NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Ferris State Football Captures NCAA D2 National Championship
Postgame Celebration 
Postgame Press Conference
Jake Boonstra Interview
Mylik Mitchell Interview
John Higgins Interview
Liam Daly Interview
NCAA Postgame Highlights
Bulldog Sports Network Postgame Report
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State Bulldogs captured the school's first NCAA Division II National Championship in football on Saturday (Dec. 18) night as the Bulldogs beat Valdosta State (Ga.) 58-17 in the title game at the McKinney ISD Stadium in Texas.
The Bulldogs finished off a magical season with a perfect 14-0 record under head coach Tony Annese, earning their first national title in program istory.
FSU senior quarterback Jared Bernhardt ran for three first-half scores and totaled 148 yards rushing in the victory while Tyler Minor rambled for 125 yards and a score and Jeremy Burrell notched 103 yards rushing.
FSU's Mylik Mitchell threw for 122 yards on three-of-six passing with Xavier Wade making a 72-yard grab for the Bulldogs in the passing game.
Ferris State ran for 459 yards on the ground and totaled 581 yards of total offense compared to Valdosta State's 268 total yards. The Blazers were limited to 110 yards rushing along with 158 passing in the contest.
Defensively, Bulldog senior linebacker Liam Daly paced FSU with a game-high 13 tackles and also scored on a pick six interception return. Ferris State forced three turnovers in the game and sacked Valdosta State quarterback Ivory Durham twice in the game.
The Bulldogs bolted out early as Bernhardt scored on a 56-yard run on FSU's first offensive play, but the Blazers fought back and took a 17-13 lead late in the first period. However, Burrell responded with a 78-yard TD run to give FSU a 20-17 lead after the first quarter and the Bulldogs dominated play from that point forward, taking a 41-17 halftime lead en route to the decisive victory.
Valdosta State concluded the year with a 12-2 overall record this campaign.
The contest was the second-ever matchup between the two Division II powers following VSU's 49-47 triumph over the Bulldogs in the 2018 national championship game also in McKinney.
FSU's margin of victory was the second-best in NCAA Division II Championship game history and the Bulldogs' 58 total points was only five shy of the championship game scoring record. The Bulldogs set a new NCAA Division II Playoff mark for the most points in postseason action during the memorable run to the national championship.
This season, the Bulldogs won a third-straight GLIAC Championship and also reached at least the national semifinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons on the field.
The national championship is Ferris State's second in a team sport, coming on the heels of the Bulldogs' 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship in men's basketball. FSU and Northwest Missouri State are now the only two current active Division II members to win national championships in both football and men's basketball.