In a game that will go down in the record books for the Bulldogs (1-0), the team broke the school record in both points scored in a game (75) and most total yards with (761), with 476 of those coming on the ground.
Junior quarterback Jason VanderLaan led the way for the Bulldog offense with 274 yards through the air, striking for four touchdown passes. The Bulldog’s signal caller also rushed for 86 yards on the ground with 40 of those coming on his lone rushing touchdown of the evening.
Senior wide receiver Jake Lampman was the favorite target of the night for Vander Laan, hauling in six receptions for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Jahaan Brown also recorded 83 yards on the ground on just five carries.
The defensive side of the ball was also solid for the Bulldogs in their season debut. Allowing just 14 points on the evening, the Dawgs held the Bearcats to 129 yards on the ground and 207 yards through the air while also nabbing two interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker Anthony Darkangelo and junior cornerback Troy Smith led the Bulldog defense with the two interceptions. Darkangelo also recorded five tackles in the game. Nick Huckabay led the defense with nine total tackles.
As a team, the Bulldogs were only penalized once for five yards and kept their junior signal caller upright the entire game as they conceded zero sacks in the nightcap. Ferris State was also extremely efficient on third down, converting on seven of their 12 third down opportunities, helping continue drives while advancing for 34 first downs.
The Bulldogs next game is slated for Saturday, Sept. 13 at Northwood University with kickoff scheduled at 1 p.m. The home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20 against the rival Lakers of Grand Valley State University with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.