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Preview: Ferris State football information
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This Week's Action
The two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Ferris State University Bulldogs, who are D2's top-ranked team, will square off against longtime FCS power Montana on Saturday night in Missoula, Mont. FSU is 2-0 overall and went 14-1 overall a season ago while winning the school's second consecutive NCAA D2 Football National Championship.
Last year marked the Bulldogs' third D2 national title game berth in the last four seasons, including the second-straight, and FSU also made a fourth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 38-28 comeback road win over nationally-ranked Ashland in Ohio this past Saturday. FSU has now won 28-straight road games dating back to 2017.
The Matchup
Montana is off to a 2-0 start this season following a 43-13 road win at Utah Tech this past week. The Grizzlies, who were ranked 10th nationally in the Lindy's Sports FCS Preseason Rankings, have made an FCS/Division I-AA record 26 playoff appearances and claimed 18 Big Sky Championships along with 13 Big Sky runner-up finishes in program history.
The two teams have never faced each other before and it will mark the Bulldogs' first-ever meeting against a school from Montana. FSU last faced a FCS school in 2013, dropping a 56-10 decision at North Dakota State.
Media Coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed live by ESPN Plus and will also be aired 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. Radio pregame coverage gets underway at 7 p.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with FREE live audio online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com for a complete listing of links.
Eight-Straight Playoff Berths
The Bulldogs, who are midst their 114th season of varsity competition this fall, made their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs last fall. FSU has now made six-straight NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal appearances and is currently one of only four teams in all of college football to win at least 11 games each of the last eight years (not counting the 2020 COVID season). The Bulldogs along with Northwest Missouri State are the only programs in Division II football to make the playoffs each of the past eight seasons.
Great Bulldog Stretch
The Bulldogs reached the NCAA DII National Championship game for the first time in school history in 2018, matching an all-time NCAA record with 15 victories (15-1). Over the two seasons of action in 2018 and 2019, not counting 2020 in which FSU did not play due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs were a combined 27-2 overall. FSU is now 57-3 in the last four seasons on the field including the first two games this year.
Memorable Bulldog Run
Over the last nine seasons, including this year, the Bulldogs have compiled a 102-10 overall record and claimed two national titles, five conference championships, posted five unbeaten regular-seasons, captured five regional titles and reached the national quarterfinals six times. Ferris State has also accumulated three Harlon Hill National Player of the Year trophies, twice had a student-athlete tabbed as the nation's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won 20 postseason games in addition to an appearance in the 2018, 2021 and 2022 NCAA D2 National Championship Games.
National Power & State's Best
Now in the 11th season under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have become a national power on the Division II level. FSU has posted a 117-17 overall mark in his tenure and the Bulldogs have also posted the best winning percentage of all 21 collegiate programs in the state of Michigan along with the GLIAC since his arrival. Overall, Annese has won 85% of his games as a head coach on the collegiate and prep levels and owns 342 wins to date, which is the most of any current GLIAC member head coach at all levels.
National Rankings Info
Ferris State concluded the 2022 season ranked #1 nationally in the D2Football.com national poll along with #1 in the AFCA Coaches poll. FSU was also #1 in the NCAA.com D2 Power Rankings and was first in the CompughterRatings.com online poll. The Bulldogs were a consensus preseason #1 team in the nation heading into the 2023 season by D2Football.com along with the AFCA, Lindy's Sports and the NCAA Power Rankings.
Home Field Advantage
The Bulldogs have won 58 of their last 65 home games overall at Top Taggart Field dating back to the 2013 season following this year's season-opening win.
The Head Coaches
Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 11th season, 117-17-0 (.873) – 0-0 vs Montana). 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 342-62 (.847) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns along with two D2 National Championships. He claimed his 300th win in 2018 with a national semifinal win at Minnesota State. The Bulldogs are 59-10 at home and 56-7 on the road under Annese in his tenure.
Montana - Bobby Hauck (Montana, 1988), 12th season, 118-34 (.776), 17th overall (Career: 133-83)- (0-0-0 vs. FSU). The 2023 marks Hauck's seventeenth year as a college football head coach, his 12th overall year at Montana, and the fifth year of his second stint as Grizzly head coach. The winningest coach in Montana history, Hauck is also the winningest coach in Big Sky history. He returned to Montana, where he served as head coach from 2003-09, in 2017 following five years as the head coach at UNLV and three years on staff at San Diego State.
