SAGINAW, Mich. — The nation's top-ranked Ferris State University Bulldogs overcame adversity on the road Saturday (Oct. 8) and managed to pull out a heart-stopping 33-28 road win over Saginaw Valley State in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener in University Center.
The Bulldogs built a 20-7 first quarter lead and had an opportunity to push the margin to 20 points before a second-period fumble near the goal line turned the tide. From there, SVSU rallied and took a 28-20 edge into the fourth period before the Bulldogs fought back and claimed the win.
Ferris State had to overcome three turnovers and more than 200 penalty yards in a lengthy game that saw a total of 26 whistles called between the two longtime league opponents, who were meeting for the 47th consecutive time.
Ferris State pulled back within 28-23 on a 25-yard field goal from Eddie Jewett with 8:15 to go in the game and eventually got the ball back and drove down the field, getting the go-ahead score on redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Gulker's one-yard fourth-down plunge with 1:11 to play. Senior receiver Brandon Childress added the two-point conversion and FSU's defense came up with a safety in the end zone on the Cardinals' final offensive series to account for the final margin.
The Bulldogs totaled 449 yards of offense in the win, including 250 yards rushing on 53 attempts. Senior quarterback Evan Cummins led a balanced ground game with 79 yards rushing, including a key 46-yard carry on FSU's go-ahead offensive drive.
Along with the rushing yardage, Cummins completed eight-of-15 passes for 199 yards and two scores, including three completions to Childress for a team-high 92 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs limited SVSU to only 52 rushing yards on 41 tries with Saginaw Valley State netting 247 total yards in the contest.
Ferris State scored on its first offensive series as Zamir Knighten found pay dirt on a 25-yard scoring run early before the Cardinals answered on Andrew Brito's 43-yard scoring throw to Nick Johnson. Soon after, Cummins hooked up with senior slot receiver Marcus Taylor on a 79-yard scoring throw to give FSU a 13-7 lead. The lead grew to 20-7 when Cummins found slot receiver CJ Jefferson on a six-yard scoring strike late in the opening period.
Saginaw Valley State rallied back in the second period with Brito finding Earnest Sanders IV on a 29-yard throw, pulling the Cardinals back within six with three minutes left in the half. After a FSU turnover, they took a 21-20 halftime lead on Brito's one-yard scoring run with 21 seconds to go and pushed the lead to 28-20 early in the third. The score stood from there until FSU's late fourth-quarter charge.
Brito led SVSU by completing 11-of-21 throws for 168 yards and two scores. Isaiah Malcome ran for 44 yards on 17 tries.
Ferris State improved to 5-0 this year with the win and the victory stretched FSU's regular-season winning streak to a school all-time best 43 consecutive games. The Bulldogs have also now won their last 32 GLIAC games in a row and have won 19 consecutive games overall dating back to the start of last season.
The Bulldogs' victory sets up a major national showdown next Saturday, Oct. 15, as the #1-ranked Bulldogs host #2-ranked rival Grand Valley State in the Anchor-Bone Classic at Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET). A large crowd is expected for the rivalry game and tickets can be purchased in advance at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets.