BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The nation's number one ranked Ferris State Bulldogs got off to a fast start and finished strong in a 38-17 home win on Saturday (Oct. 7) over visiting Saginaw Valley State at Top Taggart Field.
In the 48th consecutive meeting between the two longtime GLIAC opponents, the Bulldogs scored 14 points in the first five minutes of the game and built an early 14-0 lead before the Cardinals responded. FSU eventually scored 24 of the final 27 points in the game for the victory.
The Bulldogs opened strong as senior quarterback Mylik Mitchell hooked up with senior wideout Xavier Wade on a 41-yard scoring throw on FSU's initial offensive drive. Then, after getting the ball back, the duo hooked up again on a 58-yard TD completion to make it an early two-score game.
Saginaw Valley State tied the game up, though, in the second quarter with a pair of scoring drives. The first covered 80 yards and ended with Terrance Brown's 14-yard carry with the second concluding on Brown's six-yard scoring catch from Mike O'Horo with only 90 seconds left before halftime.
The Bulldogs, however, moved quickly down the field and scored just before intermission as Mitchell found Tyrese Hunt-Thompson on a 40-yard scoring play to cap a six-play, 82-yard drive, giving FSU a 21-14 lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs marched 71 yards in nine plays on their first possession with Mitchell Middleton booting a 21-yard field goal to make it a 24-14 edge. SVSU scored its only points of the second half on a 30-yard field goal five minutes later to cut the margin to 24-17.
From there, though, the Bulldogs controlled play and FSU found the endzone twice more. Mitchell found Wade again late in the third on a 28-yard scoring play to finish a 75-yard drive and then sealed the win with a six-yard TD pass to Hunt-Thompson with 2:46 left in the game.
For the day, the Bulldogs racked up 500 yards of total offense, including 279 in the air and 221 on the ground. Mitchell completed 12-of-14 throws for 262 yards and five TD's. Wade hauled in five catches for 158 yards and three scores while Hunt-Thompson had four grabs for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground, Carson Gulker ran for a game-high 144 yards on 23 carries for the Bulldogs.
SVSU finished with 256 yards of offense, which included 149 on the ground. O'Horo paced the Cardinals with 64 yards rushing and completed 11-of-16 passes for 107 yards.
Defensively, senior end Olalere Oladipo had eight stops for the Bulldogs and a sack while Major Dedmond notched seven tackles.
The Bulldogs, now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC, head to Allendale next Saturday, Oct. 14, for the Anchor-Bone Classic at Lubbers Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (ET).