. 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.  

National Level Honors: Last week represented the fourth-straight week in which at least one FSU standout had been chosen as one of the BSN National Athletes of the Week. Junior QB Jason 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) prior to Vander Laan and KC Zenner earning praise after the Ohio Dominican win. Overall, Ferris State has currently had at least one National Player of the Week or honorable mention selection from BSN or USA College Football nearly every week of the 2014 campaign to date.

Achieving Eight Wins: Ferris State's victory last Saturday gave the Bulldogs their eighth win of the year. FSU had not won eight games in a single season since 2006 prior to last year's 8-3 finish. Overall, the Bulldogs have now achieved eight wins in a single-season only three times (2006, 2013, 2014) in the last 18 seasons dating back to the school's last playoff appearance in 1996.

Among Nation's Leaders: The Bulldogs currently rank fifth in the nation in total offense heading into week nine with a 519.9 yards per game average. The Bulldogs are also ranked fourth in rushing offense (333.3 ypg.) and third in scoring offense (47.4 ppg.). FSU is also second in third-down conversion percentage in the country (55.4%) along with fourth in team passing efficiency (174.04). Defensively, Ferris State is listed 31st in the country and FSU is also tops in the nation in net punting among other categories.

Tops In The Country: Bulldog junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan leads the nation in passing efficiency (177.9) along with third in the country in points responsible for this year (186). He's also fourth nationally in points responsible for per game (23.3 ppg.) and sixth in completion percentage (.682).  Overall, he also leads the GLIAC and is 14th in passing touchdowns (21) in the country and also among the top 30 overall nationally in rushing (853 yds.).  

Big Numbers Nationally: Ferris State currently holds two of the top three single-game total offense totals in the nation this season with 767 yards against Tiffin and 761 yards versus McKendree. FSU's 556 rushing yards against Tiffin in its most recent home game (Oct. 11) also represented the most rushing yards on the ground in a single game in the country this year with the 75 total points at McKendree ranking fifth-best nationally.

Reversal Of Fortune: Ferris State's win over Michigan Tech last week was the school's third in a row against MTU. The Huskies had owned a nine-game series' winning streak prior to the current stretch.  Prior to the last three years, Ferris State had not beat Michigan Tech since a 21-14 overtime home win in 2002 (10/12) at Top Taggart Field. FSU has also now won back-to-back games at MTU's Sherman Field the last two seasons after previously not having won there in 15 years prior to the 2013 season.

Three Common Foes: Ferris and Lake Erie have played three common opponents to date this season. The Bulldogs own wins over Grand Valley State, Ohio Dominican and Saginaw Valley State while the Storm beat SVSU as well, but lost to both GVSU and ODU. Lake Erie faced both Ohio Dominican and Saginaw Valley State at home while visiting Grand Valley State the week after the Lakers lost in Big Rapids.

Final Five-Game Stretch: Ferris State is currently midst its final five-game stretch of the regular-season. Ferris has registered a 72-49-1 record in its final five regular-season contests per season since 1990. In 2012, the Bulldogs went 3-2 over the final five-game stretch. FSU was 4-1 last year, winning the last four games. FSU's final five-game stretch this year started with back-to-back long road trips to Ohio Dominican and Michigan Tech, but the Bulldogs captured impressive wins both weeks.

Rushing Up The List: Included in junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan's school-record total offense figure is 3,798 rushing yards, which ranks third on FSU's all-time career rushing list. He's only 394 yards shy of matching the school record of 4,192 yards owned by Mo Harris (1996-99). Additionally, Vander Laan has also thorwn for 4,763 career yards, ranking seventh on FSU's all-time chart. Vander Laan has presently thrown for 49 touchdowns as a Bulldog and has also ran for 47 scores. His 286 career points is fourth on FSU's all-time chart and he's 38 shy of breaking Tyree Dye's school-best total of 324 points (1990-94). He needs seven TD's to tie Dye's all-time mark of 54 touchdowns scored.

NCAA-II Active Career Leaders: Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan currently ranks third on the school's all-time career rushing chart and also presently has the fifth-most career rushing yards (3,798) of any active Division II player in the country. His 126.6 yards per game average is one of the top five career figures for any rusher currently still competing while his 9.4 points per game ranks as the third-best career figure among active players.

Ten TD'S Away: This season, the Bulldogs' Jason Vander Laan has completed 116-of-170 passes (68.2) for 1,443 yards and 21 touchdowns. He's also ran for a squad-best 853 yards on 132 carries and scored 10 times to date. His 21 TD throws is 10 shy of matching former QB Matt McCarthy's school-record of 31 TD passes set in 1999.

More National Statistics: Heading into week nine, Ferris State is also ranked high nationally in several other statistical categories, including first in net punting (40.43) along with second in passes had intercepted (2), third in fewest penalty yards (253), fourth in team passing efficiency (174.4), fifth in first downs (185), sixth in sacks allowed (.38), 11th in completion percentage (.669), 14th in rushing defense (94.5), 15th in red zone defense (.625) and 31st in total defense (318.0 ypg).

Winning League Games: FSU registered its seventh GLIAC win with last Saturday's victory. This year marks only the fifth time in the last 18 years dating back to the 1990's in which Ferris State has accomplished the feate. Last year (2013) marked the first time the Bulldogs had posted seven wins in GLIAC play since 2006. FSU also won seven games in the conference in 1999, 2001 and 2006 along with the last two years, but had not claimed eight league victories prior to last season's 8-2 GLIAC finish since winning nine conference games en route to the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference title in 1996. The Bulldogs can win their eighth league contest this season with a win on Saturday

Ranking Notes: This week's #5 ranking in the AFCA poll represents the Bulldogs' highest ranking ever in the poll conducted by Division II coaches, which began in 2000. Earlier this year, FSU entered the Anchor-Bone Classic ranked higher than rival Grand Valley State for the first time since the poll began. A total of four teams from the GLIAC can currently be found in this week's AFCA poll as FSU is joined by Ohio Dominican (#12), Michigan Tech (#21) and Ashland (#23). The CompughterRatings.com poll has the GLIAC holding down three of the nation's top five spots in top-ranked Ferris State, number two Ohio Dominican and Michigan Tech, which is listed fifth overall.

A Winning Note: The Bulldogs have officially clinched their ninth winning season in the last 12 years. FSU has finished with a winning season 17 times in the last 25 campaigns, including 12 times in the last 19 years. The Bulldogs won five consecutive conference championship titles from 1992-96 and were last league co-champions in 1999.

Facing Ohio Teams: Ferris State is currently 3-0 against teams from the state of Ohio this season. Along with Saturday's game against Lake Erie, FSU will also visit another Ohio school in Walsh for the regular-season finale (Nov. 15). Ferris State wrapped up its GLIAC South Division stretch a year ago with a perfect 3-0 mark against Ohio schools.  FSU previously swept four Ohio teams in 2010 and beat three of four in the 2011 campaign before topping two of three in 2012  Since 2010, the Bulldogs are now 15-2 versus teams from the Buckeye state.  

Beating The Buckeye State: Ferris improved to 44-45 (.495) all-time against teams from the state of Ohio in school history with its recent win over Ohio Dominican. The Bulldogs have played 13 schools from the Buckeye state and have fared the best against those teams now competing in the GLIAC.  FSU holds a 12-11 mark versus Findlay and is 10-14 overall against Ashland.  The Bulldogs also own five wins over Tiffin (5-0) along with four wins over Ohio Northern (4-6) and Lake Erie (4-0) while posting multiple wins versus Cedarville (2-0), Ohio Dominican (3-0) and Walsh (2-0). FSU has topped Wilmington and Defiance once each in the program's history.  Ferris' worst mark is against Central State, which owns a 7-0 record against the Bulldogs although the two teams have not met '86.

Four-Game Finish: Prior to last year, FSU had not closed a regular-season by winning four games in a row since 2001. Ferris State closed 2013 with wins over Michigan Tech, Wayne State, Northwood and Northern Michigan with both two coming at home and two on the road.

FSU Keeps The Trophy: With a strong showing of support from the Bulldog Nation behind its back, the nationally-ranked Ferris State football team held onto possession of the Anchor-Bone Trophy for the third-straight year with a 42-17 triumph over rival Grand Valley State in its home opener on Sept. 20 of this season. A crowd of nearly 6,000 fans at FSU's Top Taggart Field watched the Bulldogs bolt out to a 21-10 halftime lead and score a pair of early third-quarter touchdowns en route to the victory in the school's home opener.

Decisive Margin: Ferris State's 25-point win over rival Grand Valley State this year tied for the third-most decisive win ever over the Lakers. FSU beat the Lakers by scores of 57-0 and 42-0 in the first two meetings ever played between the two schools in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Ironically, FSU also beat GVSU by the same margin of 25 points in 1999 (48-23) when the Bulldogs last claimed a GLIAC Championship.

Preseason All-Americans: Among the returnees for the Bulldogs this campaign are seven preseason NCAA Division II All-Americans, including four from the defensive unit in junior end Justin Zimmer (Greenville), senior defensive tackle Corey Stone (Sterling Heights/Stevenson), senior linebacker Darnell Morris (Detroit/Inkster) and senior defensive back A.J. McEwen (East Grand Rapids). The offensive unit is represented by Preseason All-America quarterback and returning Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) along with junior lineman Adam Bennett (Romeo) and senior receiver Jake Lampman (East Lansing/Haslett).

Preseason Recognition: FSU junior quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Jason Vander Laan received numerous preseason national honors, including being chosen as one of the country's top 10 players to watch for 2014 by the Beyond Sports Network (BSN). He also received national acclaim this summer by being chosen to the 2014 BSN Preseason All-America First Team and was listed as a USA Football Preseason All-American in addition to being named among the national nominees for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Finally, he was also chosen as the MES-TV Preseason GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year.

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