PREVIEW: Ferris State Heads To Michigan's Upper Peninsula To Face Michigan Tech Saturday

This Week: The two-time defending Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champion Ferris State University football squad will hit the road for the first time this campaign as FSU ventures to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to face the Michigan Tech Huskies on Saturday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at Sherman Field in Houghton.

The Bulldogs capped off a second-straight unbeaten regular season along with winning a second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship a year ago. Meanwhile, the Huskies posted a 7-3 overall and league mark in 2015. Both teams enter the game with identical 1-0 records this fall.

Ferris State was a consensus top 20 team in the national rankings entering the 2016 campaign with more than 50 letterwinners returning.

Ticket Information: Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased at Sherman Field on gameday or visit www.buyhuskiestickets.com. For more information, please contact the Michigan Tech Ticket Office at 906-487-2073.

Media/TV Coverage: Saturday's 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 12:30 p.m. (ET) from Houghton. The contest will also be streamed with a free live audio feed online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. All links, including free live internet statistics and MTU's pay-per-view video webcast, will be made available at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

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

Week One Shutout: Ferris State opened the 2016 campaign in impressive fashion last Thursday (Sept. 1) as FSU shutout Ohio Dominican 41-0 before a crowd of more than 5,000 fans at FSU's Top Taggart Field. The Bulldogs' shutout win was its first since 2008 and it was the first opening day blanking of an opponent since 1996. Junior transfer QB Reggie Bell ran for 102 yards and a score, including a 73-yard TD run, while completing 17-of-27 passes for 154 yards and two scores in his FSU debut. Senior receiver Jamel Lockett tallied nine catches for 91 yards and two TD's.

One Win Away: After the week one win, the Bulldogs now own a current 26-game regular season victory streak intact dating back to the 2013 season and is only one win 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 was a consensus top-five team in virtually every major NCAA Division II national poll last year and welcomed back more than 50 letterwinners from a historic second consecutive unbeaten regular-season.

Unbeaten Regular Season: Last year's 11-0 start for Ferris State matched the 2014 season for the program's best season-opening victory total in nearly 20 years since winning its first 12 games en route to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals in 1995, which is the highest finish in Bulldog history. Overall, the Bulldogs have now compiled six undefeated regular-seasons in program history.

The 108th Season: The 2016 campaign represents the Bulldogs' 108th season of varsity competition.  The program actually began in 1900, but no football was played in 1908-09, 1917-18, 1932 and from 1942-45 for various reasons.  Additionally, no scores are available from either the 1912 or 1916 seasons.  Ferris has posted an all-time record of 416-438-40 to date heading into the 2016 campaign.

Climbing In Rankings: Ferris State climbed to #3 in the country in this week's Massey Computer Rankings after the Bulldogs' week one win over Ohio Dominican. In addition, FSU vaulted to #7 nationally in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Poll this week and eighth in the CompughterRatings.com Rankings.

GLIAC Player of Week: Bulldog sophomore defensive end Zach Sieler (Pinckney) was tabbed as this week's GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. It marks the first time in his collegiate career in which Sieler has claimed the league's weekly award distinction. Sieler headlined an outstanding defensive performance by the Bulldogs in last week's 41-0 season-opening triumph over Ohio Dominican at op Taggart Field. He made a career-best and team-high 10 tackles, including eight assisted efforts and also tallied three tackles for loss (-12 yards), 1.5 sacks (-8 yards) and a forced fumble in the victory.  His effort before a crowd of more than 5,000 fans on an electric night helped FSU shutout the Panthers' potent offense and limit ODU to only 198 yards of total offense along with only 53 yards rushing on 30 attempts. The defensive unit also forced four turnovers in FSU's 26th-straight regular season win.

Series Information: MTU leads Ferris in the all-time series' between the two teams by a 34-27-4 count. The Huskies owned a nine-game series' winning streak prior to FSU's current four-game win streak during the Tony Annese era.  Prior to the last four years, Ferris State had not beat Michigan Tech since a 21-14 overtime home win in 2002 (10/12) at Top Taggart Field.

Snapping The Skid: The Bulldogs beat Michigan Tech in 2012 for the first time in 10 years with a thrilling 56-49 triumph (10/20/12) in a high-scoring contest at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs claimed their first win over MTU since 2002 while snapping a nine-game series' losing streak with an explosive offense that rolled up 601 total yards and scored eight touchdowns.  It came in the "Dog Day" matchup presented by Huntington in the battle between the Bulldogs and Huskies.

