Bulldog football limps into rivalry game against Grand Valley State
To return to winning form, Ferris State will work to limit mistakes against number one ranked Grand Valley State.
After a solid outing in week one, the Bulldogs have struggled in their last two games, including a 43-7 loss against Findlay last Saturday. The Bulldogs had four turnovers and for the second week in a row, had a punt blocked in the game. Ferris will look to eliminate turnovers and mistakes if it hopes to be competitive against the number one team in the nation.
Head coach Jeff Pierce was stunned at the way the game started, with his team allowing 31 points in the first quarter.
“That game was just unbelievable. We were down by a ton before we even got to start playing ball,” said Pierce.
The Bulldogs head into the Anchor-Bone Classic on a down note as they are 1-2 overall and have given up 87 points in their past two contests; including two touchdowns of over 75 yards.
However, the defense has not been the only issue as the special teams have committed costly mistakes, which have hurt the Bulldogs early in games. The Bulldogs allowed only two blocked punts last season and have had three blocked in the past two games alone.
Grand Valley State, on the other hand, has so far lived up to early season expectations as it has rolled to a 3-0 start and has out-scored its opponents 101-40.
Something to watch this Saturday will be the turnover battle. It is difficult to win any game when you commit more turnovers than your opponent. Through three games, Grand Valley has turned the ball over twice, while Ferris has had eight turnovers.
After Kyle Parrish struggled in the first two games of the season, sophomore quarterback Tom Schneider started against Findlay. Schneider completed nine of his 18 passes for 75 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. As of now, Pierce is undecided as to whom will start on Saturday.
“Right now, our character is being challenged but we are going to fight through it,” said Pierce.
Grand Valley is favored to win on Saturday, but Ferris will look to pull an upset.