GLIAC Player Of The Week
FSU sophomore quarterback Carson Gulker was tabbed as this week's GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week. He engineered a major Bulldog comeback on Saturday (Sept. 9) night as the nation's top-ranked Bulldogs rallied from a two-score halftime deficit to beat nationally 16th-ranked Ashland 38-28 on the road in Ohio. Gulker ran for a game-high 138 yards on 21 carries and scored twice while completing six-of-12 throws for 121 yards and three scores in FSU's 28th-straight road win. The sophomore standout accounted for five touchdowns in the triumph and helped FSU roll up nearly 400 yards of total offense. His 54-yard throw to junior receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson late in the third pulled FSU within 28-24 and his 50-yard strike to start the fourth to senior wideout Xavier Wade gave the Bulldogs a 31-28 lead they would not relinquish. He finished off the scoring with a four-yard run in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
Four-Straight Final Four's
Last year represented the fourth consecutive year, and fifth time in six seasons, in which the Bulldogs had reached the NCAA D2 National Semifinals. FSU became the first program in GLIAC history to advance to four-straight semifinals, the fourth program ever and the first since Northwest Missouri State (2005-10) to accomplish the feat. The Bulldogs have also advanced to three national championship games in the last four seasons of action on the field.
Awesome Run
Under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have lost only three regular-season games over the past eight years on the field dating back to mid-October of 2013. Two of the setbacks came in 2016 when the Bulldogs eventually made their deepest postseason run at the time with a trip to the NCAA-II National Semifinals. Since the middle part of the 2013 season, FSU has only lost twice to Grand Valley State and twice to Ashland in regular-season action. The Bulldogs own a 87-4 (.956) regular-season mark since closing the 2013 season by winning their final four games.
Last GLIAC Team Standing
Ferris State has been the last GLIAC school standing in the NCAA Division II Playoffs each of the past six seasons. The Bulldogs reached the national semifinals in 2016 and the quarterfinals in 2017. In 2018, FSU avenged a setback to Harding in the 2017 Super Region Three Championship Game by beating the Bisons 21-19 at home in round one of the postseason on Nov. 17. FSU eventually went on to reach the national championship game for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs were the lone GLIAC school to make the field in 2019 and beat rival GVSU in the 2021 playoffs in the second round followed by a quarterfinal win over the Lakers last year.
A Look At The Dawgs
A strong nucleus returns from last year's national championship team, including the bulk of FSU's skill players and 65 letterwinners. The Bulldogs expect to contend again for both conference and national supremecy. The Ferris State opened the 2023 campaign as the two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champions and the preseason #1 team in the country. FSU captured a second consecutive national title last fall with a 14-1 overall record and the Bulldogs were 28-1 overall in the past two seasons of action.
NCAA All-Time Record
Former Bulldog Caleb Murphy, who is now in the NFL, set a new NCAA single-season record for sacks in a season a year ago, concluding the year with 25.5, which represented the most ever for a player in all of NCAA football, breaking Terrell Suggs' mark at Arizona State from 2002. He also topped the all-time NCAA Division II single-season record for tackles for loss in a campaign and matched the all-divisions mark with 39.0 last season. Murphy was the Gene Upshaw D2 Lineman of the Year along with the Cliff Harris Small College Defensive Player of the Year Award winner and claimed the Ted Hendricks Award as the country's top defensive end regardless of level. The Bulldog alum led the NFL in sacks this preseason with four and made the Tennessee Titans' 53- man roster.
All-Time Winningest Coach
Last season, Ferris State head coach Tony Annese became the Bulldogs' all-time winningest coach, surpassing former FSU head coaches such as Jeff Pierce and Keith Otterbein. Annese has posted a 117-17 (.873) mark in his Bulldog tenure to date, moving past Pierce (102-85) atop the all-time chart. Otterbein, who is currently the head coach at Hillsdale, is third on the list with a 60-39 record during his Ferris State coaching career.
School Record Holder
Last season, FSU quarterback Carson Gulker topped the school single-season record of 24 rushing touchdowns in a year set by FSU legend and two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan in 2015. Gulker finsihed the season with 31 scores on the ground last season, including eight in the last three playoff games. His 31 TD's rushing were the most by a D2 quarterback ever last season, becoming the third consecutive Bulldog to hold the distinction behind Vander Laan and former standout Jared Bernhardt.
