#1 Ferris State Battles To Finish In Tight Setback At Montana

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The nation's top-ranked Ferris State University Bulldogs battled one of the premier and storied FCS programs in the country to the wire on Saturday (Sept. 16) night, but fell short 17-10 to Montana in front of a near sellout crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula

The Bulldogs built a 10-3 halftime lead against FCS's 11th-ranked Grizzlies, however came up short in the end by a single score.

Ferris State gave up a pair of short third-quarter scoring drives to Montana covering 40 and 30 yards before trying to rally in the final period. FSU got down inside the Montana five-yard line in the final quarter before the drive stalled and had one final possession following a defensive stop that reached the Montana 20-yard line.

The Bulldogs outgained Montana 285 to 189 yards offensively in the setback, which included 156 passing for FSU and 129 on the ground. 

Ferris State took a 10-3 lead at halftime as sophomore quarterback Carson Gulker found senior wideout Xavier Wade on a short scoring throw in the second quarter after the Grizzlies found an initial 3-0 edge. The Bulldogs then added a short field goal from sophomore kicker Eddie Jewett on the final play of the opening half to account for the margin at the break.

The matchup was the first-ever meeting between the two programs and FSU's first contest versus an FCS school in 10 years. The loss snapped Ferris State's 28-game road winning streak dating back to 2017.

A Washington-Grizzly Stadium record crowd of nearly 27,000 fans were on hand and the crowd noise level was deafening much of the night for the Bulldogs.

Gulker led the Bulldogs on the ground with 41 yards on 14 carries while completing five-of-eight throws for 53 yards and a score. Mylik Mitchell completed 10-of-21 passes for 103 yards against the stingy Montana defense. In the receiving game, Tyrese Hunt-Thompson caught a team-high five balls for 53 yards and C.J. Jefferson made five grabs for 47 yards. Linebacker Brennan Schwarz paced the FSU defense with eight stops and senior end Ian Hall added seven tackles with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Bulldogs will have a bye this coming week before opening GLIAC play back at home versus Northern Michigan on Sept. 30 at Top Taggart Field.

Tickets for the homecoming contest are on sale now at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets.