PREVIEW: Ferris State Hosts Rival GVSU In First-Ever Postseason Showdown Saturday

This Week: The unbeaten Ferris State University football team will host a  second-straight NCAA Division II Playoff game as the Bulldogs entertain archrival Grand Valley State in the second round this Saturday, Nov. 28, at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET).

The Bulldogs are 11-0 overall and capped off a second-straight unbeaten regular season along with winning a second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship this year. Meanwhile, the Lakers hold a 10-2 overall mark and compiled an 8-2 league mark in the GLIAC this season.

Ferris State is the number two seed in Super Region Four with GVSU seeded sixth. It will mark the first-ever postseason matchup between the two West Michigan rivals on Saturday.

Ticket Information: Tickets for Saturday's playoff game are currently on sale and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens (age 65+) along with $5 for students in grades K-12. In addition, students from both competing institutions with a valid ID card are also $5. Children ages five and under are free.

Per NCAA policy, all fans will need a game ticket to enter the stadium and no season passes, conference passes or the "Division 2 Pass for Two" will be accepted for playoff contests.

Fans fan purchase tickets online 24 hours a day, seven days a week at StarTickets.com or call (800) 585-3737. Tickets may also be purchased in person thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex. The ticket office will be closed on Thursday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The gameday ticket office at the Wheeler Pavilion at Top Taggart Field opens Saturday at 10 a.m.

Media/TV Coverage: Saturday's playoff 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 11:30 a.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with a free live audio and video feed online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com in conjunction with Ferris State Television. FSU will also provide live internet statistics.

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

First Postseason Matchup: Saturday will represent the first time in which Ferris State and Grand Valley State have ever met in postseason action. The two teams have played 44 times previously, but it will mark the first NCAA Playoff meeting between the two schools. Prior to this year, the two teams had not both competed in the playoffs in the same year since 1994 as this year represents only the second time ever in which both West Michigan squads have advanced to the postseason at the same time.

Super Region Four: Ferris State and Grand Valley State are among only 16 teams still remaining in the NCAA Division II Playoffs this year. The winner of Saturday's regional semifinal or second-round game will advance to play the winner of the other regional semifinal between Colorado State Pueblo and Midwestern State, which takes place at MSU in Texas. The top remaining seed will host the Dec. 5 game, which means if the second-seeded Bulldogs beat number six seed GVSU, they would either host CSU-P (#4 seed) or travel to Midwestern State (#1 seed).

FSU At A Glance: Presently, FSU is Michigan's only remaining unbeaten collegiate or professional football team this season. The Bulldogs closed the regular-season with a 25-game regular season victory streak intact dating back to the 2013 season and is now only two wins away for matching the  most consecutive regular-season victories in school history, which is 27 in a row from Oct. 23, 1993 to Sept. 14, 1996. FSU has been a consensus top-five team in virtually every major NCAA Division II national poll this year.

Big Playoff Victory: A huge second half lifted Ferris State to its first NCAA Playoff victory in 19 years as the Bulldogs beat Texas A&M Commerce 48-30 in the opening round of the postseason last Saturday (Nov. 21) at FSU's Top Taggart Field. After a quick start, the Bulldogs fell behind 16-13 at halftime before tallying 35 second-half points to pull out the win and improve to 11-0 on the year. Senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan ran for five TD's on the ground in the victory while sophomore back Jahaan Brown tallied a season-high 192 yards rushing for the Bulldogs against the seventh-seeded Lions. Defensively, the Bulldogs gave up 354 yards to the Lions' high-potent offense, but they also forced four turnovers in the victory, including a pick six from junior linebacker Brady Sheldon. The playoff win was FSU's first since 1996.

Earlier This Year: Senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan passed for 419 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for three more as the then nationally fifth-ranked Ferris State University Bulldogs defeated archrival and 14th-ranked Grand Valley State 61-24 in the regular-season meeting on Sept. 19 to capture the Anchor Bone Trophy for the fourth consecutive year. The Bulldogs broke up a 10-point halftime contest with a decisive second half before more than 16,000 fans while scoring the school's most points ever against the Lakers on the gridiron. FSU's current four-game win streak over GVSU is also tops in school history. Senior receiver Antonio Agurs led the wideouts with 13 receptions for 153 yards, while sophomore JaJuan Pollock caught six balls for 90 yards. Both Jake Lampman and Shakur Sanders also had receiving touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the triumph. The victory was Ferris State's fourth in as many matchups against the Lakers under FSU head coach Tony Annese.

