Football Game Notes: Wayne State (Oct. 17)
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Gameday Information
* This Week: The Ferris State University
football team hits the road to face the Wayne State Warriors this
Saturday, Oct. 17, at WSU’s Adams Field in Detroit, Mich. The
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game will
kick off at 12 p.m. (EDT).
* Ticket Information: Tickets for
Saturday’s game will be available at the stadium on gameday
or can be obtained by calling the WSU Ticket Office at (313)
993-4347.
* Media Coverage: Saturday’s game will be
carried live locally by WYBR (102.3 FM) with Rob Bentley handling
the play-by-play duties and Sandy Gholston offering color
commentary. 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 and live game audio will also be
available.
* 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.
* Last Time Out: Homecoming turned out
bittersweet for the injury-riddled Bulldogs last Saturday (Oct. 10)
afternoon as FSU dropped a 34-7 GLIAC football decision to the
visiting Indianapolis Greyhounds at Top Taggart Field in Big
Rapids. The Greyhounds limited the Bulldogs to only 31 rushing
yards on 25 carries and totaled 220 yards on their own on the
ground in the victory. Indianapolis jumped out to a 20-0 halftime
edge and led 34-0 after three quarters before a crowd of 2,676
fans. Ferris finally found the endzone for the first time in almost
12 quarters dating back to a 17-10 league home loss to nationally
top-ranked Grand Valley State (Sept. 19) when senior quarterback
Kyle Parrish (Garden Grove, Calif./Santiago)
hooked up with senior wide receiver Chris Wilson
(Hingsville, Ga./Long County) for a 20-yard TD pass with 12:01 left
in the game. The Bulldog scoring drive covered 62 yards.
* A Look At WSU: The Warriors are currently
ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II Super Region Three Rankings.
They are also receiving votes in the national poll and had won
four-straight outings prior to their league setback at Northern
Michigan last Saturday. Senior back Joique Bell keys the WSU
offense with a league-high 1,268 rushing yards (181.1 ypg.) and 18
TD’s (16.3 ppg.), ranking second nationally in both
categories.
* Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs continue their
two-game league road swing by visiting the Northwood Timberwolves
Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 12 p.m. (EDT) league contest at Hantz
Stadium in Midland, Mich.
* The Records: Ferris State (1-6, 0-6 GLIAC)
is currently midst a six-game losing streak. FSU owns a current 0-2
road mark 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. Wayne State is presently 5-2
overall and 4-2 in GLIAC play after Saturday’s (Oct. 10)
45-20 league road setback at Northern Michigan. The Warriors are
3-1 at home this campaign. WSU recorded a 8-3 overall mark in 2008
and placed tied for third in the league with a 7-3 conference
record.
* The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff
Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 15th season, 91-70-0 (.565)
– (9-3-0 vs. WSU). Pierce is 45-37 (.549) overall in road
contests at FSU and he owns a 32-28-0 (.533) 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. Wayne
State – Paul Winters (Akron, 1980), 6th season,
26-34-0 (.433) – (1-2-0 vs. Ferris State). Winters was named
Wayne State’s 19th coach in 2003 after spending the previous
nine years at NCAA-I Akron. He ranks as Akron’s seventh
all-time leading rusher and was named the Akron’s Athlete of
the Year in 1980. He was inducted into UA’s Athletic Hall of
Fame in 1990.
* Series Information: Ferris State leads the
all-time series' by a 24-21-0 count heading into Saturday's matchup
at Detroit.
* Ferris State has won 12 of the last 15 meetings, which includes
seven of the last nine outings to date.
* 22 of the 45 games have been determined by at least 15 points
and Ferris is 12-10-0 (.545) in those contests – (4-5-0 home
& 8-5-0 away).
* Eight of the last 11 encounters between the two teams have been
decided by 13 points or more.
* In the last eight meetings, Ferris State is averaging 29.9
points per game (239 pts.) compared to Wayne State’s 22.3
points a contest (178 pts.) for a +7.6 points difference.