D2 Elite 100 Preseason All-Americans
Four Ferris State University football standouts garnered preseason All-America mention as D2Football.com unveiled its 2023 Elite 100 Watch List. The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with the input of small college draft expert Josh Buchanan. The Bulldogs had a first-team honoree in senior transfer defensive back Shon Stephens along with a second-team choice in senior defensive end Olalere Oladipo. In addition, two others garnered honorable mention laurels in senior quarterback Mylik Mitchell and junior transfer defensive tackle Victor Nelson.
FSU News & Notes
Following last Saturday's road win, FSU has now won 28 consecutive road games going back to 2017 when FSU last lost on the road at Ashland ... Ferris State claimed a fourth-straight NCAA Super Region Three Championship with the playoff road win at Grand Valley State last year. It was also FSU's fifth in the past six seasons of on the field action ... Ferris State is currently riding a school all-time best 28-game winning streak on the road dating back to its last true road loss at Ashland in September of 2017.
Best In The Country
Since the start of the 2014 season, the Bulldogs have the most wins of any NCAA Division II team in the country. The Bulldogs recorded back-to-back 11-1 seasons in 2014 and 2015 before a 12-3 mark in 2016 followed by an 11-2 showing in 2017 and a 15-1 mark in 2018 along with a 12-1 record in 2019 and a 14-0 mark in 2021 for a cumulative 102-10 record counting this year.
Only Team In The Nation
The Bulldogs are the nation's only team to reach the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals each of the past six seasons. Ferris State claimed the Super Region Championship in 2016 with a decisive road win at rival Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals to reach the national semifinals for the second time in school history. In 2017, the Bulldogs also made it back to the national quarterfinals, but fell to Harding on a game-ending field goal at home in Big Rapids. FSU reached the national title game in 2018 and the national semifinals in 2019 before falling at home to eventual national champion West Florida prior to back-to-back national title campaigns.
Playoff Record Under Annese
The Bulldogs have posted a record of 21-6 in the NCAA Division II Playoffs under head coach Tony Annese, which includes a 5-0 mark a year ago en route to the school's second consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship. The Bulldogs have not had a season end prior to the national quarterfinals since 2015 and have advanced to at least the D2 National Semifinals in five of the past six seasons.
D2 Playoff History
Ferris State's berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs last year represented the 13th appearance in school history with the other five berths prior to the last eight years all coming during a memorable five-year stretch from 1992-96. Overall, the Bulldogs hold an all-time NCAA Playoff mark of 26-11 to date and made their deepest run the last two years by claiming the school's first two NCAA Division II National Championships. In 2018, FSU also reached the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. Ferris State has reached the national quarterfinals or beyond each of the last six seasons of action with now five national semifinal berths and three title game appearances in the stretch.
GLIAC Preseason Favorite
The Bulldogs were picked again to finish at the top of the league as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) unveiled its 2023 GLIAC Football Preseason Poll with the Bulldogs first overall. Ferris State received five of a possible seven first-place votes and totaled 34 points in being chosen as the favorite among the league's seven conference football institutions.
All-GLIAC Honorees
The Bulldogs claimed two of the league's seven major awards and had a total of 16 student-athletes earn all-conference recognition in voting by the league's member head coaches last year, including nine first-team honorees on the All-GLIAC squad. FSU defensive end Caleb Murphy was tabbed as the GLIAC's Player of the Year while quarterback Carson Gulker earned the GLIAC Freshman of the Year Award.
Gene Upshaw Award Winner
The Bulldogs have had each of the past three winners of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award following Caleb Murphy's selection last season. Two years ago, offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali was named the recipient of the 2021 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year honor presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club. The Upshaw Award is presented annually to the top NCAA D2 senior offensive or defensive lineman in the nation. Pasquali became the second consecutive winner of the award from Ferris State following Austin Edwards in 2019. FSU has also had three winners of the Harlon Hill Trophy as the nation's top performer since 2014 with QB Jason Vander Laan winning back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015 followed by QB Jayru Campbell in 2018.
Extended Pregame Coverage
The Bulldog Sports Network and local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM have extended Bulldog Football pregame coverage this fall. This season, the network will offer two hours of pregame coverage for all regular-season home matchups along with an hour pregame show for all road games. The "Bulldog Tailgate Show" airs from the Top Taggart Field parking lots two hours prior to each home game with the "Johnson Auto Pregame Show" an hour from kickoff inside the broadcast booth for both home and away games. All are carried live both on Sunny 97.3 FM and online across the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. All home games this fall along with conference matchups will also be televised on a pay-per-view basis on FloSports.
The two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Ferris State University Bulldogs, who are D2's top-ranked team, will square off against longtime FCS power Montana on Saturday night in Missoula, Mont. FSU is 2-0 overall and went 14-1 overall a season ago while winning the school's second consecutive NCAA D2 Football National Championship.
Last year marked the Bulldogs' third D2 national title game berth in the last four seasons, including the second-straight, and FSU also made a fourth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 38-28 comeback road win over nationally-ranked Ashland in Ohio this past Saturday. FSU has now won 28-straight road games dating back to 2017.
The Matchup
Montana is off to a 2-0 start this season following a 43-13 road win at Utah Tech this past week. The Grizzlies, who were ranked 10th nationally in the Lindy's Sports FCS Preseason Rankings, have made an FCS/Division I-AA record 26 playoff appearances and claimed 18 Big Sky Championships along with 13 Big Sky runner-up finishes in program history.
The two teams have never faced each other before and it will mark the Bulldogs' first-ever meeting against a school from Montana. FSU last faced a FCS school in 2013, dropping a 56-10 decision at North Dakota State.
Media Coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed live by ESPN Plus and will also be aired 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. Radio pregame coverage gets underway at 7 p.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with FREE live audio online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com for a complete listing of links.
Eight-Straight Playoff Berths
The Bulldogs, who are midst their 114th season of varsity competition this fall, made their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs last fall. FSU has now made six-straight NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal appearances and is currently one of only four teams in all of college football to win at least 11 games each of the last eight years (not counting the 2020 COVID season). The Bulldogs along with Northwest Missouri State are the only programs in Division II football to make the playoffs each of the past eight seasons.
Great Bulldog Stretch
The Bulldogs reached the NCAA DII National Championship game for the first time in school history in 2018, matching an all-time NCAA record with 15 victories (15-1). Over the two seasons of action in 2018 and 2019, not counting 2020 in which FSU did not play due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs were a combined 27-2 overall. FSU is now 57-3 in the last four seasons on the field including the first two games this year.
Memorable Bulldog Run
Over the last nine seasons, including this year, the Bulldogs have compiled a 102-10 overall record and claimed two national titles, five conference championships, posted five unbeaten regular-seasons, captured five regional titles and reached the national quarterfinals six times. Ferris State has also accumulated three Harlon Hill National Player of the Year trophies, twice had a student-athlete tabbed as the nation's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won 20 postseason games in addition to an appearance in the 2018, 2021 and 2022 NCAA D2 National Championship Games.
National Power & State's Best
Now in the 11th season under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have become a national power on the Division II level. FSU has posted a 117-17 overall mark in his tenure and the Bulldogs have also posted the best winning percentage of all 21 collegiate programs in the state of Michigan along with the GLIAC since his arrival. Overall, Annese has won 85% of his games as a head coach on the collegiate and prep levels and owns 342 wins to date, which is the most of any current GLIAC member head coach at all levels.
National Rankings Info
Ferris State concluded the 2022 season ranked #1 nationally in the D2Football.com national poll along with #1 in the AFCA Coaches poll. FSU was also #1 in the NCAA.com D2 Power Rankings and was first in the CompughterRatings.com online poll. The Bulldogs were a consensus preseason #1 team in the nation heading into the 2023 season by D2Football.com along with the AFCA, Lindy's Sports and the NCAA Power Rankings.
Home Field Advantage
The Bulldogs have won 58 of their last 65 home games overall at Top Taggart Field dating back to the 2013 season following this year's season-opening win.
The Head Coaches
Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 11th season, 117-17-0 (.873) – 0-0 vs Montana). 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 342-62 (.847) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns along with two D2 National Championships. He claimed his 300th win in 2018 with a national semifinal win at Minnesota State. The Bulldogs are 59-10 at home and 56-7 on the road under Annese in his tenure.
Montana - Bobby Hauck (Montana, 1988), 12th season, 118-34 (.776), 17th overall (Career: 133-83)- (0-0-0 vs. FSU). The 2023 marks Hauck's seventeenth year as a college football head coach, his 12th overall year at Montana, and the fifth year of his second stint as Grizzly head coach. The winningest coach in Montana history, Hauck is also the winningest coach in Big Sky history. He returned to Montana, where he served as head coach from 2003-09, in 2017 following five years as the head coach at UNLV and three years on staff at San Diego State.
