The Ferris football team will be the underdogs in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II National Semifinals.
The NCAA announced the pairing for the Final Four Saturday, Dec. 1, following a dominant Bulldog 37-14 victory over Ouachita Baptist University. Ferris will head to Mankato, Minnesota to take on the Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks.
Minnesota State-Mankato will host the semifinal matchup as they received the No. 2 seed compared to the Bulldogs’ No. 3 seed. The NCAA re-seeded the four remaining teams after Saturday’s National Quarterfinal action.
The 13-0 Mavericks had a bit of a different quarterfinal matchup than the Bulldogs, as they had to overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to punch their ticket to the next round.
Ferris and Minnesota State-Mankato feature similar numbers in the stat box; the Bulldogs have averaged 496.9 yards of total offense this year while the Mavericks are averaging 460.4 yards.
On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Georgia) will take on the No. 4 seed Notre Dame College of Ohio (South Euclid, Ohio). Valdosta State enters as the clear favorite and has National Championship experience, as the team took home the hardware in 2012.
Both Notre Dame College (Ohio) and Valdosta State feature 2018 Harlon Hill Trophy finalists in Notre Dame College (Ohio) freshman running back Jaleel McLaughlin and Valdosta State sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells.
Ferris will head to Minnesota to take on the Mavericks 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, inside Blakeslee Stadium. This will be the first time the Bulldogs play in a climate similar to their own.
Read about the Bulldogs’ victory over Ouachita Baptist University here.