PREVIEW: #4 Ferris State Heads Back To Ohio To Face 4-1 Dragons This Week

This Week: The Ferris State University football team continues its road swing to Ohio by visiting the Tiffin Dragons this Saturday, Oct. 10. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest is set for a 1:30 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin, Ohio.

The Bulldogs are 4-0 overall with Tififn owning a 4-1 mark. Presently, Ferris State has won 19-straight regular-season games overall and 10-straight games on the road.

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. Pregame coverage begins at 1 p.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with a free live audio feed online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Live statistics and pay-per-view video will be provided by Tiffin with all links online.

Follow On Twitter: In addition to radio and internet coverage, Bulldog fans can also follow Saturday's contest 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.

Win Streak: Presently, the Bulldogs have won 19-straight regular season games dating back to the 2013 season. FSU is currently five away from the school record for most consecutive regular-season victories, which is 24 in a row from Oct. 23, 1993 to Nov. 11, 1995.

Back To Ohio: Ferris State will make its first visit to Tiffin in the Tony Annese era on Saturday. The Bulldogs last made a trip to Frost-Kalnow Stadium in 2011 while recording a 48-13 victory. Overall, the Bulldogs are 2-0 all-time against the Oilers in Ohio with a win in the first-ever matchup in 2008 along with 2011. Ferris State is currently 1-0 against the Dragons under Annese as the Bulldogs beat Tiffin 68-20 a year ago in Big Rapids (10/8/14).

Ohio Comeback: The Bulldogs are coming off a 42-39 comeback road win over Findlay last Saturday (Oct. 3) at Donnell Stadium in Findlay. Ferris State trailed 28-14 at halftime in the league tilt, but scored on its first four possessions of the second half. The defense gave up only one second-half TD and the offense then milked away the final 6:21 of the final quarter to secure the win. Standout senior QB Jason Vander Laan helped account for all six Bulldog touchdowns.

Nearing NCAA Record: Currently, Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan needs 222 yards rushing to become the all-time leading rushing quarterback in NCAA Football history at any level. He has 4,906 career yards to date and has already surpassed the all-time Division I mark held by former Michigan QB Denard Robinson. The overall record for rushing yards by any QB at the FBS, FCS, D2 or D3 levels is 5,128 yards set by Wofford's Shawn Graves from 1989-92. Additionally, JVL presently has 66 rushing TD's and is six away from the NCAA Division II record for most rushing scores by a QB (72) also held by Graves.

National Rankings: Ferris State continues to be ranked high in different Division II polls this week, including being ranked 1st this week in the CompughterRatings.com online poll. FSU is also ranked 4th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Rankings unveiled by the national coaches organization in addition to being listed third by D2Footbal.com along with fifth in the Hero Sports D2 Rankings. Finally, FSU is also seventh in the Massey Ratings, an online computerized ranking. The #4 ranking in the AFCA Coaches Poll the last three weeks matches last year's highest ranking for the school's best in the history of the poll, which dates back to 2000.

Against The Dragons: Heading into Saturday's tilt at Tiffin, the Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a 5-0 count. Ferris State has rolled up 34 points or more in each of the previous four matchups after narrowly pulling out a 14-12 road triumph in the first-ever meeting back in 2008 at Tiffin. FSU has scored 48-plus points in the last three games, including last season's 68-20 win at home in which the Bulldogs led by a 62-9 count at halftime. Ferris State is presently 3-0 against the Dragons in Big Rapids and 2-0 versus Tiffin at Frost-Kalnow Stadium heading into Saturday's sixth all-time series' matchup.

The Records: Ferris State enters Saturday's game with a 4-0 overall and league record after last week's victory over Findlay. Last year, Ferris State was 11-1 overall and won the GLIAC with a perfect 10-0 conference mark, becoming the first team in the GLIAC North to finish league play unbeaten since 2008. In 2013, FSU posted an 8-3 overall record 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, has presently won 19 of its last 20 contests overall.

Tiffin is off to one of its best starts ever with a 4-1 record both overall and in conference play to date. The lone loss was a 48-44 decision against Findlay. A year ago, Tiffin posted a 5-6 overall mark and a 4-6 league record during the 2014 campaign to place tied for third in the GLIAC South Division standings.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 4th season, 30-8-0 (.789) – (1-0-0 vs. Tiffin).  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 255-53 (.828) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns. He coached his 300th career game at all levels last season and notched his 250th victory overall against Northern Michigan (Nov. 8).