GLIAC Player Of The Week
FSU sophomore quarterback Carson Gulker was tabbed as this week's GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week. He engineered a major Bulldog comeback on Saturday (Sept. 9) night as the nation's top-ranked Bulldogs rallied from a two-score halftime deficit to beat nationally 16th-ranked Ashland 38-28 on the road in Ohio. Gulker ran for a game-high 138 yards on 21 carries and scored twice while completing six-of-12 throws for 121 yards and three scores in FSU's 28th-straight road win. The sophomore standout accounted for five touchdowns in the triumph and helped FSU roll up nearly 400 yards of total offense. His 54-yard throw to junior receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson late in the third pulled FSU within 28-24 and his 50-yard strike to start the fourth to senior wideout Xavier Wade gave the Bulldogs a 31-28 lead they would not relinquish. He finished off the scoring with a four-yard run in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
Four-Straight Final Four's
Last year represented the fourth consecutive year, and fifth time in six seasons, in which the Bulldogs had reached the NCAA D2 National Semifinals. FSU became the first program in GLIAC history to advance to four-straight semifinals, the fourth program ever and the first since Northwest Missouri State (2005-10) to accomplish the feat. The Bulldogs have also advanced to three national championship games in the last four seasons of action on the field.
Awesome Run
Under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have lost only three regular-season games over the past eight years on the field dating back to mid-October of 2013. Two of the setbacks came in 2016 when the Bulldogs eventually made their deepest postseason run at the time with a trip to the NCAA-II National Semifinals. Since the middle part of the 2013 season, FSU has only lost twice to Grand Valley State and twice to Ashland in regular-season action. The Bulldogs own a 87-4 (.956) regular-season mark since closing the 2013 season by winning their final four games.
Last GLIAC Team Standing
Ferris State has been the last GLIAC school standing in the NCAA Division II Playoffs each of the past six seasons. The Bulldogs reached the national semifinals in 2016 and the quarterfinals in 2017. In 2018, FSU avenged a setback to Harding in the 2017 Super Region Three Championship Game by beating the Bisons 21-19 at home in round one of the postseason on Nov. 17. FSU eventually went on to reach the national championship game for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs were the lone GLIAC school to make the field in 2019 and beat rival GVSU in the 2021 playoffs in the second round followed by a quarterfinal win over the Lakers last year.
A Look At The Dawgs
A strong nucleus returns from last year's national championship team, including the bulk of FSU's skill players and 65 letterwinners. The Bulldogs expect to contend again for both conference and national supremecy. The Ferris State opened the 2023 campaign as the two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champions and the preseason #1 team in the country. FSU captured a second consecutive national title last fall with a 14-1 overall record and the Bulldogs were 28-1 overall in the past two seasons of action.
NCAA All-Time Record
Former Bulldog Caleb Murphy, who is now in the NFL, set a new NCAA single-season record for sacks in a season a year ago, concluding the year with 25.5, which represented the most ever for a player in all of NCAA football, breaking Terrell Suggs' mark at Arizona State from 2002. He also topped the all-time NCAA Division II single-season record for tackles for loss in a campaign and matched the all-divisions mark with 39.0 last season. Murphy was the Gene Upshaw D2 Lineman of the Year along with the Cliff Harris Small College Defensive Player of the Year Award winner and claimed the Ted Hendricks Award as the country's top defensive end regardless of level. The Bulldog alum led the NFL in sacks this preseason with four and made the Tennessee Titans' 53- man roster.
All-Time Winningest Coach
Last season, Ferris State head coach Tony Annese became the Bulldogs' all-time winningest coach, surpassing former FSU head coaches such as Jeff Pierce and Keith Otterbein. Annese has posted a 117-17 (.873) mark in his Bulldog tenure to date, moving past Pierce (102-85) atop the all-time chart. Otterbein, who is currently the head coach at Hillsdale, is third on the list with a 60-39 record during his Ferris State coaching career.
School Record Holder
Last season, FSU quarterback Carson Gulker topped the school single-season record of 24 rushing touchdowns in a year set by FSU legend and two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan in 2015. Gulker finsihed the season with 31 scores on the ground last season, including eight in the last three playoff games. His 31 TD's rushing were the most by a D2 quarterback ever last season, becoming the third consecutive Bulldog to hold the distinction behind Vander Laan and former standout Jared Bernhardt.
D2 Elite 100 Preseason All-Americans
Four Ferris State University football standouts garnered preseason All-America mention as D2Football.com unveiled its 2023 Elite 100 Watch List. The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with the input of small college draft expert Josh Buchanan. The Bulldogs had a first-team honoree in senior transfer defensive back Shon Stephens along with a second-team choice in senior defensive end Olalere Oladipo. In addition, two others garnered honorable mention laurels in senior quarterback Mylik Mitchell and junior transfer defensive tackle Victor Nelson.
