Second-Ranked Bulldogs Stay Atop GLIAC Standings With Decisive Home Win Over SVSU

Postgame Press Conference 
Postgame Scoring Highlights 

Big Rapids, Mich. - Nationally second-ranked Ferris State University football stayed atop the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings as the Bulldogs raced past visiting Saginaw Valley State 34-10 in league action on Saturday (Oct. 26) at FSU's Top Taggart Field.

The Bulldogs moved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the GLIAC standings with the win as they rolled up 623 total yards offensively and limited the Cardinals to only 235 total yards.

Senior quarterback Jayru Campbell had a big day for FSU with a Bulldog career-high 347 passing yards on a 13-of-19 performance. He added a team-high 61 rushing yards and two scores on the ground while accounting for four TD's and more than 400 yards of total offense.

The Bulldogs utilized three different quarterbacks in the contest and generated 398 yards in the air along with 225 on the ground. Junior tailback Marvin Campbell ran for 51 yards with quarterback Evan Cummins notching 37 yards on the ground. In the receiving game, sophomore wideout Sy Barnett hauled in three catches for 114 yards with senior slot Dion Earls making three receptions for 87 yards. FSU senior slot Jevon Shaw also had three catches for 78 yards.

Campbell and the Bulldogs struck first as they marched 94 yards midway thru the opening period to take a 3-0 lead on senior kicker Jackson Dieterle's 22-yard field goal.

After SVSU tied the game up with a long 52-yard field goal from Connor Luksic late in the first period, FSU answered back quickly as Campbell found Earls on a 63-yard scoring throw to make it 10-3 after the first period.

The Bulldogs scored the only two touchdowns of the second frame late in the period as Jayru Campbell scored himself on a five-yard carry with 4:25 left in the half to finish a 10-play, 56-yard jaunt.

Later, with only 1:31 remaining until halftime, Campbell raced in from 30-yards away to make it 24-3 at the break.

Ferris State moved to the Cardinals' one-yard line on the first drive of the second half before fumbling into the endzone and SVSU came back soon after with a 78-yard throw from quarterback Ryan Conklin to Chad Gailliard to cut the deficit to 24-10 when it could have been a 31-3 contest.

However, any momentum the Cardinals had was erased with 4:55 left in the third as Campbell hooked up with Barnett on a season-long 88-yard scoring throw to push the edge to 31-10 after three periods.

The Bulldogs then produced the only points of the final period with 3:49 left on a 25-yard field goal from Dieterle.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by junior linebacker Sam Heyboer, who had nine total stops. Senior end Austin Edwards had eight tackles and the Bulldogs scored two interceptions while sacking Conklin three times in the decision.

It marked the first matchup between Bulldog head coach Tony Annese and first-year SVSU head coach Ryan Brady, who formerly served as an assistant on the FSU staff for the past seven years.

With his 347-yard passing performance, Campbell became the first Bulldog to throw for more than 300 yards in a game since Trevor Bermingham did so against Colorado Mines in the 2016 NCAA Division II Playoffs.

The Bulldogs will travel to Michigan Tech next Saturday (Nov. 2) for a 1 p.m. (ET) league contest at Sherman Field in Hougton.