Fifteen-Year Streak: Ferris State had not beat Michigan Tech in Houghton in 15 years prior to a close 30-27 Bulldog win at Sherman Field in 2013. The Bulldogs then recorded a 37-3 road win in 2014 over MTU. Before the last two visits, FSU's most recent victory at Sherman Field had been a 67-46 triumph in 1998 (10/24). FSU had dropped six-straight meetings in the Upper Peninsula before the past two meetings in Houghton.  Overall, Michigan Tech holds a 19-12-1 edge in 32 previous matchups played in Houghton.  Prior to the long skid, the Bulldogs had won seven-straight matchups at Sherman Field from 1985-98.

Series Fact: Last year's matchup in Big Rapids was only the third such meeting at Top Taggart Field since 2006 along with the 2012 matchup. The 2014 season represented FSU's third road trip to face Michigan Tech across the Mackinac Bridge in four years, including the second consecutive visit. Ferris State also made the trip to Houghton three times from 2005 to 2008 before hosting the Huskies in the 2009 "Battle At The Ballpark", which was played at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, in Comstock Park.  

GLIAC Opening Win: Last Thursday's game marked FSU's first league contest of the year.  Ferris State improved to 16-20-1 in conference openers since 1980 and now sports a 10-6 home mark in those outings during that period. The Bulldogs beat Saginaw Valley State 21-17 in their league opener in 2010 (9/11/10) at home before falling narrowly to the Cardinals by a 30-27 margin the following season (9/10/11) in University Center, Mich.  Four years ago (9/8/12), FSU topped Lake Erie by a 49-21 count on the road before beating the Storm 56-49 two years ago (9/14/13) in Big Rapids. In 2014, FSU beat Northwood 27-7 in Midland in its first league game before topping the Timberwolves 40-3 in initial GLIAC game last year (9/10/15) in Big Rapids.

NFL Trio: The Bulldogs had three former players from last season in National Football League (NFL) Training Camps this summer. Former two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan was with the New York Jets as a tight end while defensive tackle Justin Zimmer played for the Buffalo Bills and wideout Jake Lampman is with the New Orleans Saints. All three signed as undrafted free agents shortly after the 2016 NFL Draft.

Second In GLIAC Poll: The two-time defending GLIAC Champion Ferris State University football team was projected to finish second in the conference standings as the 2016 GLIAC Football North Division Preseason Poll was announced. Ferris State picked up 45 total points and three first-place votes to rank second in the division just behind archrival Grand Valley State. The Lakers were first with 47 points and five top votes. The two squads were followed by Michigan Tech in third place (35 points) and Wayne State in fourth (30).

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 year (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 tailback 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 linebacker Brady Sheldon. The playoff win was FSU's first since 1996.

Big-Time Success: The Ferris State University football and volleyball teams posted the best combined mark of any school in the country last year in the two major fall sports. Both were among the country's top 15 teams in their respective preseason coaches' polls and both won their second-straight GLIAC Championships last fall. The volleyball team posted a nation-best 33-3 overall mark last year and hosted the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament at FSU's Jim Wink Arena. Together, the two squads finished 44-4 last 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 last year (Oct. 17) in Big Rapids. He finished with 5,953 career rushing yards 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.  Vander Laan eventually finished as a two-time recipient of the Harlon Hill Trophy presented to Division II's top player, becoming the first GLIAC player to ever win the award twice.

Another NCAA Record: FSU's Jason Vander Laan broke another NCAA record in FSU's road victory at Northern Michigan last year. He concluded his career with 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. Vander Laan placed second overall in total rushing touchdowns by a quarterback at any level in the history of college football, trailing only recent Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds by a slim margin.

Against Ohio: Last Thursday's game represented the Bulldogs' first of four matchups against teams from the state of Ohio this season. Last year, the Bulldogs posted a 5-0 mark against the Buckeye State. Ferris State also wrapped up its GLIAC South Division stretch in 2014 with a perfect 5-0 regular season mark after going 3-0 versus the Ohio schools the previous campaign in 2013.  FSU previously swept four Ohio teams in 2010 and beat three of four in the 2011 campaign before topping two of three in 2012.  Since 2010, the Bulldogs are now 23-2 versus teams from the Buckeye state in regular season action.  

