Football Game Notes: Findlay (Oct. 9)

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* This Week: The Ferris State University football team returns home to host the Findlay Oilers in the 2010 "homecoming" contest this Saturday, Oct. 9, at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich.  Kickoff for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game is set for 2 p.m. (EDT).

* Ticket Information: Tickets will be available at the gate or for more information, contact the FSU Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. They can also be bought online at www.starticketsplus.com. 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 for the game and Sandy Gholston offering color commentary.  It will also be streamed live online.  A live video webcast will be available thru America One (formerly B2 Networks) along with live statistics. Links for all available media can be found by clicking on the "upcoming events" scoreboard tab on FSU's Athletics Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com.

* 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 Twitter scoring updates.  Visit www.twitter.com/ferrisathletics to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring updates.

* Four-Straight: Ferris State survived the elements and a hard-fought performance from Lake Erie to win its fourth consecutive contest of the season and remain unbeaten in GLIAC action with a 22-12 triumph on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Painesville, Ohio. The Bulldogs battled back from a 9-7 halftime deficit against the upset-minded Storm under rainy conditions at Jack Britt Memorial Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

* Coming Up Next: Ferris ventures to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to face Northern Michigan next Saturday (Oct. 16) inside NMU's Superior Dome at Marquette.  The league tilt begins at 1 p.m. (EDT).

* Nice Win Streak: The Bulldogs' current four-game winning streak is their longest overall since winning their final two games of the 2007 season along with their opening three contests of the 2008 campaign for five in a row.  It marks the first time the Bulldogs have won four consecutive games within one single season since 2004.

* The GLIAC Race: Ferris State presently remains in a three-way tie atop the league standings with Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech.  All three teams are 4-0 in the GLIAC heading into this week's action.

* The Records: Ferris State is presently 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the GLIAC after posting a 1-10 overall mark in 2009, including an 0-10 league record.  Ferris previously registered a 6-5-0 overall record in 2008 and placed seventh in the GLIAC with a 5-5 mark.
   
Findlay is currently 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the GLIAC this campaign after a 20-3 league home setback to Indianapolis last Saturday (Oct. 2).  The Oilers posted a 7-4 overall mark in 2009 and placed tied for fifth (6-4) in conference action.  

* The Coaches: Ferris State  – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 16th season, 95-75-0 (.559) – (7-3-0 vs. Findlay).  Pierce is 49-33 (.598) overall in home contests at FSU and he owns a 33-31-0 (.516) 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.
   
Findlay – Jon Wauford (Miami-Ohio, 1991), 4th season, 15-23-0 (.395) – (1-1-0 vs. Ferris State).  Wauford took over in 2007 after serving as the squad's assistant head coach. He also spent time coaching at Miami (Ohio) and Kent State. Wauford played collegiately at Miami and played in the CFL.

* The 102nd Season: The 2010 campaign represents the Bulldogs' 102nd 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 371-419-40 (.471) to date.

* Common Foe: Ferris and Findlay have played one common opponent already this season in Tiffin, but the scores were much different. The Oilers beat the Dragons 10-7 at home on Sept. 18 in a low-scoring league game.  The following week (Sept. 25), the Bulldogs topped Tiffin by a 52-28 score at Top Taggart Field.

* One More Win: FSU head coach Jeff Pierce needs a single victory at Top Taggart Field to record his 50th career win at the stadium.  Pierce presently owns a 49-33 (.598) mark in home games played at FSU.  Additionally, he's only five victories shy of notching his 100th win overall as he enters Saturday's contest with a 95-75 (.559) all-time mark.

* In The Zone: The Bulldogs currently lead the GLIAC in red zone offense as they've converted 16-of-18 (.889) times inside the opponents' 20-yard line this year.  The total includes 13 touchdowns and three field goals.  FSU has been perfect inside the red zone over the last three games with a combined 12-of-12 total.

* Homecoming Game: Ferris State is 32-35-2 (.478) in its Homecoming contests dating back to 1931 and has won 13 of its last 20 such encounters. The Bulldogs dropped a 34-7 decision to Indianapolis in the homecoming game last year (10/10/09). Ferris has dropped three-straight games on "homecoming" entering Saturday's contest.

* Homecoming vs Findlay: Ferris is 1-2 all-time versus Findlay in its homecoming game.  This year marks the first time FSU has played Findlay on homecoming since 1971 (W, 28-13).  The other meetings came in 1935 (UF 33-6) and 1963 (UF 21-6).

