GLIAC Champion Ferris State Lands Four Major Awards And 21 All-GLIAC Honors
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Big Rapids, Mich. - The 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champion Ferris State University football squad received well-deserved recognition on Thursday (Nov. 18) as the league announced its annual postseason award recipients.
The Bulldogs claimed four of the league's seven major awards and had a total of 21 student-athletes earn all-conference recognition in voting by the league's member head coaches, including 12 first-team honorees.
FSU senior quarterback Jared Bernhardt (Longwood, Fla.) was tabbed as the GLIAC's Player of the Year while senior offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali (Trenton) earned the GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year Award. FSU also had the league's defensive lineman of the year in sophomore end Caleb Murphy (Dowagiac) in addition to the Coach of the Year in FSU head coach Tony Annese.
Along with Bernhardt and Pasquali, the Bulldogs' All-GLIAC First Team picks on the offensive side of the ball included tailback Tyler Minor (Flint), receiver Xavier Wade (Holland), offensive tackle Zein Obeid (Dearborn) and center Jake Boonstra (Grand Rapids).
FSU also had six individuals on the All-GLIAC First Team defensively including Murphy, defensive tackle Austin Simpson (Livonia), linebacker John Higgins (Williams Bay, Wis.), defensive back Vincent Cooley (Detroit), defensive back Jamil Thomas (Tampa, Fla.) and specialist/punt returner Marcus Taylor (Orlando, Fla.).
Bulldog wide receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson (Cassopolis) was an All-GLIAC Second Team choice along with offensive lineman Adam Sieler (Pinckney), defensive lineman Sam Girodat (Jackson) and linebacker Major Dedmond (Freeport, Ill.).
Finally, five other Bulldogs claimed All-GLIAC Honorable Mention laurels with defensive linemen Olalere Oladipo (Huntley, Ill.) and Jordan Jones (Redford) chosen in addition to linebacker Liam Daly (Jackson), defensive back Cyntell Williams (Battle Creek) and slot receiver CJ Jefferson (Muskegon).
By being chosen as the GLIAC Player of the Year, Bernhardt is the third consecutive Bulldog player to claim the distinction and the fifth in the past seven seasons. Overall, a total of nine Bulldog players have now garnered the honor.
Meanwhile, Pasquali's recognition as the GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year also represents the third-straight year in which a FSU player has received the award and it is the sixth time overall. Murphy is the seventh Bulldog standout to garner the GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year honor and the first since former standout Zach Sieler was a back-to-back recipient in 2016 and 2017.
Annese garnered GLIAC Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time at Ferris State.
The GLIAC Player of the Year, Bernhardt has had a spectacular season for the nation's top-ranked Bulldogs, leading FSU to an unbeaten regular-season and the GLIAC Championship. Bernhardt, who was the nation's top men's lacrosse player on the NCAA Division I level at Maryland last spring, has ranked among the top playmakers in the country, rushing for 995 yards and 16 scores from the quarterback position while also throwing for 1,105 yards in only seven games. He's completed 72.3% of his passes and thrown for nine scores, accounting for 25 total TD's this year for the Bulldogs, who earned yet another NCAA playoff berth and the top seed in Super Region Three. The signal caller has been tabbed as the GLIAC's Offensive Player of the Week five times this season and also garnered D2Football.com National Player of the Week laurels after accounting for seven touchdowns in his Ferris State debut in week one. He's averaged nearly nine yards per carry and ranks among the nation's statistical leaders in several categories for the Bulldogs, who have been ranked near the top of Division II all season in both scoring and total offense.
The GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, Pasquali has been the leader of one of the nation's top units this fall, helping FSU win a third consecutive GLIAC Championship while finishing regular-season play unbeaten for the third year in-a-row. The four-year starter and three-time all-conference choice has paved the way for a Bulldog offensive attack that has ranked among the country's top scoring offenses this fall. His play has helped FSU generate an average of 45.3 points and 508.7 total yards per game, both of which led the GLIAC. Pasquali has played both right and left tackle this season and is a Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award nominee. The veteran standout, who was a Preseason All-America choice by numerous sources, has served as a team captain and is a strong candidate to earn both all-region and All-America honors yet again in his stellar collegiate career. During his career, he's helped the Bulldogs make four national quarterfinal appearances, three trips to the D2 National Semifinals and a berth in the 2018 Division II National Championship game.
The GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year, Murphy has had an impressive debut season for the Bulldogs, leading FSU to an unblemished regular-season record and the GLIAC Championship this fall. Murphy has compiled a league-best nine sacks for minus 77 yards in 10 games this fall, while also notching 14 tackles for loss for 92 yards. In addition, he's forced a pair of fumbles, recorded an interception and totaled 43 stops, which ranks fourth among the Bulldogs' defensive leaders. The standout pass rusher has helped FSU limit the opposition to only 19.2 points and 265 yards per game. Ferris State's defensive unit has posted a shutout and held opponents to 15 points or less five times this year, including three of the last four contests. Murphy is the latest standout defensive lineman to come thru the Bulldog program, following in the footsteps of several past line standouts, including four of whom who are either on active National Football League rosters or took part in a preseason training camp this summer.
The GLIAC's Coach of the Year, Annese, who ranks as the country's winningest active head coach regardless of level, led the nation's top-ranked Bulldogs to a third consecutive GLIAC Championship and unbeaten regular-season this fall. Under Annese's direction, the Bulldogs went 10-0 in regular-season play, notching their fifth championship and unbeaten finish in the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs also stretched their regular-season win streak to 38 consecutive games and have now won their last 31 GLIAC outings dating back to 2017. This fall, FSU also received its seventh consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff berth and achieved the program's first-ever AFCA number one ranking under his leadership. The Bulldogs have ranked as both the winningest program in the state of Michigan and in all of Division II football since his arrival, compiling a 97-16 mark in nine seasons. Ferris State was the only team in the nation in Division II football to finish with an unbeaten regular-season record this fall. Overall, Ferris State has won 46 of its last 49 games under Annese counting playoff action.
The Bulldogs will open the NCAA Division II Playoffs at home on Saturday, Nov. 27, against either Grand Valley State or Lindenwood at Top Taggart Field in second-round action. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) and tickets can be purchased online now at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets.