GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Ferris State Bulldogs kept their NCAA Division II Playoff hopes alive on Saturday (Nov. 4) as FSU pitched a second-half shutout and came up with big plays in all three phases of the game to beat West Michigan rival Davenport in a battle of two top 10 teams nationally by a 28-10 score at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in Caledonia.
The Bulldogs trailed 10-7 at halftime, but pulled ahead quickly to start the second half on Shon Stephens' 100-yard kickoff return and outscored DU 21-0 over the final 30 minutes to earn the win.
With the victory, Ferris State improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the GLIAC heading into next week's regular-season finale. The Bulldogs were eighth in last week's NCAA D2 Super Region Three rankings with DU sixth and the loss spoiled Davenport's unbeaten season to date.
Stephens had a huge game for the Bulldogs as he also intercepted a pair of passes, including a 15-yard pick six return with 14:54 to play that sealed the FSU win.
In the opening half, after a scoreless first period, the Panthers got on the board first by driving 35 yards in five plays following a FSU fumble. Quarterback Jason Whittaker found Myren Harris on a 21-yard scoring throw to give the hosts the early lead.
However, the Bulldogs answered with a lengthy eight-play, 90-yard jaunt capped by Trinidad Chambliss' three-yard TD run with 6:07 left in the first half.
The Panthers took the halftime lead thanks to a 42-yard field goal from Brandon Gielow with two seconds left in the second quarter, capping a five-play, 51-yard Davenport scoring drive.
After Stephens opened the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return to put FSU in front 14-10, the Bulldog defense got off the field and the offense drove 84 yards in 10 plays to push the margin to 21-10 on Carson Gulker's 10-yard scoring throw to senior wideout Xavier Wade. The score stood until Stephens came up with his pick six early in the fourth period to account for the final margin.
The Bulldog defense came up with four interceptions on the day, including two from Stephens and one each from safety Lento Smith and freshman cornerback Ahlston Ware, who made his first career start. FSU forced five turnovers overall and tallied three sacks while limiting DU to 295 yards of total offense and only 83 yards rushing.
Overall, the Bulldogs had 371 yards of offense, including 255 in the air and 116 on the ground. Gulker ran for 47 yards while Chambliss had 41 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Mylik Mitchell completed eight-of-16 passes for 137 yards in the air and Gulker went six-of-seven for 77 yards. Wade led the Bulldog wideouts with eight grabs for 127 yards and Brady Rose had three grabs for 44 yards.
For Davenport, Whittaker completed 16-of-27 passes for 166 yards and a score. Harris ran 17 times for 37 yards and Preston Smith paced Davenport in the receiving game with six catchs for 89 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs got a team-high eight stops from nickel Major Dedmond, who also had a sack and a tackle for loss.
The win was the Bulldogs' eighth in as many all-time matchups versus the Panthers and the fifth against DU in the last three seasons of on-field action.
Saturday's victory was also the 500th all-time win in Bulldog Football program history.
Ferris State returns home to host Wayne State on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Top Taggart Field in the regular-season finale. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) with the Bulldogs slated to honor their senior class prior to the contest.