* Homecoming Notes: 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 ....... FSU is 15-9 (.625) all-time against out of state opponents on homecoming.  This year marks the fourth-straight year the Bulldogs have played an out-of-state foe in the game.

* Homecoming Activities: A number of special activities and events highlight Ferris' 2010 homecoming slate this weekend.  In addition to the football game, several other Bulldog teams will also compete at home over the weekend, including the volleyball, women's soccer and women's tennis squads.  Various student events will take place all week highlighted by the traditional bonfire involving the FSU football team on Thursday (Oct. 7) night at 8 p.m. (EDT).  The slate also includes alumni reunions for several campus organizations and groups throughout the day 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 a alumni & student homecoming afterglow will take place that evening at 8 p.m. (EDT) at The Gate in Big Rapids.  For a complete list of events, please visit the Ferris State University homepage at www.ferris.edu and click on the homecoming link.

* Against Ohio Schools: Ferris holds a 32-43 (.427) all-time record against teams from the state of Ohio in school history. The Bulldogs have played 12 schools from the Buckeye state and have fared the best against those teams now competing in the GLIAC.  FSU holds a 10-10 mark versus Findlay and is 9-13 overall against Ashland.  The Bulldogs also own four wins (4-6) over Ohio Northern, are unbeaten versus Cedarville (2-0) and Tiffin (3-0) and have topped Wilmington, Ohio Dominican, Lake Erie along with Defiance once each in the program's history.  Ferris' worst mark has come against Central State, which owns a 7-0 record against the Bulldogs although the two teams have not met since 1986.

* Lake Erie Game Notes: FSU converted nine-of-14 third down tries ...... Sophomore defensive ends Brad Iskow (Bad Axe) and Jordan Morgan (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel) were both credited with blocked kicks ..... The Bulldog defense came up with an interception and a fumble recovery, both by linebacker Alex Brajak (Munster, Ind.), in notching the win.  Senior linebacker Matt Ryan (Howell) tallied a game-high 15 tackles, including 11 unassisted stops, for FSU ......... Sophomore running back Tyler Thomas (Jackson) paced FSU with 56 rushing yards on 10 attempts with senior fullback Leon Curry (Detroit/Warren Fitzgerald) rambling for 52 yards on nine tries .....QB Tom Schneider (Jerome/Addison) as 15-of-22 in the air for 162 yards and a TD.  Seven completions went to junior receiver Mike Ryan (Howell) for 98 yards, including a 42-yard TD.

* National Rankings: Ferris State presently ranks 10th nationally in sacks allowed (1.00 pg.), among the NCAA Division II leaders (as of Oct. 4).  FSU is also 15th in sacks (3.20 pg.) and 18th in punt returns (15.8 ypr.) along with 33rd in rushing (184.4 ypg.).  Senior LB Matt Ryan ranks tied for ninth nationally in total tackles (11.0 pg.) while senior DT Jacob Moreno (Holt) is tied for 15th nationally in total sacks (1.00 pg.) and sophomore DE Jordan Morgan comes in tied for 20th in sacks (.90 pg.).

* Keeping It Close: Ferris owns a 3-0 mark this year in games determined by 10 points or less.  Overall, Ferris has presently emerged victorious in 11 of its last 13 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 home loss last year to nationally top-ranked Grand Valley State (9/19/09).  Three of the victories have came in the last four weeks versus Saginaw Valley State, Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie.

* Good At Close Calls: Two of FSU's victories this season have been decided by seven points or less.  In 2008, five of Ferris' six wins were also decided by seven points or less. The Bulldogs scored the go-ahead TD in the final 37 seconds of four of those contests - at Ashland (Sept. 6), vs. Northern Michigan (Sept. 27), at Indianapolis (Oct. 11) and vs. Northwood (Oct. 25). Seven of FSU's 10 outings in '08 were determined by 14 points or less and the Bulldogs finished 6-1 in those contests. Ferris was 5-0 in games decided by seven points or less in '08.

* Two Touchdowns: FSU sophomore running back Skyler Stoker (Jackson/Grass Lake) tallied two touchdowns in the win at Lake Erie.  He scored from 10 yards away on FSU's opening drive and added a five-yard run in the third period.  Stoker notched his first 100-yard performance in Ferris' last home tilt against Tiffin (Sept. 25) with 106 yards on 12 carries.

* GLIAC Leaders: The Bulldogs currently lead the GLIAC in total sacks (16) this season ...... Ferris also ranks first in red zone offense (16-18) ......... FSU cornerback Antwian Windmon (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) ranks tied for first in passes defended (1.60 pg.) after five games ....... Senior DT Jacob Moreno leads the GLIAC in sacks (5) and is tied for third in tackles for loss (7) ....... Senior Matt Ryan leads the conference in total tackles (11.0 pg.).

* GLIAC Stats Notes: Sophomore defensive end Jordan Morgan is tied for second in sacks (4.5) and tied for 14th in tackles for loss (5.5) ....... Junior defensive back William Miles (Stockton, Calif./Tokay) is fourth in passes defended (1.20 pg.) ........ Sophomore defensive end Brad Iskow (Bad Axe) is tied for third in tackles for loss (7) and tied for 13th in sacks (2.5) ........ QB Tom Schneider is listed fourth in passing efficiency (146.5), eighth in total offense (199.4 ypg.) and 10th in passing (159.8 ypg.).  He also ranks tied for second with 10 touchdown passes this year  and is second in passing completion percentage (69.3%) ........ Shawn Snoor is ninth in punting (36.6 avg.) ....... WR Mike Ryan ranks eighth in receptions (4.6 pg.) and 10th in yards receiving (60.8 ypg.).

* More Stats Notes: Ferris senior fullback Leon Curry is fourth in the GLIAC in average yards per rush (7.7 avg.) ...... Junior receiver Damien Miller (Elsie/Ovid-Elsie) is fifth with 84 total punt return yards this season among the GLIAC leaders ...... Sophomore linebacker Tayo Moss (South Rockwood/Monroe St. Mary's Catholic) is tied for 15th in the league in total tackles (8.2 pg.) ...... As a team, Ferris ranks third in the GLIAC in rushing defense (109.0 ypg.) and third in sacks allowed (1.00 pg.) ......... The Bulldogs are also first in the GLIAC with only one pass interception thrown all season.

* One Block Away: Ferris sophomore DE Jordan Morgan notched the fourth blocked kick of his career and third of the season last Saturday in the win at Lake Erie.  Morgan is one block shy of matching former All-America defensive tackle Jake Visser's career mark of five set from 2004-08.  Visser also owns the single-season mark with four in '08.

* Scoring Trends: The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 53-17 in the fourth quarter of games to date this season and also own a 45-40 edge in points scored during the second period.  On the flip side, FSU trails 35-20 in third quarter scoring.  The opening quarter is tied 28-28.  Overall, FSU has outscored its opponents 146-120 this year.

* Good Month: The Bulldogs have compiled a 51-32-1 (.613) record in October contests since 1990. FSU is 26-19-0 (.578) on the road and 24-14-1 (.628) at home during that span in the month of October.

* Sack Opposites: Ferris' defense leads the GLIAC with 16 sacks this season in five games.  Conversely, the Bulldogs are also third overall in the league as they've allowed only five sacks to date this season.

* Top Taggart Field: Ferris State is 90-65-2 (.580) at Top Taggart Field since 1980 and sports a 75-54-2 (.580) conference home ledger during that span. The Bulldogs are 69-38-2 (.642) overall since 1990, which includes a 61-35-2 (.633) league record at home. The facility features a recently-installed 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.

* Miscellaneous Notes: Saturday's contest represents FSU's first home game played in the afternoon this season ....... Ferris, Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech are the only league schools with two conference road wins to date this season ..... Mike Ryan's 98 receiving yards at Lake Erie marked a personal career-high.

* Last Buckeye Foe: This week's game against Findlay concludes a four-game stretch for FSU against schools from the state of Ohio - Ohio Dominican, Tiffin, Lake Erie and Findlay.  The Bulldogs made two trips to the Buckeye state in the last four weeks with their first-ever trips to league newcomers ODU and Lake Erie.

* From Week To Week: Ferris improved to 16-3-1 overall since 1990 in game five of a season following last Saturday's win at Lake Erie.  The mark is FSU's best in any given week of a season going back to the '90 season.  Ferris enters this week's sixth contest of the year holding a 12-7-0 mark in game six over the same period of time.

* Change Of Fortunes: The Bulldogs' current four-game win streak is perhaps the program's longest coming off a double-digit losing skid.  From 1966 to 1968, Ferris went nearly two years between wins before winning seven-straight in the historic unbeaten 1968 campaign.  However, the 15-game winless stretch featured three ties, including the '68 season opener.  If the ties are not counted, the current stretch represents FSU's most consecutive wins after a 10-game or more losing streak in history.

