Football Game Notes: Indianapolis (Oct. 10)

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* This Week: The Ferris State University football team will host the Indianapolis Greyhounds in their annual Homecoming contest this Saturday, Oct. 10, at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich.  The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game will kick off at 2 p.m. (EDT). Several activities are planned in conjunction with homecoming festivities, including a parade at noon in downtown Big Rapids.

* Ticket Information: Tickets for the game will be available on gameday at the stadium or for more info, please contact the FSU Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. FSU tickets can also be purchased online at www.startickets.com. General admission tickets are $7 adults or $5 students (K-12), senior citizens and FSU faculty/staff. Ferris students with ID will be admitted free as will children not yet of school age.

* Media Coverage: Saturday's game will be carried live locally by WYBR (102.3 FM) with Jason DaDay handling the play-by-play duties.  A live video and audio webcast will be available through B2 Networks for a charge of $7 on FSU's Athletics Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com (Click on B2 Networks icon).  Live internet statistics will also be available.

* Promotions: A number of promotions will take place during the Homecoming contest including a bean bag toss tournament at 11 a.m. (EDT).  The game also includes in-game promotions such as the Birkam Football giveaway, Patterson's Bulldog Sweetheart of the Game and Synder's Certificates. Big Rapids Furniture will be the gameday sponsor. 

* Last Time Out: A solid performance on both sides of the ball lifted Michigan Tech to an impressive 38-6 GLIAC football victory over Ferris State in the "Battle At The Ballpark" held at Fifth Third Ballpark last Saturday (Oct. 3) night in Comstock Park, Mich. The Huskies built a 21-3 lead and rolled up 427 yards of total offense while limiting the Bulldogs to only 164 total yards to win the contest before a crowd of 2,964 fans at the home of Minor League Baseball's West Michigan Whitecaps. The Bulldogs were limited to only 11 first downs and 164 yards with 132 coming on the ground and another 32 in the air. FSU served as the home team for the GLIAC contest and the event helped raise funds for the Bulldog football program.  A number of special pregame activities took place in conjunction with the game co-hosted by Ferris State Athletics and the West Michigan Whitecaps.

* Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs open up a two-game GLIAC road swing by venturing to the Motor City next week to face Wayne State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at WSUStadium in Detroit, Mich.  Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (EDT).

* The Records: Ferris State (1-5, 0-5 GLIAC) is currently midst a five-game losing streak.  FSU owns a current 1-2 mark at home this season.  Ferris registered a 6-5-0 overall record in 2008 and placed seventh in the GLIAC with a 5-5 mark. The Bulldogs were 3-2 at home and 3-3 on the road a season ago. Indianapolis is presently 1-5 both overall and 0-5 in GLIAC play after Saturday's (Oct. 3) 17-12 league road setback at Northwood.  The Greyhounds' lone win was a 31-3 home non-conference triumph over Kentucky Wesleyan in the season opener (Aug. 27) at UIndy's Key Stadium.  Indianapolis recorded a 5-6 overall mark in 2008 and placed eighth in the league with a 4-6 conference record.

* The Coaches: Ferris State  - Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 15th season, 91-69-0 (.569) - (6-4-0 vs. UIndy).  Pierce is 47-30 (.610) overall in home contests at FSU and he owns a 32-27-0 (.542) record in October contests to date.  Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State's history. Indianapolis - Joe Polizzi (Hillsdale, 1976), 16th season, 81-87-1 (.482) - (4-7-0 vs. Ferris State).  Polizzi served two seasons (1986-87) as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ferris State.  He's the 13th head coach in UI football history.

* Coaching Collegues: Both Jeff Pierce and Joe Polizzi were members of former head coach Keith Otterbein's coaching staff in his first two seasons (1986-87) at Ferris.  Pierce replaced Polizzi as the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator in 1988 after the latter went to Hillsdale and served as the Chargers' defensive backfield coach until 1991.

