PREVIEW: Bulldogs Host Texas A&M Commerce In First Round Of NCAA Playoffs Saturday

This Week: The unbeaten Ferris State University football team will host a NCAA Division II Playoff game for the second consecutive year as the Bulldogs entertain Texas A&M Commerce in the first round this Saturday, Nov. 21, at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. (ET).

The Bulldogs are 10-0 overall and capped off a second-straight unbeaten regular season along with winning a second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship this year. Meanwhile, the Lions hold an 8-3 overall mark and won the Lone Star Conference regular-season crown with a 6-0 league record.

Ferris State is the number two seed in Super Region Four with Texas A&M Commerce seeded seventh in the field.

Ticket Information: Tickets for Saturday's playoff game are currently on sale and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens (age 65+) along with $5 for students in grades K-12. In addition, students from both competing institutions with a valid ID card are also $5. Children ages five and under are free.

Per NCAA policy, all fans will need a game ticket to enter the stadium and no season passes, conference passes or the "Division 2 Pass for Two" will be accepted for playoff contests.

Fans fan purchase tickets online 24 hours a day, seven days a week at StarTickets.com or call (800) 585-3737. Tickets may also be purchased in person thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. (ET) to 5 p.m. (ET) with extended hours on Wednesday until 7 p.m. (ET). The gameday ticket office at the Wheeler Pavilion at Top Taggart Field opens Saturday at 10 a.m. (ET).

Media/TV Coverage: Saturday's playoff game will be carried live 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.  Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with a free live audio and video feed online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com in conjunction with Ferris State Television. FSU will also provide live internet statistics.

Follow On Twitter: In addition to radio and internet coverage, Bulldog fans can also follow Saturday's playoff contest with live scoring updates on several official social media platforms.  Visit www.twitter.com/FerrisFootball to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring updates or visit www.facebook.com/FerrisFootball.

FSU At A Glance: Presently, FSU is Michigan's only remaining unbeaten collegiate or professional football team this season. The Bulldogs closed the regular-season with a 25-game regular season victory streak intact dating back to the 2013 season and is now only two wins away for matching the  most consecutive regular-season victories in school history, which is 27 in a row from Oct. 23, 1993 to Sept. 14, 1996. FSU has been a consensus top-five team in virtually every major NCAA Division II national poll this year.

Greatest Rushing Quarterback: Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan became college football's "greatest rushing quarterback" of all-time on a historic day at Top Taggart Field against Ohio Dominican on Oct. 17 in Big Rapids. He now has 5,730 career rushing yards to date and surpassed the all-time record for most rushing yards by any QB at any level on a 53-yard TD run down the home sideline in the second quarter versus ODU. He topped the previous career record of 5,128 yards held by Wofford's Shawn Graves from 1989-92.

Another NCAA Record: FSU's Jason Vander Laan broke another NCAA record in FSU's road victory at Northern Michigan on Nov. 7. He presently has 76 career rushing TD's and surpassed the previous NCAA Division II record for most rushing scores by a QB (72) also held by Wofford's Shawn Graves. Presently, Vander Laan is second overall in total rushing touchdowns by a quarterback at any level in the history of college football, trailing only current Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, an active player who holds the career total with 81 rushing TD's to date.

The Records: Ferris State enters Saturday's game with a 10-0 overall and league record after last week's 38-7 home win over Walsh in the regular season finale. In 2014, Ferris State finished 11-1 overall and won the GLIAC with a perfect 10-0 conference mark, becoming the first team in the GLIAC North to finish league play unbeaten since 2008 before doing it again this year. In 2013, FSU posted an 8-3 overall record and placed second in the GLIAC North Division standings with a 8-2 conference mark. FSU, which won seven games in head coach Tony Annese's debut season in 2012, has presently won 25 of its last 26 contests overall.

