The Ferris State football team sets a program scoring record dominantly, scoring 84 points against American International College.
Fresh off of a bye week, the No. 6 ranked Bulldogs (3-1 overall) traveled to Springfield, Mass. on Saturday, Sept. 28 where they defeated the American International College Yellow Jackets (1-3) with a score of 84-7.
The Ferris offense again came out hot, scoring 35 points in the first quarter. This is already the second time the Bulldogs have scored 35 in a quarter this season.
Head coach Tony Annese was very pleased with how his team came out to start the game.
“Going on the road, you are always nervous about the start,” Annese said. “We had a fast start, made a lot of plays and that was obviously a complete victory.”
Ferris defeated the Yellow Jackets by a score of 56-0 last season.
Junior running back James Coby led Ferris in rushing with 12 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Emari O’Brien led the Bulldogs in receiving with 2 catches, 93 yards and a touchdown.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 58% of his passes (14-24) for 166 yards and two touchdowns, he added 25 yards and an additional score on the ground.
The Ferris offense put up a season-high 744 yards. Ten different Bulldogs crossed the goal line for Ferris.
With so many weapons at hand for Ferris, it is not hard to see why the team has had so much early success on offense. So far this season the Bulldogs have averaged 524.8 yards per game on the offensive side of the ball which is fourth best in all of DII.
The Ferris defense allowed just 110 yards against the Yellow Jackets. This level of play has been consistent with the Bulldogs all year. Ferris holds the number five scoring defense in the nation, allowing just eight points per game, they also hold the number three total defense in the country, holding their opponents to a measly 175 yards per game.
Junior linebacker SefaSaipaia believes the team holding themselves to a high standard has fueled their overpowering defensive campaign.
“We can face whatever team we want, it doesn’t matter to us,” Saipaia said. “The real goal is the goose egg, we have been getting as close as we can, and I think that standard we set for ourselves is what guides us.”
The Bulldogs dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, running for 486 yards and holding The Yellow Jackets to -18 rushing yards.
Junior defensive lineman Tim Allen felt great about the defensive effort after the win.
“We try to play the best we can be,” Allen said. “No matter who it is next to you, you can trust them on this team, we knew how we were going to come out in this game and dominate.”
This week, The Bulldogs will host GLIAC newcomer, Roosevelt (0-3) in their conference opener on Saturday, Oct 5 at 2 p.m.