Ferris State Falls In Anchor-Bone Classic Before Top Taggart Field Record Crowd

Postgame Scoring Highlights 
Postgame Press Conference 

Big Rapids, Mich. - Nationally top-ranked Ferris State University drew in a record crowd and held the advantage going into the fourth quarter of Saturday's (Oct. 15) Anchor-Bone Classic showdown against second-ranked rival Grand Valley State, but the Lakers tallied a pair of touchdowns in the final period and earned a 22-21 win over the Bulldogs at Top Taggart Field.

A crowd of 12,661 fans attended the contest, marking the largest crowd to ever watch a Bulldog home game in Big Rapids.

The setback snapped the Bulldogs' 19-game winning streak going back to last season and ended FSU's school all-time best 43-game regular-season winning streak that dated to 2017. It marked FSU's first regular-season home loss since 2016.

Ferris State fell behind early as the Lakers drove 60 yards on their opening drive and found paydirt on Jack Provencher's 18-yard TD reception from Cade Peterson.

However, the Bulldogs responded and tied the game up with 5:54 remaining in the opening stanza on a 31-yard TD pass to senior slot receiver Marcus Taylor from quarterback Mylik Mitchell, who returned to the field and saw his first action since FSU's season-opening home win over Central Washington on Sept. 1.

After the Lakers regained the lead at 10-7 on Josh Gorball's 35-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs took a 14-10 halftime lead as Taylor scored on a 31-yard run with 12:32 to go in the opening half, capping a four-play, 73-yard FSU scoring drive.

In the second half, the Bulldogs pushed the margin to 21-10 with only 1:20 left in the third quarter as redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Gulker capped off a short five-play, 36-yard jaunt with a seven-yard scoring run. The drive was setup following an interception by senior corner Sidney McCloud.

The Lakers, though, tallied a pair of touchdowns in the final eight minutes to come away with the win. They cut the margin to 21-16 on a one-yard scoring run with 7:57 left in the contest. After stopping FSU, the Lakers marched 83 yards in five plays with Provencher getting the eventual winning score on a 10-yard TD run with 3:36 to play.

The Bulldogs did get a late opportunity in Laker territory but turned the ball over on downs.

GVSU finished with 425 total yards, including 223 rushing yards on 44 attempts. Meanwhile, FSU had 316 yards of total offense nad Mitchell completed 19-of-27 throws for 235 yards and a score. Taylor ran for 56 yards on five carries and caught five passes for 82 yards. Slot receiver CJ Jefferson led FSU with six catches for 83 yards and Tyrese Hunt-Thompson netted five grabs for 45 yards.

For the Lakers, Peterson threw for 186 yards on 12-of-29 passing with Tariq Reid running for a game-high 90 yards.

The Bulldogs, now 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the GLIAC, will host Michigan Tech next Saturday (Oct. 22) in a 1 p.m. (ET) league tilt at Top Taggart Field.