Tiffin - Gary Goff (Valdosta State), 5th season - (0-2-0 vs. Ferris State). Goff is in his fifth season at Tiffin and previously served as an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan along with Princeton, New Mexico State, Southeastern Louisiana and Iowa Wesleyan.

Preseason #2: Ferris State was tabbed as the nation's #2 team entering the season, according to the Sporting News. The annual publication highlighted the top 25 teams in the country based on expert opinions. Ferris State was picked second behind Minnesota-Duluth and FSU was one of three teams from Super Region Four found in the preseason top five nationally. FSU was a consensus national top 10 team in every poll, including #4 in D2football.com and #6 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason rankings.

Breaking The Mark: The Bulldogs officially broke the school-record for most consecutive wins last season. FSU had won 15 games in a row overall dating back to the 2013 season before falling to Ohio Dominican in the 2014 NCAA Division II Playoffs. 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. Currently, the Bulldogs have won their last 19 regular-season games in a row.

Year Four 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 fourth 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 has an overall career head coaching record of 255-53 (.828) and was 30-4 (.882) as a JUCO coach at GRCC.

Preseason All-Americans: A total of nine Bulldog players received some form of Preseason All-America recognition heading into the 2015 campaign. Returning Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) headlined the group of Bulldogs as a consensus First Team All-American along with senior defensive lineman Justin Zimmer (Greenville). In addition, senior cornerback Troy Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) earned USA Football Preseason Division II First-Team honors with sophomore tailback Jahaan Brown (East Grand Rapids) along with junior linebacker Anthony Darkangelo (Detroit/Catholic Central) and junior punter Trevor Bermingham (Addison, Ill.) all claiming Preseason All-America Second Team laurels. Finally, three returning starters on the Bulldogs' offensive line claimed preseason honorable mention All-America accolades in guard Adam Bennett (Romeo) and Cody Dingeldey (L'Anse) along with tackle Bryan Bell (Walled Lake/Central).

The 107th Season: The 2015 campaign represents the Bulldogs' 107th season of varsity competition.  The program actually began in 1900, but no football was played in 1908-09, 1917-18, 1932 and from 1942-45 for various reasons.  Additionally, no scores are available from either the 1912 or 1916 seasons.  Ferris has posted an all-time record of 408-437-40 to date.

Historic Campaign: The Bulldogs are midst their 107th season of varsity competition this fall with their sights set on repeating as GLIAC Champions and making a return trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs following a historic season in 2014 that saw the Bulldogs finish with their first conference title in 15 years and first trip to the postseason in 18 seasons. FSU posted the school's first 11-0 regular-season in the 106-year history of Ferris State football last fall.

In 2014, FSU head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 overall record, which was the school's best in 19 seasons. A total of 10 FSU standouts earned some form of All-America honors, the Bulldogs had 16 all-conference honorees and quarterback Jason Vander Laan was tabbed as the Harlon Hill Trophy Award winner given to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, the best of more than 10,000 players at the level in the nation.

FSU Quick Note: Ferris State was Michigan's only unbeaten collegiate or professional football team during the regular season a year ago. The Bulldogs were a consensus top-four team in a total of six different NCAA Division II national polls for the final month and held the nation's longest unbeaten streak in D2 football at 15-straight contests prior to the NCAA-II Playoffs.

Best In 19 Years: Last year's 11-0 start for Ferris State represented 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. Overall, the Bulldogs have now compiled five undefeated regular-seasons in program history, but no FSU team had ever went 11-0 in the regular-season until last year.

Last Year's Meeting: In last year's meeting against the Dragons at Top Taggart Field, Ferris State put up school-record type numbers against Tiffin in a 68-20 rout in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs bolted out to a 62-9 halftime advantage and rushed for a staggering 556 yards while finishing with 767 total yards. Both of those marks surpassed the previous school records recorded in last year's season opener against McKendree (Ill.). FSU tallied 35 points in the opening quarter and 27 more in the second period.

Another Meeting: Last year marked the first matchup between the Bulldogs and Tiffin since the 2011 campaign when the Bulldogs registerd a 48-13 road win in Ohio. After last year's win, FSU now leads the all-time series 5-0 and has outscored Tiffin in total points by a 216 to 87 margin or by an average of 25.8 ppg.

Facing Ohio Teams: Saturday's game will represent the Bulldogs' second of three consecutive matchups and five overall against teams from the state of Ohio this season. Ferris State wrapped up its GLIAC South Division stretch last year with a perfect 5-0 regular season mark after going 3-0 versus the Ohio schools the previous campaign in 2013.  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 18-2 versus teams from the Buckeye state in regular season action.  

Beating The Buckeye State: Ferris holds a 47-46 (.505) all-time record against teams from the state of Ohio in school history. 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 13-11 mark versus Findlay and is 10-14 overall against Ashland.  The Bulldogs also own five wins over Lake Erie (5-0) and Tiffin (5-0) along with four against Ohio Northern (4-6) while posting multiple wins versus Ohio Dominican (3-1), Walsh (3-0) and Cedarville (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.

Nearing GLIAC Total Offense Record: Bulldog quarterback Jason Vander Laan currently has compiled 10,654 yards in GLIAC action and is only 46 yards away from becoming the conference's all-time leader in career total yards. The current record is 10,700 yards set by former Saginaw Valley State quarterback Jonathon Jennings from 2010-13. In addition, Vander Laan has 4,479 rushing yards in conference games in his career and is 269 shy of catching former Michigan Tech tailback Lee Marana (2003-06) for second place on the league's career rushing chart for any position. The GLIAC record for career rushing is owned by current Detroit Lions tailback and former Wayne State star Joique Bell, who had 6,350 yards in his league career. Vander Laan has totaled 376 points in GLIAC play in his career and already ranks second behind Bell's 564 points from 2006-08.

Player Of The Week: Ferris State senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan was chosen as the GLIAC Football Player of the Week for the third time this year after last week's win over Findlay. Vander Laan had another outstanding performance as he helped account for all six touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 42-39 comeback road win over the Oilers. JVL ran for a game-high 157 yards on 29 carries and four TD's while completing 15-of-26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. His play helped FSU rally from a 28-14 halftime deficit as the Bulldogs scored on their first four offensive possessions of the second half and then sealed the win by chewing the final the final 6:21 off the game clock with a final drive in the fourth quarter. The senior signal caller picked up 106 of his rushing yards in the second half during the FSU comeback and his play helped the Bulldogs roll up 505 yards of total offense in the victory to keep Ferris State unbeaten. Previously, he earned the league distinction following FSU's season-opening win over Northwood and the Anchor-Bone Classic triumph over rival Grand Valley State in which he also claimed D2football.com National Offensive Player of the Week laurels.

Excellence In September: Ferris State junior kicker Nate Iveson was among 21 place-kickers recognized this week by the Fred Mitchell Award for their excellence on the football field and in the community during the month of September. Iveson connected on 14-of-17 PAT's and hit four-of-six field goals during the opening three games of the campaign, which included a personal career-long 45-yard field goal in FSU's recent win over rival Grand Valley State.

JVL Now Fifth In Career Pass Yards: FSU senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan continueshis climb in the record books as he recently moved into fifth place on the school's career passing leaders list. Vander Laan now has 6,775 career passing yards after throwing for 201 yards in the win over Fifth. Presently, Doug Arnold (1989-92) holds fourth place with 6,805 yards. The school-record of 8,669 yards is held by former standout Matt McCarthy (1996-99). Vander Laan already owns the school career records for rushing, scoring and total offense.

Big Performance: Senior defensive lineman Justin Zimmer had his best game of the year to help lift the fourth-ranked Bulldogs to a 42-39 comeback road win over Findlay on Saturday (Oct. 3) at Donnell Stadium. Zimmer was all over the field as he shifted from tackle to end and a standup position at various points in the game, helping FSU run its regular-season winning streak to 19-straight games and stay unbeaten on the year. He led the FSU defense with 12 total tackles, including six solo stops, and also came up with 2.5 tackles for loss (-13 yards) and two sacks (-12 yards). His play helped the FSU defense step up in the second half and allow the Oilers to reach the endzone only once after totaling 28 first-half points. Six of Zimmer's stops and two of his tackles for loss came in the second half when FSU limited Findlay to only 136 yards..

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