Ferris State Pulls Out Thrilling Road Win As Ford Converts Game-Winning Field Goal Play Video

Ferris State Pulls Out Thrilling Road Win As Ford Converts Game-Winning Field Goal


Houghton, Mich. - A 36-yard field goal from junior kicker Wyatt Ford with seven seconds remaining lifted nationally 7th-ranked Ferris State to a thrilling 30-28 triumph over Michigan Tech on a rainy Saturday (Sept. 10) at Sherman Field in Houghton.

Ford converted three field goals in the contest as Ferris State rallied back from a 21-10 halftime deficit to notch their 27th-straight regular season victory dating back to 2013. It was the 14th consecutive win on the road for the Bulldogs, who tied a school mark with the 27th-straight regular-season triumph.

Ferris State got off to a quick start as the Bulldogs built an early 10-0 advantage in the opening quarter of the contest. Ford connected from 32-yards out to give FSU an early 3-0 lead and then junior quarterback Reggie Bell found sophomore Malik Taylor on a 27-yard scoring toss to cap a 75-yard march with 3:13 left in quarter one to put FSU in front by two scores.

But, the hosts rallied back with a strong second quarter as Michigan Tech scored 21-straight points. The Huskies cut the margin to three points when John Williams found paydirt from two-yards away with 11:51 remaining in the first half to finish a 75-yard MTU scoring drive.

The Huskies took their first lead following a short Bulldog punt into windy conditions when quarterback Brandon Cowie scored on a three-yard carry to give Michigan Tech a 14-10 edge.

MTU then pushed the advantage to 21-10 when Williams found David Falish on a 57-yard halftback throw with 6:30 remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs had an opportunity to cut into the margin just before halftime, but MTU thwarted the attempt with an interception at the goal line.

In the third quarter, though, Ferris State rallied. The defense forced four turnovers in the third period and Bell scored twice to give FSU momentum. His first came on a 13-yard run and the second was a 58-yard scamper with 3:43 left in the frame that gave FSU a 24-21 lead.

Michigan Tech responded early in the final quarter by driving 64-yards with Alex Sherbinow finding the endzone from nine-yards away to put the hosts back in front 28-24.

Soon after, FSU drove down the field, but elected to cut the margin to a single point as Ford converted a 24-yard field goal on fourth down to make it 28-27 in MTU's favor with only 7:52 to play.

The Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead on the ensuing possession. However, after marching into Husky territory, a potential go-ahead field goal from Ford failed as the Bulldogs could not get the play off.

MTU tried to run out the clock, but Ferris State's defense held, giving the offense one final drive. FSU moved down the field thanks to a long completion from Bell to Taylor and after a couple short throws set up Ford's game-winner, which split the uprights. From there, the defense held as FSU prevailed.

Ferris State rolled up 516 yards of total offense, including 267 on the ground and 249 in the air. Bell ran for 151 yards and two scores on 23 carries with Jahaan Brown adding 113 yards rushing.

In the air, Bell completed 22-of-40 passes for 242 yards and a TD. Taylor made a career-high nine catches for 138 yards with Shakur Sanders grabbing four balls for 30 yards.

Meanwhile, Michigan Tech totaled 350 yards of total offense, but was limited to only 45 yards rushing. The FSU defense forced four turnovers and sacked Cowie twice. He finished with 13-of-27 passes for 248 yards. Ian Fischer led MTU in the receiving game with six catches for 114 total yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Anthony Darkangelo had 12 tackles for FSU, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Nick Huckabay added seven tackles and an interception.

Ferris State, now 2-0 overall, will visit Northwood next Saturday (Sept. 17) for a 1 p.m. (ET) kickoff in Midland.