* Homecoming Games: Ferris State is 32-34-2 (.485) in its Homecoming contests dating back to 1931 and has won 13 of its last 19 such encounters. The Bulldogs dropped a 19-0 decision to Wayne State in their 2008 (10/18) homecoming game ......... Ferris has split its last four homecoming contests, but dropped two-straight entering Saturday's contest. FSU's longest homecoming winning string is at nine (1981-89) ....... Ferris State posted a 19-6 victory over Albion in its initial Homecoming in 1931 (10/17) .......... Hillsdale (2-6-0) represents the Bulldogs' most common Homecoming opponent while Wayne State (5-2-0) and Michigan Tech (2-4-0) are the second most common foes ........ Saturday's outing will mark the first time the Bulldogs have ever played Indianapolis in the homecoming game ....... FSU is 15-8 (.652) all-time against out of state opponents on homecoming with the last being a 35-14 win over Gannon (10/14/06).

* We Meet Again: The Bulldogs and Greyounds will meet again on Saturday for the second-straight year after not squaring off against each other in either 2006 or 2007 due to the GLIAC's scheduling system.  Ferris won last year's game (10/11/08) by a 31-24 count at Indianapolis, Ind.  In the last meeting at Top Taggart Field during the 2005 (9/17) season, the Greyhounds pulled out a 7-3 win in Big Rapids. The two teams split the six series' meetings held from 2000 to 2005.
 
* The Final Five: Saturday's contest will be the first of FSU's final five games this season. Ferris has registered a 61-33-1 (.647) record in its final five regular-season contests per season since 1990. The Bulldogs posted a 2-3 overall record in 2008 after previously compiling a 3-2 such record in the last five games of the 2007 campaign. FSU posted a 4-1 mark over the final five games of the 2006 season.

* Good Month: The Bulldogs have compiled a 51-28-1 (.644) record in October contests since 1990. FSU is 26-17-0 (.605) on the road and 24-12-1 (.662) at home during that span in the month of October.

* Top Taggart Field: Ferris State is 88-63-2 (.578) at Top Taggart Field since 1980 and sports a 73-52-2 (.583) conference home ledger during that span. The Bulldogs are 67-36-2 (.648) overall since 1990, which includes a 59-33-2 (.638) league record at home. The facility features a Mondo Ecofill playing surface, which is the first of its kind in Michigan and came as part of a $1 million dollar renovation to the facility prior to the 2008 season.
 
* Personal Bests: FSU senior linebacker Matt Ryan (Howell) totaled a career-high 12 tackles against Michigan Tech in the "Battle At The Ballpark" .... Senior linebacker Chad Schoen (Woodhaven/Gibraltar Carlson) netted a career-high as well with 10 stops versus MTU .... Senior Nick Butler (Midland) finished one shy of matching a career-best with 11 hits against the Huskies as FSU's entire trio of starting linebackers recorded double-figures in tackles.

* Parrish On The List: FSU senior quarterback Kyle Parrish (Garden Grove, Calif./Santiago) currently is listed in 14th place on the school's all-time passing chart.  Parrish currently has thrown for 1,699 yards in his two-year career.  He's twice thrown for more than 300 yards in a game, including a personal career-high 404 yards in last year's win (10/11/08) at Indianapolis.  Parrish finished only eight completions and nine attempts shy of tying school records by connecting on 29-of-55 passes in the Bulldogs' recent road game at Northern Michigan (9/26/09).

* On Single Season List: Ferris sophomore placekicker Shawn Snoor (Diamondale/Holt) moved into a tie for 19th place on the school's single-season made field goal list by booting two field goals at the "Battle At The Ballpark".  Snoor currently has converted six of his seven tries this season, including a career-long 45-yarder in FSU's most recent home game versus top-ranked Grand Valley State (Sept. 19).  With one more make, he would climb into a tie for 14th place on the seasonal chart.

*Series Information:

* Ferris State holds a 16-11-1 lead in a series which commenced in 1953.  Indianapolis went 7-3-1 in the initial 11 meetings while Ferris has posted a 13-4-0 mark in the last 17 outings.

* Twenty-two of the 28 meetings have been decided by 10 points or more and Ferris sports a 14-8-0 record (.636) in those encounters.  Also, 18 of the last 22 contests have been determined by 10 points or more, including two of the last four.

* In the last seven meetings, Ferris has averaged 20.9 points per game (146 total) while Indianapolis is averaging 19.7 points an outing (138 total) during that period.

* Ferris State is 4-3-1 in contests decided by 10 points or less (1-2-0 at home and 3-1-1 away) and is 12-8-0 in games decided between 11 or more points (7-3-0 at home and 5-5-0 on the road).

