#4 Ferris State Explodes In 56-21 League Road Win At Tiffin

#4 Ferris State Explodes In 56-21 League Road Win At Tiffin

Tiffin, Ohio - The nationally fourth-ranked Ferris State University football team put together its most complete performance of the season to date as the Bulldogs romped past Tiffin 56-21 on Saturday (Oct. 10) at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin, Ohio.

The unbeaten Bulldogs stretched their regular-season unbeaten streak to 20 consecutive games by winning their 11th-straight road contest against a Tiffin team that entered the contest with high expectations by virtue of a 4-1 record.

However, the Bulldogs jumped on front of the Dragons early by building a 21-point first quarter lead and led 35-7 at halftime. FSU added 21 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach and move to 5-0 overall and in league play.

Senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan had a record-setting day for the Bulldogs as he became the GLIAC's all-time leader in total offense early in the opening period. He finished with 203 yards on 14-of-16 passing and added a game-high 151 rushing yards on 21 attempts. He accounted for four TD's.

"It was an outstanding performance by our team today," said FSU head coach Tony Annese. "We didn't think we played our best football last week, but our guys really stepped up and played well this afternoon. Credit to them for the work they put forth and the performance they showed on the road."

Ferris State rolled up 624 yards of total offense while posting 56 points versus the Dragons. FSU also ran for 390 yards on the ground only a year after setting school records for total offense and rushing in a decisive 68-20 win at Top Taggart Field in 2014 versus Tiffin.

FSU got on the board first on the game's opening drive by marching 75 yards in 11 plays with senior slot receiver Antonio Agurs capping the first possession with a nine-yard TD run.

After a defensive stop, FSU moved 37 yards in four plays with Vander Laan finding senior wideout Jake Lampman on a 19-yard scoring reception.

The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 21-0 when Lampman scored the second of his three TD's late in the first quarter on a three-yard carry to finish a lengthy 93-yard drive.

Ferris State had another 90-plus yard march early in the second period with Vander Laan finishing the drive via a three-yard scoring carry to make it 28-0. He later added a 26-yard scoring run to finish off a 73-yard drive to push the lead to 35-0 late in the first half.

Tiffin's lone points of the opening period came when talented quarterback Antonio Pipkin found Jalen Santoro on a 15-yard reception with only 27 seconds left in the period as FSU took a 35-7 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off in the third quarter as Vander laan engineered a pair of early second-half scoring drives. The first went for 63 yards and resultted in a 12-yard TD run from sophomore tailback Jahaan Brown. After a stop, FSU then scored quickly on Vander Laan's 68-yard scoring throw to junior slot Jamel Lockett to stretch the lead to 49-7.

Tiffin cut the deficit to 49-14 on a four-yard scoring run from Jerry Brown late in the third,  but FSU answered with a eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended on Lampman's four-yard run. Finally, the Dragons accounted for the final margin when Pipkin found Charles Holland from seven-yards out with 9:10 to play in the game.

Ferris State played every player in uniform with most seeing significant action throughout the contest.

Defensively, FSU limited one of the nation's top offensive units to only 226 yards, including only 29 rushing yards. Pipkin was 20-of-26 in the air for 197 yards, but lost -26 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs converted 12-of-14 third downs and limited TU to only three-of-11 on third down.

Ferris State returns home to host Ohio Dominican on Saturday, Oct. 17, at FSU's Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET) and tickets are on sale now. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com for more information.