Handling GVSU: Bulldog senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan threw for a career-best 419 passing yards and accounted for six touchdowns in this year's regular-season victory at rival Grand Valley State. Vander Laan tossed three TD passes and also ran for a team-high 77 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns on the ground. In the previous three seasons, Vander Laan had compiled 553 total rushing yards or 184.3 yards per game on the ground against GVSU. Overall, he's helped account for 16 TD's versus the Lakers in four meetings while leading Ferris State to four-straight wins in the series.

Battle Of Ranked Teams: Both teams head into Saturday's contest ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation and it will represent the sixth time in series' history in which both squads have been ranked in the major D2 national poll at kickoff. The fifth time came earlier this year when FSU was listed fifth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Rankings with GVSU 14th overall. The regular-season matchup marked the first time both teams have been ranked among the top 15 nationally in 20 years since a 30-21 FSU victory over the Lakers on Sept. 30, 1995, in Big Rapids. FSU was also fifth entering the '95 matchup with GVSU 12th in the country. This week, FSU is second in the nation with the Lakers 12th at the end of the regular season.

One Of Top Rivalries: Four years ago, the Anchor-Bone Classic between FSU and GVSU was featured as one of the "Top 50 Rivalry Games" by the Bleacher Report, which is one of the largest sports destinations on the web with 20 million unique readers each month. The contest was ranked fifth on the list of top 50 games in the month of October in 2011 and was the only non-Division I matchup featured in the report.

Anchor-Bone Trophy: The Anchor Bone Trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Ferris State-Grand Valley State football game in the regular season. The trophy debuted in 2002 and GVSU maintained possession of the trophy for the first nine years with five wins in Allendale along with four at FSU's Top Taggart Field. However, the Bulldogs recorded an impressive 40-24 win at Lubbers Stadium in 2012 to claim the trophy for the first time while beating GVSU for the first time since 1999. FSU then recorded a 54-44 home win in 2013 (10/12) in Big Rapids followed by an impressive 42-17 home victory in 2014 (9/18/14) prior to this year's 61-24 regular-season victory to keep possession of the trophy. FSU will be seeking its fifth-straight victory over the Lakers on Saturday. Overall, GVSU holds a 27-16-1 all-time series' advantage entering Saturday's showdown between the two schools.  

Annese Unbeaten vs. GVSU: Ferris State has won each of the last four matchups between the two West Michigan rivals and will be seeking its fifth-straight series' victory. In the regular season this fall, FSU made its first trip to Lubbers Stadium since topping GVSU 40-24 in 2012. That win snapped an 11-game series' losing streak and was Ferris State's first win over the Lakers since 1999. It also came in the debut season for FSU head coach Tony Annese. Annese currently is 4-0 against the Lakers in his Bulldog tenure as Ferris State also recorded wins of 54-44 and 42-17 over GVSU in Big Rapids in 2013 and 2014, respectively, prior to this year's 61-24 win.

Ranked Higher: The 2014 meeting in Big Rapids marked the first time since the creation of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II National Rankings in 2000 that the Bulldogs entered the game ranked higher in the poll than GVSU as FSU was 16th in the country.  Saturday will mark the third-straight meeting in which Ferris State is ahead of the Lakers in the rankings.

High Rankings: GVSU was ranked number one nationally in the AFCA Division II poll prior to each of its two meetings versus FSU in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, the Bulldogs nearly upset the top-ranked Lakers in a 17-10 setback at FSU's Top Taggart Field.

Big-Time Success: The Ferris State University football and volleyball teams have posted the best combined mark of any school in the country to date this year in the two major fall sports. Both are presently ranked second in the nation in the respective coaches' polls and both won their second-straight GLIAC Championships this fall. The volleyball team is 31-2 overall and chosen to host the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament next week (Dec. 3-5) at FSU's Jim Wink Arena. Together, the two squads are 42-2 to date this year!

Greatest Rushing Quarterback: Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan became college football's "greatest rushing quarterback" of all-time on a historic day at Top Taggart Field against Ohio Dominican on Oct. 17 in Big Rapids. He now has 5,827 career rushing yards to date and surpassed the all-time record for most rushing yards by any QB at any level on a 53-yard TD run down the home sideline in the second quarter versus ODU. He topped the previous career record of 5,128 yards held by Wofford's Shawn Graves from 1989-92.

