Ferris State reclaims the 22nd annual Anchor-Bone classic trophy in a 34-7 upset win.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, the No. 3 nationally ranked Ferris State Bulldogs (7-1, 4-0 in the GLIAC) took down the No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (7-1, 3-1 in the GLIAC) on the road in front of a sellout crowd in the 22nd annual Anchor-Bone classic game.
The 27-point margin of victory for the Bulldogs is the third largest since the creation of the Anchor-Bone rivalry.
Ferris gets back in the win column versus Grand Valley State after losing both matches against the Lakers last season.
Senior defensive back Justin Payoute acknowledges how it felt to get the win after the two-game skid versus the Lakers.
“We just knew that we needed to get our get back,” Payoute said. “We came out here and showed that they can’t really mess with us.”
Ferris totaled 363 yards of offense and allowed 229 against the Laker front. The attack for the Bulldogs was more focused on rushing the ball than weeks prior. Ferris ran the ball 44 times for 249 yards and all four of their touchdowns came on the ground. Going into the game, Grand Valley was allowing just 100.9 yards per game on the ground.
It was a low-scoring first half for both teams, Ferris was able to strike first with an opening drive field goal but would not score again until the second quarter.
The Bulldogs went almost the entirety of the second quarter scoreless before they connected on another field goal. A Laker interception on the first play of the next drive set Ferris up in a position to make it a two-score game going into halftime.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss extended the Bulldog lead 13-0 going into halftime after a 31-yard designed quarterback run.
Chambliss led the Bulldogs in rushing with 122 yards on 22 attempts and three touchdowns, all of which are season highs for the four-time GLIAC offensive player of the week.
It wasn’t just the legs of Chambliss that Ferris utilized. He was also efficient through the air, making key throws and completing 57.8% of his passes (11-19) for 122 yards.
Chambliss credits the game plan and execution to his play on Saturday.
“[Tony] Annese and Steve [Annese] had a great gameplan going into the game, we watched a ton of film and we knew what to expect,” Chambliss said. “They blitz a lot and run a lot of cover one and cover zero so we knew could attack that.”
The second half was similar to the first in terms of domination. After a Laker touchdown on the opening drive of the half, the Bulldogs put their foot on the gas and never looked back. Chambliss added two touchdowns to his total in the third quarter and junior running back Zak Ahern finished the game with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Ferris played a complete game on all sides of the ball including special teams. After the Laker touchdown early in the third quarter, sophomore slot receiver Taarik Brett would take the ensuing kickoff 71 yards down to the Grand Valley State 24-yard line which set up a Chambliss touchdown.
The Bulldogs used another short field to their advantage late in the third quarter after junior receiver Jeremiah Housey blocked a punt that set up Ferris deep in Laker territory.
The Bulldogs were on top of their defense, only allowing 74 passing yards and picking off two Grand Valley State quarterbacks.
The all-around performance stuck out to head coach Tony Annese.
“All sides of the ball were great, the defense had a couple interceptions and a fumble recovery,” Annese said. “The offense churned out the clock and ran the ball effectively on a great run stopping team. Special teams were also great, Taariks almost touchdown and Housey blocking a punt. That was as good of a team win as I can remember in a very long time.”
Ferris and Grand Valley have the possibility of meeting each other again in the playoffs as that has happened each of the last three years. As it stands right now if they were to meet again, the Bulldogs would have home field advantage in said matchup.
Ferris will hit the road once again this week and travel to Marquette, MI to face the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats 78-3 in their 2023 matchup.