* Tough Road Ahead: After this Saturday's game versus Findlay, the Bulldogs will have played all five league games versus teams in the bottom half of the current conference standings.  The schedule will toughen as FSU's remaining five GLIAC games will all come against teams found in the top eight this week.

* Bouncing Back: Ferris' win at Lake Erie represented the first time the Bulldogs had trailed at halftime and came back to win since a 31-24 home triumph over Northern Michigan in 2008 (9/27).  FSU trailed Lake Erie 9-7 at the break, but took the lead for good with the lone score in the third quarter.

* Leading The League: FSU senior defensive tackle Jacob Moreno presently leads the GLIAC in sacks with five to date (-26 yards) in five games (1.00 pg.) this season.  His efforts have helped the Bulldogs defense record a league-best 16 sacks for -107 yards in five outings.  Moreno is also tied for third overall in tackles for loss among the league leaders with seven for -33 yards (1.40 pg.).

* Another GLIAC Leader: Ferris sophomore cornerback Antwian Windmon presently is atop for first atop the GLIAC leaders list in passes defended this campaign.  Windmon has a total of eight passes defended with six breakups and two interceptions in five games (1.60 pg.).

* Here's The Offense: The Bulldogs' seven touchdowns against Tiffin (Sept. 25) was nearly half of their TD total from all of last season when FSU netted only 15 touchdowns in 11 outings.  Additionally, in five games to date this season, the Bulldogs have scored a total of 146 points and have already topped their entire scoring total from a year ago when they finished with 122 points over the 11 games.  Eighteen of FSU's 20 touchdowns this season have came on the offensive side of the ball with one each from special teams and the Bulldog defensive unit.

* Run Ferris Run: Ferris State tallied a season-high 337 rushing yards on 42 attempts (8.0 avg.) in its home win over Tiffin two weeks ago (Sept. 25). The 337 yards mark FSU's highest rushing output since posting 381 yards on 49 carries in a 48-41 overtime home win over Northwood in 2007 (11/3/07).

* Posting Big Numbers: Ferris State has currently tallied 300 yards of total offense or more in each of the last three contests, which marks the first time the Bulldogs have accomplished the feat since posting 300 or more yards in three consecutive games of the '08 season versus Indianapolis, Wayne State and Northwood (Oct. 11-25).

* Big Offensive Numbers: The Bulldogs rolled up more than 400 yards of total offense in back-to-back games with 412 yards at Ohio Dominican (Sept. 18) and 479 yards versus Tiffin (Sept. 25).  It represented the first time the Bulldogs had totaled 400 or more yards in back-to-back games since posting 412 yards and 420 yards at home in 2007 versus Hillsdale (9/22) and Northern Michigan (9/29), respectively.

* Passing Leaders: FSU quarterback Tom Schneider surpassed the 1,000 career yards passing figure with 176 yards in the air at Hillsdale in the season opener (Sept. 3).  He now has 1,769 career yards and ranks 15th on the Bulldogs' all-time career leaders chart.

* Other Leaders: FSU junior receiver Damien Miller currently ranks 11th on the school's all-time chart with 698 kick return yards. He's also 13th in punt return yards (150) ....... Tom Schneider ranks 16th in school history with 2,582 career total offensive yards.

* Kicking Leaders: FSU junior kicker Shawn Snoor currently ranks tied for 12th in school history with seven made field goals. He's also listed 15th overall with 899 career punting yards to date.

* The "Bulldog Beat" Football Show: A special internet talk show on FSU football will air each week this fall as the "Bulldog Beat" Football Show hits the web airwaves on Thursday nights throughout the season. The talk show, which will be powered by a service called Blog Talk Radio, will be co-hosted by FSU Associate Athletics Communications Director/Football SID Rob Bentley and local journalist Sandy Gholston. The approximate 60 to 90-minute show will take place Thursday evenings starting at 9 p.m. (ET) and can be heard live by visiting: www.blogtalkradio.com/ferrisathletics. 

* 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.

* Follow The Bulldogs: A live video and audio webcast is slated to be offered for all 2010 Bulldog home football games and selected road games via an agreement with America One (formerly B2).  Visit the FSU Athletics Website (www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com) and click on the B2 icon.

* Yearbook Available Online: The 2010 Ferris State University Football Yearbook is available to view as an online publication. It features 2010 player rosters, season outlook, player biographies, coaching staff information, 2009 season statistics, career and season statistical records, series records, game records, etc.  Visit www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com to find it online.