Ferris State returned home and took care of business by routing the Wayne State Warriors 41-10, advancing to 6-2 in the GLIAC.
The Bulldogs (6-3) were the first on the board in the matchup, as junior power back, Jamaal Jackson, shot in the end zone midway through the first quarter. The score would cap off a methodical nine-play, 62 yard drive that took 3:52 off the clock. The touchdown would be the only points of the quarter.
Wayne State (3-6) only mustered 24 yards of total offense in the entire first quarter as the Bulldogs defense buckled down on the Warriors.
Midway through the second the second quarter, Jackson scored again on a 15-yard scamper up the middle, putting the Warriors in a first half 14-0 hole.
Wayne State got their first points of the game on a 26-yard field goal by Warrior’s senior place kicker, Stefan Terleckyj, ending a 10 play, 65-yard drive.
Ferris ended the first half with a 29-yard field goal of their own from senior kicker, Austin Kantola. The teams hit the locker room at halftime with the scoreboard reading 17-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Ferris continued to impose their will on both sides of the ball in the second half as sophomore quarterback Jason Vander Laan led an efficient offensive attack. Jackson also continued to carry the load in the red-zone, scoring again on a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors in a 24-3 deficit within the first two minutes of third quarter regulation.
On the Bulldogs very next possession, Kantola’s number was called again as he sent his second 29-yard field goal attempt through the uprights.
Ferris’ defense continued to shut down all three quarterbacks that Wayne State featured, allowing Vander Laan to put the Bulldogs up even further in the third quarter with a 38-yard touchdown connection to junior receiver Jake Lampman.
Wayne State opened the fourth quarter with their first and only touchdown of the day as Warriors senior running back Toney Davis scored on a two-yard touchdown run.
To finish off the scoring for the night, Jackson put the Warriors on ice with his fourth touchdown of the night on four-yard goal-line blast. Ferris’ defense took the rest of the game over, leaving the score at 41-10 to end regulation.
Ferris State’s offense was again led by a dominant rushing performance, this time by Jackson who ended the game with 68 yards on 12 carries and four scores. Vander Laan was limited in the running game, only 40 yards on the ground, but was solid through the air as he completed 18 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore slot receiver, Antonio Agurs, led the team with 141 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs turned in a great performance with a collective effort to shut down every aspect of the Warriors offense. Junior linebacker, Terrell Porter, led the team with 11 tackles while senior safety, Marvin Robinson, also had eight tackles and a pass breakup. Sophomore defensive end, Justin Zimmer, also turned in a good game, tallying five tackles and a sack.
The Bulldogs advanced to six wins on the season, and are still sitting in third place in the GLIAC. A playoff berth is still a far-shot at this point due to the success of Saginaw Valley (8-1) and Ohio Dominican (8-0),Ferris will next travel to Northwood (2-7) on Saturday, Nov. 9 with kickoff slated for noon.