* Saturday's meeting will mark the first time the two teams have played in Big Rapids since Indianapolis recorded a 7-3 triumph at Top Taggart Field during the 2005 season (9/17/05). The three points the Bulldogs were limited to in the game represented the fewest points FSU had scored in a contest since 2004 prior to being shutout on the road at Northern Michigan two weeks ago (9/26/09).

*The Last Meeting: Ferris received a big offensive lift from an unlikely source as the Bulldogs recorded a 31-24 league road win over the Indianapolis Greyhounds at UI's Key Stadium (10/11/08). Bulldog quarterback Kyle Parrish came off the bench to set a new school record with 477 total offensive yards in the win.  Parrish came in after starting QB Tom Schneider went down with an injury in the first quarter and threw for a career-high 404 yards passing with four touchdowns on 26-of-41 attempts.  He also ran for a team-high 73 rushing yards on nine carries (8.1 avg.).  Parrish threw three touchdown passes of 44 yards or more, including a game-winning 44-yard scoring pass to redshirt freshman receiver Seth Hubbard with only 18 seconds left in the contest after directing the Bulldogs on a 75-yard march in a two-minute drill situation.  Senior Rahseem Jones-Salaam caught 10 passes for 201 yards.

* Big Game Last Year For Parrish: FSU's Kyle Parrish was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after last year's meeting at Indianapolis when he came off the bench to set a new school record with 477 total offensive yards. The 6-1 Parrish threw three touchdown passes of 44 yards or more in the game ........ His 477 total offensive yards compiled in last year's meeting eclipsed the previous school record of 433 yards set by current FSU offensive coordinator and former QB Matt McCarthy at Hillsdale in 1999.  Parrish led the Bulldogs to five scores and two missed field goals in his 10 drives directing the offense at Indy ....... Parrish's 404 yards passing at Indy was the fourth-highest single game total in school history and he became one of only seven players in the 100-year history of Bulldog football to throw four or more touchdown passes in a single contest.

* FSU Homecoming Activities:  A number of special activities and events highlight Ferris' 2009 homecoming slate this weekend.  In addition to the football game, several other Bulldog teams will also compete at home on Friday and Saturday, including the volleyball, women's soccer and women's tennis squads.  Various student events will take place all week highlighted by the traditional bonfire on Thursday (Oct. 8) night at 8 p.m. (EDT).  The slate also includes alumni reunions for several campus organizations and groups on both Friday and Saturday.  The parade will be held in downtown Big Rapids on Saturday starting at 12 p.m. (EDT) prior to the game and the annual all-student, all-alumni dance reception will take place that evening at 8 p.m. (EDT) at the Big Rapids Holiday Inn.  For a complete list of events, please visit the Ferris State University homepage at www.ferris.edu and click on the homecoming link.

* Welcome Back To Campus:  As part of homecoming weekend and the 125th anniversary celebration of FSU, former sports information director Tim Pendell has been invited back to campus this weekend. Pendell, who's currently the Community Affairs Director for the NFL's Detroit Lions, will play host to a special event called "125 Years of Stories. What's Yours?" on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (ET) in the Ferris Archives located in the Alumni Building. He will also be featured as an on-air guest during WYBR's live coverage of Bulldog Football on Saturday afternoon.

* Freshman Among Leaders: FSU freshman punter Mitchell Voss (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) currently leads the GLIAC in punting average (42.5 avg.) and ranks fourth nationally this campaign. He booted a career-long 69-yard punt last Saturday against Michigan Tech.

* League Stat Notebook: FSU ranks second among the GLIAC's leaders to date in pass defense this season (149.8 ypg.) and 17th nationally ...... Ferris is also listed third in kickoff coverage (41.8 avg.) on the conference level ........ The Bulldogs have given the opponents only two fourth-down conversion in nine tries this year (22.2%), which is  tops in the conference ...... Senior cornerback Angelo Williams (Jackson) comes in tied for fifth among the league leaders in passes defended (1.20 breakups per game) ...... Bulldog senior middle linebacker Nick Butler currently ranks tied for fourth among the GLIAC leaders in tackles (9.5 tpg.) while fellow senior linebacker Matt Ryan is ninth (7.8 tpg.) ...... Sophomore Shawn Snoor is listed fourth in field goals (1.00 pg.) and 10th in scoring for kickers (4.3 ppg.) ....... Senior Kyle Parrish ranks eighth in passing (131.3 ypg.) and 10th in total offense (144.3 ypg.).