Thursday Night Triumph: Thursday's home contest represented the Bulldogs' first Thursday evening home game since 1997 when FSU fell to Ashland by a 26-7 score at Top Taggart Field (8/28/97). The Bulldogs now are 3-0 in Thursday evening games under head coach Tony Annese as FSU has won two season-opening road tilts in games that were played on Thursday evenings. The Bulldogs beat St. Francis (Ill.) in his first game at the FSU helm in 2012 (8/30) by a 35-24 score in Joliet (Ill.) and then posted a decisive 75-14 win over McKendree (Ill.) to open the 2014 season (9/4) in Lebanon, Ill.

The Records: Ferris State posted an 11-1 overall mark in 2015 and won a second-straight GLIAC title with a perfect 10-0 league record. 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 27 of its last 29 contests overall.

Michigan Tech tallied a 7-3 overall record a season ago and placed third overall in the GLIAC North Division standings with a 7-3 conference mark. The Huskies won two of their final three outings last year under head coach Tom Kearly.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 4th season, 38-9-0 (.809) – (4-0 vs. MTU).  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 263-54 (.830) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns. He coached his 300th career game at all levels in 2014 and notched his 260th victory late last campaign.

Michigan Tech - Tom Kearly (Winona State, 1980), 11th season - (6-4-0 vs. FSU). Kearly spent six seasons at MTU as associate head coach and offensive coordinator prior to becoming head coach. He previoulsy spent 19 years at Central Michigan, including the last six as associate head coach and the final nine as offensive coordinator. Kearly is the son of former MTU football coach and athletics director Ted Kearly (1969-72).

Preseason Top 20: Ferris State was a consensus top 20 team in the preseason and was tabbed as the nation's #12 team entering the season, according to the American Football Coaches Association Rankings. FSU was also ranked eighth in the Massey Ratings, ninth by D2Football.com, 14th by CompughterRatings.com, 17th by The Sporting News and 20th by Lindy's Division II Magazine.

Breaking The Mark: The Bulldogs broke the school-record for most consecutive wins overall in 2014. 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 26 regular-season games in a row.

Year Five 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 fifth 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 263-54 (.830) and was 30-4 (.882) as a JUCO coach at GRCC.

Preseason All-American: Ferris State junior center Jake Daugherty was a consensus Preseason All-American for the Bulldogs heading into the 2016 campaign. The local Big Rapids product received acclaim from virtually every source in the presason, including Sporting News, Lindy's, Football Gameplan and more. Daughterty started every game for the Bulldogs at center in 2015 as FSU ranked among the national leaders in rushing and total offense.

Returning All-American: Junior center Jake Daugherty returns as an All-American for the Bulldogs after garnering Football Gazette Division II First Team laurels a year ago. In addition, sophomore offensive lineman Devon Johnson was a Freshman All-American last season as one of the country's top rookies, according to USA College Football. Additionally, current senior linebacker Anthony Darkangelo garnered first-team all-region accolades last campaign from Football Gazette.

Last Season: Last fall, the Bulldog football squad finished 2015 with an 11-1 overall record for the second-straight year. Under Head Coach Tony Annese's direction, the Bulldogs also led the country with four Academic All-Americans and senior quarterback Jason Vander Laan claimed his second consecutive Harlon Hill Trophy as the nation's top NCAA Division II player. FSU was ranked among the nation's top 10 teams all season, including the school's highest ever national rankings at #1 in the D2Football.com poll along with #2 in the American Football Coaches Association rankings. Annese garnered Football Gazette Regional Coach of the Year accolades for FSU.

Strong Debut: A total of 18 newcomers saw their first action for the Bulldogs in FSU's week one win over Ohio Dominican, including eight freshmen. The only true freshman to see action was kicker Jackson Dieterle (Jenison), who kicked off for the Bulldogs. Seven redshirt freshmen also played along with a group of 10 transfers.

Big Change: Since his arrival at Ferris State, FSU head coach Tony Annese has turned the Bulldogs into a national power on the Division II level. The veteran coach has posted a 38-9 overall mark in four seasons at the FSU helm and has been the mastermind behind a Bulldog turnaround leading to 23 wins in the program's past 25 games overall. FSU has posted the GLIAC's best league record over the past four seasons (35-6) and the squad owns the top overall four-year record of all 21 collegiate programs in Michigan (38-9). Overall, Annese has won 83% of his games as a head coach on the collegiate and prep levels and owns 263 wins to date, which is the most of any current GLIAC member head coach at all levels.

Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs hit the road again to face Northwood next Saturday (Sept. 17) in Midland. FSU then returns home for its annual Homecoming matchup against preseason nationally-ranked Ashland on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Top Taggart Field. The homecoming game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. (ET) and be televised live across the country by the American Sports Network as part of the NCAA's Division II Showcase Game of the Week package. It will mark the second-straight year in which FSU has hosted a national game of the week covered by ASN as last year's home win over Michigan Tech was also broadcasted across the country.

Sixth Unbeaten Regular Season: Last year marked 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. FSU's 11-0 mark in 2014 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: Last year marked 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 the 2014 season. Overall, FSU has now compiled a 6-7 all-time playoff record and posted the school's best finish ever by reaching the semifinals in 1995. Last 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. The 2014 outright title was the school's first since 1996. Overall, last year represented the ninth conference title in Bulldog football history.

Bulldog Senior Class: The Bulldogs entered 2016 having to replace a total of 17 Ferris State seniors lost to graduation last year. The large group combined for a 37-9 overall record along with two GLIAC Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances.  The group of 17 included 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 climbed as high as second in the country late last year in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Rankings, which represented the Bulldogs' highest ranking ever in the history of the coaches' poll that dates back to 2000. In addition, FSU was also ranked 1st nationally at one point a year ago by D2Football.com along with the Division II Power Rankings.

First In NCAA History: Departed two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan 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.

Unbeaten Regular Season: Last year, the Bulldogs posted only their sixth unbeaten regular-season in the 108-year history of Bulldog Football.  The 2014 season marked the Bulldogs' first-ever 11-0 regular season and first unbeaten mark since 1995. The 2015 campaign was only the seventh time in the 100 plus year history of Ferris State football in which the Bulldogs had won at least nine games.

National Scholar-Athlete Class & Campbell Finalist: Former FSU quarterback Jason Vander Laan was chosen as a member of the 2015 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Class and received a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Vander Laan was among 12 Campbell Trophy finalists and National Scholar-Athlete Class members as presented by Fidelity Investments. He was one of only two non-NCAA Division I student-athletes as part of the group and the second-ever National Scholar-Athlete Class member from Ferris State, joining former standout linebacker Mike Klobucher (2006). As a finalist, he received an expense-paid trip to New York City for the black-tie 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the historic Waldorf Astoria last December, where his accomplishments were highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.

Over 1,000 Yards: Former Bulldog QB Jason Vander Laan topped the 1,000 yard rushing mark last season at Lake Erie while posting his fourth consecutive 1,000 yard campaign. In the history of NCAA Division II football, a player has both ran and passed for 1,000 yards or more in a season only 25 times and Vander Laan owns four of those marks. He also notched his fourth-straight campaign topping the 1,000 yard mark in both rushing and passing last year.

Among Nation's Best: Ferris State ranked third nationally in total offense (522.2 ypg.) along with second in scoring (45.5 ppg.) and ninth in rushing (279.2 ypg.) a year ago. The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC in all three categories. FSU was also tops in the GLIAC and 12th nationally in total defense (288.2 ypg.) while ranking fifth in the country in rushing defense (76.9 ypg.). Individually, Jason Vander Laan was seventh nationally in total offense (341.8 ypg.), second in scoring (13.1 ppg.) and ninth in rushing yards a game (128.7 ypg.). He was also first in points responsible for (276) and second in rushing touchdowns (24). DT Justin Zimmer was fifth in the country in tackles for loss (2.1 pg.).

GLIAC's Top Offense & Defense: The Bulldogs owned the GLIAC's top offensive and defensive units overall last campaign. The Bulldogs led the GLIAC in total offense, rushing offense and scoring offense and also were on top of the defensive charts in total defense, rushing defense along with scoring defense during the regular season last year.

Reversal Of Fortune: Ferris State's win over Michigan Tech last year was the school's fourth in a row against MTU. The Huskies had owned a nine-game series' winning streak prior to the current stretch. Prior to the last four years, Ferris State had not beat Michigan Tech since a 21-14 overtime home win in 2002 (10/12) at Top Taggart Field. FSU has also won each of the last two matchups at MTU's Sherman Field after previously not having won there in 15 years prior to the 2013 season.