* Ferris State is 10-7-0 in contests decided by 10 points or less
(7-3-0 home and 3-4-0 away) and 15-13-0 in games decided between 11
or more points (4-6-0 home and 11-7-0 away).
* Ferris State has won seven consecutive road games at Wayne State
and is averaging 32.4 points a game (227 pts.) in those contests
while the Warriors have scored at a 12.4 points per contest clip
(87 pts.).
* No Touchdowns: Wayne State has not scored an
offensive touchdown against the Bulldogs in the last two seasons.
In 2007 (11/10), WSU’s only points in a 17-13 home loss to
FSU in Detroit came on two field goals and a 20-yard interception
return for a score. Last year (10/18/08), the Warriors beat FSU
19-0 in Big Rapids on four field goals from kicker David Chudzinski
and an 86-yard interception return for a score.
* Bulldog Bites: Senior quarterback Kyle
Parrish needs 53 yards to top 1,000 passing yards for the
season ..... Senior linebacker Matt Ryan (Howell)
has a team-high 63 tackles this season after entering the year with
only 10 career stops ..... FSU head coach Jeff
Pierce owns a current 9-3 career mark against Wayne State.
The three losses are the fewest versus any current GLIAC school he
has faced more than twice.
* Quartet Leads The Way: The linebacking quartet
of Matt Ryan, senior Nick Butler
(Midland), senior Chad Schoen (Woodhaven/Gibraltar
Carlson) and junior Kyle Fitzaptrick (Vestaburg)
have combined for 211 total tackles or 38% of the squad’s 551
stops to date this season. All four are among the team’s top
five tacklers this season.
* The Final Five: Last Saturday’s contest
against Indianapolis was the first of FSU’s final five games
this season. Ferris has registered a 61-34-1 (.641) 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
51-29-1 (.630) record in October contests since 1990. FSU is
26-17-0 (.605) on the road and 24-13-1 (.645) at home during that
span in the month of October.
* Topping The Mark: FSU senior linebacker
Matt Ryan has established new career personal
marks each of the last two weeks as he totaled 12 tackles against
Michigan Tech in the “Battle At The Ballpark” (Oct. 3)
and followed it up with a career-best 16 stops against Indianapolis
last Saturday. His 16 total tackles were the most registered by a
Bulldog player since former All-American Jake Visser tallied 16
hits at Grand Valley State (10/27/07).
* Player of Game: Bulldog senior safety
Santino Favot (South Lyon) was honored as
FSU’s Babb Ford Bulldog Player of the Game for his showing
versus Indianapolis, which included a career-high 11 tackles. He
also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and picked off a pass that
was returned for 21 yards in the game.
* Parrish On The List: FSU senior quarterback
Kyle Parrish currently is listed in 14th place on
the school’s all-time passing chart. Parrish currently has
thrown for 1,858 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’ most 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” (Oct. 3). Snoor currently has converted six of
his seven tries this season, including a career-long 45-yarder in
FSU’s home game versus then top-ranked Grand Valley State
(Sept. 19). With one more make, he would climb into a tie for 14th
place on the seasonal chart.
* Number Eight: Saturday’s game will be
FSU’s eighth of the season. The Bulldogs own a current 13-6
record in game eight of a campaign dating back to the 1990
campaign.
* New Faces: Ferris last visited Wayne State in
the regular-season finale two years ago (11/10/07) and only a
handful of players who played in that game are back for FSU. The
Bulldogs return no players who recorded offensive or special teams
statistics in that contest and only a total of four tackles are
back on the defensive side for FSU from that game.
* Last Visit To WSU In 2007: Ferris State sent
its 2007 senior class off in style as the Bulldogs pulled out a
hard-fought 17-13 triumph over Wayne State in its last visit to the
Motor City during the regular-season finale two years ago
(11/10/07). Senior QB C.J. Van Wieren ran for a game-high 130 yards
on the ground and scored the winning touchdown on a six-yard run
with only 5:59 remaining. The Bulldogs limited WSU’s powerful
rushing attack to only 113 yards on the ground and 219 total yards.
The Warriors did not score an offensive touchdown in the game as
their 13 points came on two made field goals from David Chudzinski
and a 20-yard interception return for a score by Stan Thornton,
which gave the hosts a 13-10 lead with 13:38 to play before Van
Wieren drove the Bulldogs 57 yards in nine plays for the
game-winning score. WSU managed to keep the game close by forcing
four FSU turnovers, including three interceptions. The win was
Ferris’ seventh-straight victory over the Warriors in
Motown.
* One Home Game Left: The Bulldogs have only one
home game left at FSU’s Top Taggart Field this year. FSU
entertains the Hillsdale Chargers in its final home contest on
Saturday, Oct. 31, with the league kickoff set for 2 p.m. (ET). The
game represents Ferris’ annual Senior Day contest and will
also serve as the school’s 2009 Hall of Fame Game.
* Freshman Among Leaders: FSU freshman punter
Mitchell Voss (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) currently
leads the GLIAC in punting average (40.1 avg.) and now ranks 22nd
nationally this campaign. He booted a career-long 69-yard punt
against Michigan Tech two weeks ago (Oct. 3).
* League Stat Notebook: FSU ranks first among the
GLIAC’s leaders to date in pass defense this season (143.6
ypg.) and 13th nationally ...... Ferris is also listed third in
kickoff coverage (40.8 avg.) on the conference level ........ The
Bulldogs have given the opponents only four fourth-down conversion
in 13 tries this year (30.8%), which is fourth in the conference
...... Senior cornerback Angelo Williams (Jackson)
comes in tied for sixth among the league leaders in passes defended
(1.00 breakups per game) ...... Bulldog senior middle linebacker
Nick Butler currently ranks sixth among the GLIAC
leaders in tackles (9.1 tpg.) while fellow senior linebacker
Matt Ryan is seventh (9.0 tpg.) ...... Sophomore
Shawn Snoor is listed sixth in field goals (6-7)
....... Senior Kyle Parrish ranks eighth in
passing (135.3 ypg.) and 10th in total offense (146.9 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) had scored a touchdown in
all three of FSU’s previous home contests this campaign prior
to the Indianapolis loss. 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 367-414-40 (.471).
* Scoring Trends: The Bulldogs have been
outscored 80-7 in the first quarter of games to date this season
and also trail 39-14 in points scored during the final period. FSU
trails 53-38 in quarter two and 52-28 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 took
place last Saturday (Oct. 10) when the Bulldogs hosted
Indianapolis. Finally, the 10th annual Hall of Fame Game will take
place Oct. 31 during FSU's regular-season home finale against
Hillsdale and it will also mark the annual Senior Day game. Visit
the FSU website for more information on game promotions.
* National Honoree: The Ferris State University
football program can now boast of having the nation's top
scholar-athlete from any sport at the NCAA Division II level for
the second time in the last three years. Former Bulldog
All-American Jake Visser (Coopersville), who
concluded his eligibility as a standout defensive tackle for the
Bulldogs last fall, was recently chosen as the male recipient of
the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) 2008-09
National "Scholar-Athlete of the Year" Award as voted by the D-II
Commissioners organization. Visser previously was hoored as the
male recipient of the GLIAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for
the 2008-09 athletics season and was also chosen as the Midwest
Region winner of the Division II award before advancing to the
national ballot. He becomes the second Ferris football player in
the last three years to attain the Division II CCA National
"Scholar-Athlete of the Year" honor following former linebacker
Mike Klobucher, who was recognized as the
recipient of the same honor for the 2006-07 season. The 6-2 Visser
signed a free agent contract and took part in camp this summer with
the NFL’s Houston Texans after being a first-team
All-American both on the field and in the classroom for the
Bulldogs last year.
* 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.
