BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The Ferris State University Bulldogs put on a show in the home opener on Saturday, dominating visiting Lake Erie College by a 56-3 score at Top Taggart Field.
Before a crowd of more than 6,000 fans, the Bulldogs rolled up 35 points in the opening quarter and held a 49-3 lead at halftime enroute to the win. Ferris State totaled 654 yards of offense in the triumph.
The game was a strong bounce back performance after the team lost its season opener to Pittsburg State in Kansas. The team did lose quarterback Carson Gulker to an injury in the first half.
“It’s nice to get a W after last week. I told the guys that obviously Pittsburg State was a good team and that game put a bad taste in our mouths,” head coach Tony Annese said. “This game was a cleansing. It was a good team victory. The guys did a lot of nice things. It is tarnished a bit with what happened to Carson. I was pleased with the way we played.”
Ferris State junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 16 of 22 passes for 246 yards and three scores in directing the Bulldogs’ attack.
“It’s good to come back out here and get a W under our belts,” Chambliss said. “The offensive scheme going into this week was amazing.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs limited Lake Erie to only 144 yards of total offense, including only 67 rushing yards on 33 carries. Ferris State also came up with a pair of turnovers on the defensive side.
“After the loss last week, we were disappointed in ourselves. We’ve been hard on ourselves to get better, and it showed out there today,” defensive tackle Victor Nelson said.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on the opening drive of the game, marching 75 yards in six plays for a score. Chambliss tallied his first of two rushing touchdowns from nine yards out.
On Ferris State’s second drive, Chambliss again capped the effort with a 14-yard run to finish a five-play, 63-yard jaunt, making it 14-0 less than five minutes into the tilt.
Gulker, a junior, engineered the next Bulldog drive, finding tailback Kannon Katzer on a 20-yard scoring throw midway thru the initial period to finish off a three-play, 25-yard drive that was setup by an interception from senior linebacker Konnor Near.
Lake Erie scored its lone points of the game on a 19-yard field goal late in the first period, but FSU responded with two more scoring drives to make in 35-3 after one. Markel King found pay dirt with a one-yard carry with 2:35 to go in the period before Jeremiah Lee hauled in an 18-yard scoring throw from Chambliss with 45 seconds to go.
In the second period, Ferris State's Taariik Brett notched a score with an eight-yard reception from Chambliss, capping a five-play, 51-yard jaunt. The Bulldogs then scored their final points of the first half when Chambliss hooked up with King on an eight-yard TD connection with 6:33 to go before the break.
The lone points of the second half came when junior back James Coby reached the end zone to start the fourth quarter on a three-yard carry.
Lee led Ferris State in the receiving game with four catches for 59 yards. Katzer caught three balls for 61 yards. Gulker paced FSU on the ground with 67 yards on two carries, including a 64-yard run that ended at the Storm's one-yard line.
The Bulldogs will host the Ashland Eagles next Saturday, Sept. 14, in a 6 p.m. contest at Top Taggart Field. Tickets for the game are on sale now atFerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets [ferrisstatebulldogs.com].
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