* In The Red Zone: To date this year, the Bulldogs have converted 13-of-18 times (.722) inside the opponents' 20-yard line. FSU has scored eight touchdowns and made five field goals in its scoring trips to the red zone.

* Scoring At Home: Ferris redshirt freshman back Tyler Thomas (Jackson) has scored a touchdown in all three of FSU's previous home contests this campaign. He ran for a 18-yard TD in the season opener versus Tiffin (Aug. 29) and found paydirt from two yards out against Ashland (Sept. 5) before scoring from two yards away versus Grand Valley State (Sept. 19).

* The 101st Season: The 2009 campaign represents the Bulldogs' 101st 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.  FSU has an all-time record of 367-413-40 (.472).

* Scoring Trends: The Bulldogs have been outscored 73-7 in the first quarter of games to date this season and also trail 39-7 in points scored during the final period.  On the flip side, however, the middle quarters have been relatively close with FSU trailing 40-38 in quarter two and 38-28 in third period scoring.

* Keep An Eye On: Bulldog senior cornerback Angelo Williams was among 13 GLIAC players listed as "Others To Watch" in the 2009 D2 Football Preview Magazine published by d2football.com.  The first-year magazine included 11 players each named to both the first-team preseason all-conference offensive and defensive teams in addition to three specialists and those listed in the others to watch category.

* Season For Firsts: The Bulldogs had 23 players make their first game appearance in a FSU uniform during the season-opener against Tiffin (Aug. 29). The total included five true freshmen ....... Nine different players started their first games in a Bulldog uniform against Tiffin in week one. The total included five on the defensive side of the ball and four on offense ...... FSU's initial road trip this season to Findlay (Sept. 12) featured 28 players making their first-ever appearance on the team's travel roster.

* Good Streak: The Bulldogs have presently emerged victorious in eight of their last 10 games determined by a touchdown or less dating back to a thrilling 44-41 league home win (9/22/07) over Hillsdale. FSU had won seven-straight such contests prior to its recent home loss to Grand Valley State (Sept. 19).

* Team Captains: FSU's team captains for the 2009 campaign are senior right tackle Brad Bammert (Flushing) and senior quarterback Kyle Parrish on the offensive side along with senior middle linebacker Nick Butler (Midland) and senior safety Chad Wilson (Howell) on the defensive side.

* Game Day Promotions: Ferris will have special game day promotions for each of its five home contests this season at Top Taggart Field.  Community Football Day was held in conjunction with FSU's first home tilt versus Tiffin (Aug. 29) and the annual Fireworks Night and Riverdays Festival coincided with game two against Ashland (Sept. 5).  The second annual Blues & BBQ pregame party took place prior to the Anchor-Bone Classic matchup against Grand Valley State (Sept. 19).  Homecoming is set for Oct. 10 when the Bulldogs host Indianapolis. Finally, the 10th annual Hall of Fame Game will take place Oct. 31 during FSU's regular-season home finale against Hillsdale. Visit the FSU website for more information on game promotions.

* Follow On Twitter: In addition to radio and internet coverage, Bulldog fans can also follow Saturday's contest and all other FSU games this year with live scoring via Twitter.  Please visit www.twitter.com/ferrisathletics to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring updates.

* Bulldog Gameday: Complete information on every Bulldog home and road contest this year can be found by visiting the Bulldog Gameday page on the FSU Athletics Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com (click on football and then Bulldog Gameday).  The Gameday information, which will be updated several days prior to each game, includes links to all pertinent notes and statistics for both teams as well as links for the respective broadcast and internet media coverage available for the contest.

* Yearbook Available Online: The 2009 Ferris State University Football Yearbook is available to view online in a PDF format. The 68-page publication features such information as 2009 player rosters, season outlook, player biographies, coaching staff information, 2008 season statistics, career and season statistical records, series records, game records, etc.  Visit the FSU athletics website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com to find the publication online.

* Follow The Bulldogs: Bulldog fans now have the ability to catch Ferris State in action even when they can't be at the stadium.  A live video and audio webcast is slated to be offered for all 2009 Bulldog home football games via an agreement with B2 Networks.  In addition, selected road games at B2 partner schools will also be available.  For more information, visit the FSU Athletics Website (www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com) and click on the B2 broadcast icon.