Texas A&M Commerce will make its first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995 on Saturday. The Lions posted an 8-3 overall mark with the most recent setback coming to the region's top-seeded team in Midwestern State (Texas) by a 37-33 score in the Lone Star Conference Championship Game last Saturday (Nov. 14). The squad's other two losses were to FCS member Sam Houston State by a 38-24 count and nationally-ranked Delta State 51-44 in week two. TAMUC went 5-2 at home along with 3-1 on the road this season.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 4th season, 36-8-0 (.818) – (0-0 vs. Texas A&M Commerce).  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 261-53 (.831) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns. He coached his 300th career game at all levels last season and notched his 260th victory two weeks ago.

Texas A&M Commerce - Colby Carthel (Angelo State), 3rd season at Texas A&M Commerce; Carthel has turned around the Lions' program in three short years at the helm. He has guided TAMUC to back-to-back LSC Championship Game appearances. In three years, he's led the squad to a 24-12 overall mark, which includes a 9-3 overall mark in 2014 followed by an 8-3 ledger this year. His 2014 offense averaged 54.1 points per game. Carthel previously served as the defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M for seven years.

Sixth Unbeaten Regular Season: This year marks the sixth time in school history in which the Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season. Prior to the last two years, no Bulldog team had went undefeated in the regular season since the 1995 team won its first 12 games en route to the NCAA Division II Semifinals, which is the highest finish in school history. Last year's 11-0 mark prior to the NCAA Playoffs represented the first time in 100-plus years of football in which a Bulldog team won 11 contests in the regular season.

Seventh NCAA Playoff Berth: This year will mark Ferris State's seventh all-time NCAA Division II Playoff appearance and the school's second in a row after previously not making the field since 1996 prior to last year. Overall, FSU has compiled a 5-6 all-time playoff record and posted the school's best finish ever by reaching the semifinals in 1995. This year's GLIAC Championship was also Ferris State's second in a row. Before the last two years, FSU had not won a league title since 1999. Last year's outright title was the school's first since 1996. Overall, this year represents the ninth conference title in Bulldog football history.

Bulldog Senior Class: A total of 17 Ferris State seniors will have another opportunity to play a home contest at FSU's Top Taggart Field this week. The large group was recognized prior to the final regular-season home game against Walsh last week and has combined for a 36-8 overall record along with two GLIAC Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances.  The group of 17 includes Antonio Agurs, Adam Bennett, Kahlil Bolling, Mitch Bredberg, Paeton Caldwell, Frank Colletti, Cody Dingeldey,  Ben Hinamanu, Nate Iveson, Jake Lampman, Damonta Madden, Sean O'Brien, Jordan Roxas, Troy Smith, Jason Vander Laan, Garrett Woods and Justin Zimmer.

Highest National Rankings: Ferris State remains second this week in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Rankings, which represents the Bulldogs' highest ranking ever in the history of the coaches' poll that dates back to 2000. In addition, FSU is also ranked 1st nationally again this week by D2Football.com along with the Division II Power Rankings.

First In NCAA History: Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan has become the first player in NCAA football history at any level to both run and pass for 1,000 yards for four-straight seasons. Prior to Vander Laan accomplishing the feat, no other player in the history of college football had ever totaled more than 1,000 passing and rushing yards for each season of their collegiate career.

First-Ever Matchup: Saturday will mark the first-ever series' matchup between the Bulldogs and Texas A&M Commerce. It will also represent the first time the Bulldogs have ever played a team from Texas or one from the Lone Star Conference in school history. A year ago, the Bulldogs hosted a NCAA playoff game for the first time in 18 years, falling to league rival Ohio Dominican 46-33, while making their first postseason berth since 1996.

Unbeaten Regular Season: Last Saturday's victory gave the Bulldogs only their sixth unbeaten regular-season in the 107-year history of Bulldog Football.  Last year marked the Bulldogs' first-ever 11-0 regular season and first unbeaten mark since 1995. The 2015 campaign marks only the seventh time in the 100 plus year history of Ferris State football in which the Bulldogs have won at least nine games.

National Scholar-Athlete Class & Campbell Finalist: FSU quarterback Jason Vander Laan has been chosen as a member of the 2015 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Class and will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. Vander Laan is among 12 Campbell Trophy finalists and National Scholar-Athlete Class members as presented by Fidelity Investments. He's one of only two non-NCAA Division I student-athletes as part of the group and the second-ever National Scholar-Athlete Class member from Ferris State, joining former standout linebacker Mike Klobucher (2006). The finalists will all receive an expense-paid trip to New York City for the black-tie 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the historic Waldorf Astoria on Dec. 8, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.

