Nation's Top Two Teams Square Off In Anchor-Bone Classic Saturday - Buy Tickets Now!

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Big Rapids, Mich. - The nation's top two NCAA Division II football squads will square off this coming Saturday (Oct. 15) as the top-ranked Ferris State University Bulldogs host archival and second-ranked Grand Valley State in the Anchor-Bone Classic at FSU's Top Taggart Field.

The annual showdown between the two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rivals is set for a 1 p.m. (ET) kickoff and the game will be streamed live by FloSports.

Tickets are moving fast for the annual rivalry contest and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and arrive early. Demand for tickets is high and a large crowd is expected for the game, which has both major conference and national implications. Bulldog fans are also encouraged to wear red as part of a "Red Out" effort.

Fans without tickets to the game are advised to purchase in advance and those with tickets are also encouraged to arrive early to avoid potential long lines at the will-call pickup window the morning of the game.

Tailgate lots on Saturday will open three hours prior to the contest at 10 a.m. (ET) with the Wheeler Pavilion Gameday Ticket Office opening up at 11 a.m. (ET) for those needing to pick up tickets at will-call or those looking to walk-up and purchase tickets if they are still available.

Game tickets for the game are on sale now and can be purchased online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets. Tickets are $20 for all adults along with $15 for FSU faculty/staff and seniors (age 65+) or $10 for students (age 5-17). For additional information, please contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office by calling (231) 591-2888 or visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Parking in lots near Top Taggart Field will be $10 per available car or $30 per oversized vehicle (bus, motor coach, motorhome, trailer, etc.) on a first-come, first-served basis. GVSU fans are directed to park in lots 4A, 4B and 4G, which are located to the north and east of Top Taggart Field.

Both teams head into Saturday's contest ranked as consensus top two teams in the nation and it will represent the 14th time in series' history in which both squads have been ranked in the major D2 national poll at kickoff. FSU was ranked first in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Rankings and the D2Football.com national poll last week with GVSU second in the listing.

Saturday's game will mark the seventh-straight regular season matchup in which both teams have been ranked among the top 15 nationally at kickoff time and the 10th consecutive time overall, including postseason games in both 2015 and 2016 along with 2021. Seven years ago, when the Bulldogs notched a decisive 61-24 regular-season victory in 2015 in Allendale, it represented the first time both teams had been in the top 15 in 20 years since a 30-21 FSU victory over the Lakers on Sept. 30, 1995, in Big Rapids.

Overall, the two squads have both been found previously in the national rankings at kickoff time in the regular-season in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons along with postseason matchups in both 2015 and 2016 and 2021. FSU owns a 9-3-1 mark all-time against the Lakers when both squads are nationally-ranked.

The Bulldogs head into Saturday's tilt with a 5-0 overall record and a 1-0 league slate following this past Saturday's dramatic 33-28 comeback win over Saginaw Valley State on the road. Meanwhile, the Lakers are presently 6-0 overall and 1-0 in the GLIAC after recording a 45-3 non-league road win at American International (Mass.) this past week.

Ferris State has captured eight of the last nine regular-season matchups between the two West Michigan rivals. The two teams have both also squared off in the NCAA Division II Playoffs three times in recent history with GVSU winning in 2015 in Big Rapids before FSU returned the favor with a 47-32 triumph over the Lakers in 2016 in Allendale in the Super Region Four Championship game. Last year, Ferris State beat GVSU 54-20 in the second round en route to the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship. Bulldog head coach Tony Annese, who ranks as the nation's winningest active head coach at all NCAA levels, owns an overall 10-2 mark against GVSU in his career.

The Anchor Bone Trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Ferris State-Grand Valley State football game. The trophy debuted in 2002 and GVSU won the first nine matchups before FSU maintained possession of the trophy four consecutive years from 2012-15. The Lakers reclaimed the trophy in the regular-season in 2016 before the Bulldogs won a thrilling 28-27 decision at Top Taggart Field in 2017 in the NCAA Division II National Game of the Week. FSU beat the Lakers 35-31 in its last visit to Lubbers Stadium in 2018 and then topped Grand Valley State 21-16 at home in Big Rapids in 2019 as part of the televised kickoff event to Fox Sports Detroit's "Football Week In Michigan" promotion. A year ago, FSU held onto the trophy with a 35-28 regular-season win in Allendale. GVSU holds a 29-22-1 all-time series' advantage entering Saturday's showdown between the two schools with FSU having won the last six games and 10 of the past 12 overall.

Presently, the Bulldogs enter Saturday's game riding a school-record 43-game regular-season winning streak dating back to 2017 and Ferris State has also currently won a school all-time best 19 consecutive games overall dating back to the start of last year in addition to 32-straight GLIAC matchups as the three-time defending conference champion. The Bulldogs are the country's winningest Division II football program over the past nine years and have reached the NCAA Division II National Semifinals four of the past five seasons, excluding 2020 when no season was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to a national-runner-up finish in 2018 and last year's first national championship.

In addition to FloSports, Saturday's contest will also be carried live by the Bulldog Sports Network and Sunny 97.3 FM with Rob Bentley providing the play-by-play action and Sandy Gholston offering color commentary. The broadcast begins with the "Bulldog Tailgate Show" starting at 11 a.m. (ET) from the tailgate lots at the stadium followed by an extended Johnson Automotive Pregame Show at 12 p.m. (ET) leading up to kickoff and can be accessed online at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Video coverage will be provided on the FloSports stream by Ferris State TV from FSU's Television and Digital Media Production program.

Please visit this link below for important details on ticket sales and fan information for the Anchor-Bone Classic:
Bulldog Football Gameday Page