FSU News & Notes
Following last Saturday's road win, FSU has now won 28 consecutive road games going back to 2017 when FSU last lost on the road at Ashland ... Ferris State claimed a fourth-straight NCAA Super Region Three Championship with the playoff road win at Grand Valley State last year. It was also FSU's fifth in the past six seasons of on the field action ... Ferris State is currently riding a school all-time best 28-game winning streak on the road dating back to its last true road loss at Ashland in September of 2017.
Best In The Country
Since the start of the 2014 season, the Bulldogs have the most wins of any NCAA Division II team in the country. The Bulldogs recorded back-to-back 11-1 seasons in 2014 and 2015 before a 12-3 mark in 2016 followed by an 11-2 showing in 2017 and a 15-1 mark in 2018 along with a 12-1 record in 2019 and a 14-0 mark in 2021 for a cumulative 102-10 record counting this year.
Only Team In The Nation
The Bulldogs are the nation's only team to reach the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals each of the past six seasons. Ferris State claimed the Super Region Championship in 2016 with a decisive road win at rival Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals to reach the national semifinals for the second time in school history. In 2017, the Bulldogs also made it back to the national quarterfinals, but fell to Harding on a game-ending field goal at home in Big Rapids. FSU reached the national title game in 2018 and the national semifinals in 2019 before falling at home to eventual national champion West Florida prior to back-to-back national title campaigns.
Playoff Record Under Annese
The Bulldogs have posted a record of 21-6 in the NCAA Division II Playoffs under head coach Tony Annese, which includes a 5-0 mark a year ago en route to the school's second consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship. The Bulldogs have not had a season end prior to the national quarterfinals since 2015 and have advanced to at least the D2 National Semifinals in five of the past six seasons.
D2 Playoff History
Ferris State's berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs last year represented the 13th appearance in school history with the other five berths prior to the last eight years all coming during a memorable five-year stretch from 1992-96. Overall, the Bulldogs hold an all-time NCAA Playoff mark of 26-11 to date and made their deepest run the last two years by claiming the school's first two NCAA Division II National Championships. In 2018, FSU also reached the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. Ferris State has reached the national quarterfinals or beyond each of the last six seasons of action with now five national semifinal berths and three title game appearances in the stretch.
GLIAC Preseason Favorite
The Bulldogs were picked again to finish at the top of the league as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) unveiled its 2023 GLIAC Football Preseason Poll with the Bulldogs first overall. Ferris State received five of a possible seven first-place votes and totaled 34 points in being chosen as the favorite among the league's seven conference football institutions.
All-GLIAC Honorees
The Bulldogs claimed two of the league's seven major awards and had a total of 16 student-athletes earn all-conference recognition in voting by the league's member head coaches last year, including nine first-team honorees on the All-GLIAC squad. FSU defensive end Caleb Murphy was tabbed as the GLIAC's Player of the Year while quarterback Carson Gulker earned the GLIAC Freshman of the Year Award.
Gene Upshaw Award Winner
The Bulldogs have had each of the past three winners of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award following Caleb Murphy's selection last season. Two years ago, offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali was named the recipient of the 2021 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year honor presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club. The Upshaw Award is presented annually to the top NCAA D2 senior offensive or defensive lineman in the nation. Pasquali became the second consecutive winner of the award from Ferris State following Austin Edwards in 2019. FSU has also had three winners of the Harlon Hill Trophy as the nation's top performer since 2014 with QB Jason Vander Laan winning back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015 followed by QB Jayru Campbell in 2018.
Extended Pregame Coverage
The Bulldog Sports Network and local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM have extended Bulldog Football pregame coverage this fall. This season, the network will offer two hours of pregame coverage for all regular-season home matchups along with an hour pregame show for all road games. The "Bulldog Tailgate Show" airs from the Top Taggart Field parking lots two hours prior to each home game with the "Johnson Auto Pregame Show" an hour from kickoff inside the broadcast booth for both home and away games. All are carried live both on Sunny 97.3 FM and online across the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. All home games this fall along with conference matchups will also be televised on a pay-per-view basis on FloSports.
retiredpopo
Well-known member
wow an impressive read for sure. I know I have been on the we are going to win in a blow out bandwagon but after reading that I think it might be a little closer than I thought....we win by 49
