The No. 2 ranked Ferris State football team (13-1) take on the No. 1 ranked Valdosta State Blazers (13-0) in the Division II national championship this Saturday, Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas as they look to claim their third national title in the last four seasons.
The Bulldogs and the Blazers have faced off in the national championship twice before, once in 2018 and then in 2021. The all-time series is tied 1-1. Valdosta State took care of the first meeting 49-47 but Ferris got its revenge in 2021 with a blowout 58-17 victory.
Even though this is the two teams’ third time meeting since 2018, Valdosta State is not the same team as they were in those championship runs. This will be the third different Blazer head coach that Bulldog head coach Tony Annese has faced in the championship.
Annese knows Valdosta State will be a tough opponent no matter what front office personnel they take on.
“Their defense is very unique,” Annese said. “They play three down linemen and the rest of the eight guys can run amuck.”
Both squads pride themselves on the defensive side of the ball, as neither of them allows over 260 yards per game and both hold their opponents to under 15 points per game
After a week zero loss to Pittsburg State, Ferris was able to rattle off thirteen straight wins in hopes of securing their third national championship under Annese.
Annese was happy with how his team bounced back after the loss on the road during the opening week.
“I give credit to my staff and players for enduring the long season, I think we are in week 20 now,” Annese said. “It’s hard to sustain a high-level performance that long so I am really proud of our guys for that.”
Both teams enter the game with electrifying offenses. The Bulldogs have the third-ranked total offense in all of DII, averaging 493 yards per game. The Blazers hold the No. 10 ranked offense with 459.2 yards per game.
Both Ferris and Valdosta State have their signal callers named as one of the eight Harlon Hill award finalists, which is awarded to the best player in DII.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has put together an elite campaign for the Bulldogs, throwing for 2772 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 941 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground.
Valdosta State’s Sammy Edwards is their nominee, as the senior quarterback has 3101 yards through the air and 30 touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver James Gilbert has faith in the Bulldogs’ experience heading into the championship.
“We know what it takes,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been here before and we know that we have to play a near-perfect game to beat a team like them but if we come out and play with our best we can get the win on Saturday.”
The Bulldogs will look to get back on top after not being able to complete the three-peat last season. The national championship game will be played at 2 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN 2.