Ferris State football takes its first loss of the season after traveling to Missoula, Mont. to take on the Division I FCS Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky conference on Saturday, Sept. 16.
The Division II number one ranked Ferris State Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0 in conference play) exploded on the scene in Missoula, taking a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs hoped to complete an enormous upset and knock off the FCS #13 ranked Grizzlies (3-0) who ultimately fought back and scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to avoid the Bulldog upset and remain undefeated.
The match-up opened with the Grizzlies knocking through a field goal for the only points in the first quarter. However, it was the Bulldog defense that would dominate in the first half, forcing the Grizzlies to punt twice and miss a field goal attempt. Senior defensive back Shon Stephens then came up with an interception.
Following the interception by Stephens, the trailing Bulldogs took control and went down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game. Sophomore quarterback Carson Gulker and senior wide-receiver Xavier Wade connected for an 11-yard touchdown pass, which is the second straight game that the duo combined for a touchdown. With time expiring, sophomore kicker Eddie Jewett knocked a field goal through for a 10-3 lead at half.
With the strong first half behind them, the Bulldogs could not keep the tempo up. The rough second half saw the Bulldog offense stall out and fail to add to their lead. For the opposing Grizzlies, they reached the end zone twice in the third quarter to put them back on top, 17-10. The third quarter offense from the FCS power allowed for them to hang on for a win, leaving the Bulldogs with their first loss since Oct 15. 2022.
With a Washington-Grizzly stadium packed with near 27,000 people, head coach Tony Annese felt as if he did not prepare his team for the atmosphere.
“No excuses, but the crowd noise was so extraordinarily wild tonight,” Annese said. “We just struggled with it. That’s my fault. I told [the team] I failed them. To be prepared for the crowd noise, I don’t know what the answer is.”
Annese followed up by saying that the only answer the team really has for the issue is to get Top Taggart “so loud that no one can even really hear.” Recreating such a level of crowd noise may pose an issue for the Bulldogs. In their only home game this year, they only drew an approximate crowd of 5,114. That number is approximately only 18% of what the Bulldogs faced against the Grizzlies.
Leading the Bulldogs in receiving against Montana was senior wide-receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson. The Cassopolis, Mich. native had five receptions for 53 yards. Alongside his receiving, he was also utilized as a runner carrying the ball three times for 10 yards. Hunt-Thompson believes this game has helped the team even though it came in a loss.
“We learned who we are,” Hunt-Thompson said. “As a team, we are not pushovers, we are not going to be easy to beat and we will stand on business.”
Joining Hunt-Thompson in having a solid performance was Gulker. The quarterback went 5-8 through the air for 53 yards and one touchdown. Outside his limited passing role, Gulker picked up 41 yards on 14 rushing attempts.
The defense held the Grizzlies in check and kept this game close for the entirety of the match-up. The Grizzlies were held to 189 yards of total offense, was sacked twice on the day once by senior defensive end Ian Hall and the other came from junior defensive end Sheldon Cage. The Bulldogs also forced the Grizzlies to punt five times.
In what seemed to be a David vs. Goliath matchup, the Bulldogs put up a fight and took the Grizzlies to the brink. Junior slot receiver Emari O’Brien believed the game, despite the loss, to be a great experience.
“It was a great experience for the team,” O’Brien said. “Playing in front of 26,000 people was a great opportunity to showcase Division II football. It showed why we were the number one team in Division II and coming that close could also scare the Division II as a whole.”
For now, the Bulldogs will shift their focus to the bye week. Resting up and getting healthy will be a priority as their first match-up in conference play this year awaits as they take on Northern Michigan for the homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m.