Over 1,000 Yards: Ferris State senior QB Jason Vander Laan topped the 1,000 yard rushing mark this season three weeks ago at Lake Erie while posting his fourth consecutive 1,000 yard campaign. In the history of NCAA Division II football, a player has both ran and passed for 1,000 yards or more in a season only 25 times and Vander Laan now owns four of those marks. He already has thrown for more than 2,000 yards this year and has notched his fourth-straight campaign topping the 1,000 yard mark in both categories.

Among Nation's Best: Ferris State currently ranks third nationally in total offense (534.1 ypg.) along with second in scoring (45.1 ppg.) and 10th in rushing (277.5 ypg.). The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC in all three categories. FSU is also tops in the GLIAC and 12th nationally in total defense (281.6 ypg.) while ranking fourth in the country in rushing defense (75.9 ypg.). Individually, Jason Vander Laan is sixth nationally in total offense (355.8 ypg.), ninth in scoring (11.4 ppg.) and sixth in rushing yards a game (131.9 ypg.). He's also second in points responsible per game (24.6 ppg.) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (19). Senior Justin Zimmer is fifth in the country in tackles for loss (2.1 pg.).

GLIAC's Top Offense & Defense: The Bulldogs owned the GLIAC's top offensive and defensive units overall this campaign. The Bulldogs led the GLIAC in total offense, rushing offense and scoring offense and also were on top of the defensive charts in total defense, rushing defense along with scoring defense during the regular season this year.

2015 GLIAC Season Awards: Ferris State brought home two major awards and 15 all-league honorees as the GLIAC unveiled its 2015 all-conference teams this week. In the all-conference voting conducted by the league's 15 head coaches, Ferris State quarterback Jason Vander Laan claimed the league's prestigious "GLIAC Player of the Year" honor for the second year in a row. Additionally, fourth-year FSU head coach Tony Annese received the league's "Co-Coach of the Year" distinction along with Ashland's Lee Owens. It marks the second year in a row in which he has received Coach of the Year laurels. Overall, Ferris State placed six student-athletes on the All-GLIAC First Team with threeothers earning All-GLIAC Second Team status and six attaining honorable mention recognition.

2015 All-Conference Recipients: The Bulldogs' first-team all-conference picks included Jason Vander Laan as the lone quarterback. In addition, senior wide receiver Jake Lampman and sophomore center Jake Daugherty were first-team all-league picks. They were joined on the defensive side by junior cornerback Jaleel Canty, senior defensive lineman Justin Zimmer along with junior linebacker Anthony Darkangelo. FSU's three second-team selections included redshirt freshman offensive lineman Devon Johnson, sophomore defensive end Dylan Roney and senior cornerback Troy Smith. Finally, the list of Bulldog honorable mention all-league choices consisted of senior offensive guard Cody Dingeldey, senior slot receiver Antonio Agurs along with a quartet of juniors in offensive tackle Bryan Bell, defensive tackle Corey Arnouts and linebackers Nick Huckabay and Brady Sheldon.

All-GLIAC Notes: Overall, this year marks the fourth-staight year in which Jason Vander Laan has claimed all-conference mention while Jake Lampman is a three-time pick on the offensive side of the ball. Justin Zimmer also picked up all-league recognition for the third-straight year while Anthony Darkangelo, Troy Smith, Cody Dingeldey and Bryan Bell all earned honors for the second consecutive campaign.

Super Region Four: Ferris State officially received the school's second-straight NCAA Division II Playoff appearance as the Bulldogs were tabbed as the number two seed in Super Region Four during the official NCAA Selection Show. A total of 28 teams from the four super regions received NCAA Playoff berths. Super Region Four encompasses four different NCAA Division II conferences, including the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Midwestern State (Texas) was the top seed followed by FSU (#2), Ashland (#3), Colorado State-Pueblo (#4), Indianapolis (#5), Grand Valley State (#6) and Texas A&M Commerce (#7).