Another NCAA Record: FSU's Jason Vander Laan broke another NCAA record in FSU's road victory at Northern Michigan on Nov. 7. He presently has 81 career rushing TD's and surpassed the previous NCAA Division II record for most rushing scores by a QB (72) also held by Wofford's Shawn Graves. Presently, Vander Laan is second overall in total rushing touchdowns by a quarterback at any level in the history of college football, trailing only current Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, an active player who holds the career total with 82 rushing TD's to date.

The Records: Ferris State enters Saturday's game with a 11-0 overall and league record after last week's 48-30 playoff-opening victory over seventh-seeded Texas A&M Commerce. In 2014, Ferris State finished 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 before doing it again this year. 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 26 of its last 27 contests overall.

Grand Valley State holds a 10-2 overall record to date and is coming off a 45-28 upset over third-seeded Ashland in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs last Saturday in Ashland, Ohio. GVSU's two regular-season setbacks came against FSU and Ashland. The Lakers posted an 8-2 overall record in the regular-season while placing second in the GLIAC North Division standings.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 4th season, 37-8-0 (.822) – (4-0 vs. GVSU).  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 262-53 (.832) 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 260th victory three weeks ago.

Grand Valley State - Matt Mitchell (Cornell, 1997), 6th season, 55-18 (.746); Career: 6th season, 55-18 (.753) - (2-4-0 vs. Ferris State). Mitchell took over as the seventh head coach in GVSU history in 2010 and was the first Laker coach to win his first eight games. The former Cornell letterwinner was a six-year Laker assistant, including the final two years as defensive coordinator. He previously was an assistant coach at Wartburg (Iowa).

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 broke the school-record for most consecutive wins overall 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 25 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 262-53 (.832) and was 30-4 (.882) as a JUCO coach at GRCC.

Sixth Unbeaten Regular Season: This year marks the sixth time in school history in which the Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season. Prior to the last two years, no Bulldog team had went undefeated in the regular season since the 1995 team won its first 12 games en route to the NCAA Division II Semifinals, which is the highest finish in school history. Last year's 11-0 mark prior to the NCAA Playoffs represented the first time in 100-plus years of football in which a Bulldog team won 11 contests in the regular season.

Seventh NCAA Playoff Berth: This year marks Ferris State's seventh all-time NCAA Division II Playoff appearance and the school's second in a row after previously not making the field since 1996 prior to last year. Overall, FSU has now compiled a 6-6 all-time playoff record and posted the school's best finish ever by reaching the semifinals in 1995. This year's GLIAC Championship was also Ferris State's second in a row. Before the last two years, FSU had not won a league title since 1999. Last year's outright title was the school's first since 1996. Overall, this year represents the ninth conference title in Bulldog football history.

Bulldog Senior Class: A total of 17 Ferris State seniors will have another opportunity to play a home contest at FSU's Top Taggart Field this week. The large group was recognized prior to the final regular-season home game against Walsh on Nov. 14 and has combined for a 37-8 overall record along with two GLIAC Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances.  The group of 17 includes Antonio Agurs, Adam Bennett, Kahlil Bolling, Mitch Bredberg, Paeton Caldwell, Frank Colletti, Cody Dingeldey,  Ben Hinamanu, Nate Iveson, Jake Lampman, Damonta Madden, Sean O'Brien, Jordan Roxas, Troy Smith, Jason Vander Laan, Garrett Woods and Justin Zimmer.

Highest National Rankings: Ferris State remains second this week in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Rankings, which represents the Bulldogs' highest ranking ever in the history of the coaches' poll that dates back to 2000. In addition, FSU is also ranked 1st nationally again this week by D2Football.com along with the Division II Power Rankings.

First In NCAA History: Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan has become the first player in NCAA football history at any level to both run and pass for 1,000 yards for four-straight seasons. Prior to Vander Laan accomplishing the feat, no other player in the history of college football had ever totaled more than 1,000 passing and rushing yards for each season of their collegiate career.

First-Ever Matchup: Last Saturday marked the first-ever series' matchup between the Bulldogs and Texas A&M Commerce. It also represented the first time the Bulldogs had ever played a team from Texas or one from the Lone Star Conference in school history. A year ago, the Bulldogs hosted a NCAA playoff game for the first time in 18 years, falling to league rival Ohio Dominican 46-33, while making their first postseason berth since 1996.

Unbeaten Regular Season: This year, the Bulldogs posted only their sixth unbeaten regular-season in the 107-year history of Bulldog Football.  Last year marked the Bulldogs' first-ever 11-0 regular season and first unbeaten mark since 1995. The 2015 campaign marks only the seventh time in the 100 plus year history of Ferris State football in which the Bulldogs have won at least nine games.

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