The Playoff Field: In the first round of the NCAA Playoffs this Saturday, Grand Valley State will visit third-seeded Ashland while defending national champion Colorado State-Pueblo hosts Indianapolis. With a win, Ferris State would host the winner of the Ashland-GVSU game on Nov. 28 while the winner of the CSUP-Indy contest will advance to face top-seeded Midwestern State. The regional final is Dec. 5 with the national semifinals on Dec. 12 and the national championship game set for Dec. 19 in Kansas City.

School Record Holder: Ferris State kicker Nate Iveson topped a school-record by connecting on 10-of-10 extra point attempts against Lake Erie three weeks ago. It surpassed the previous mark held by teammate Mitch Bredberg, who was 9-of-9 against LEC a year ago. Last season, Bredberg topped the mark held by Bob Redinger against Illinois-Chicago in 1972. Last year, Bredberg also broke a school single-season record for PAT's in a season. He had 67 makes on the year and topped the previous record of 55 set by Austin Kantola in 2013 for most in a single campaign. Iveson is 58-of-60 to date this year.

November Games: Ferris holds a 31-15 (.674) mark in its last 46 games held during the month of November. The total includes wins in 14 of its last 22 outings during the month dating back to 2006. FSU was 3-0 in November contests in 2013 followed by a 3-1 mark a year ago and is 2-0 to date this year.

National Defensive Player Of Week: FSU senior defensive lineman Justin Zimmer received nationwide recognition as he was chosen on Oct. 28 as the D2football.com National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in FSU's victory over Michigan Tech along with the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. He was all over the field as the Bulldogs beat #17 MTU. In the nationally-televised game, Zimmer recorded a game and personal career-high 19 tackles, including seven solo stops and 12 assisted efforts. He also posted six tackles for loss (-22 yards) along with 2.5 sacks (-15 yards), two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and five quarterback hurries. The senior standout also nearly had a pick six play in the endzone. Zimmer's play helped the Bulldog defense limit MTU to only 273 yards, including only 59 yards in the second half. FSU also held the Huskies to a six-of-20 showing on third down.

GLIAC Total Offense Leader: Bulldog quarterback Jason Vander Laan compiled 12,557 yards in conference action and ranks as the GLIAC's all-time leader in career total yards. The former record was 10,700 yards set by former Saginaw Valley State quarterback Jonathon Jennings from 2010-13. In addition, Vander Laan finished with 5,303 rushing yards in conference games in his career and surpassed former Michigan Tech tailback Lee Marana (2003-06) for second place on the league's career rushing chart for any position this year. The GLIAC record for career rushing is owned by current Detroit Lions tailback and former Wayne State star Joique Bell, who had 6,350 yards in his league career. Vander Laan totaled 436 points in GLIAC play in his career and finished ranked second behind Bell's 564 points from 2006-08.

Historic Campaign: The Bulldogs are midst their 107th season of varsity competition this fall and repeated as GLIAC Champions while making a return trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs following a historic season in 2014 that saw the Bulldogs finish with their first conference title in 15 years and first trip to the postseason in 18 seasons. FSU posted the school's first 11-0 regular-season in the 100-plus year history of Ferris State football in 2014. In 2014, FSU head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 overall record, which was the school's best in 19 seasons. A total of 10 FSU standouts earned some form of All-America honors, the Bulldogs had 16 all-conference honorees and quarterback Jason Vander Laan was tabbed as the Harlon Hill Trophy Award winner given to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, the best of more than 10,000 players at the level in the nation.

FSU Quick Note: Ferris State is Michigan's only unbeaten collegiate or professional football team this season. It marks the second-straight year in which FSU has been the state's only unbeaten squad in regular season play.

Eight GLIAC Wins: FSU finished the 2015 regular season with 10 GLIAC victories. Ferris State had posted seven wins in GLIAC play only four times in 17 years dating back to the 1990's prior to the past three seasons. Before the 2013 and 2014 campaigns, in which FSU recorded league records of 8-2 and 10-0, Ferris State had not claimed eight league victories since winning nine conference games en route to the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference title in 1996.