After inclement weather forced the Bulldogs to postpone their game, they returned to the field the following day to take down the Wayne State Warriors.
The No. 4 nationally ranked Ferris State Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0 in the GLIAC) beat the Warriors (0-6, 0-2 in the GLIAC) by a score of 27-14 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 12 in a game that took two days to complete due to storms.
The game came to a stop midway through the second quarter due to lightning in the area. At the time of the stoppage, Ferris held a 10-0 lead.
Play resumed at 11 a.m. the following morning and the Bulldogs went on to hold the lead and come out victorious.
The weather delay certainly affected both teams but junior wideout Brady Rose doesn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“The weather changed our plans,” Rose said. “It was tough to go back to the hotel yesterday, and then come back to play today. We did a really good job of adjusting to what happened. We came out ready to go today. I don’t think anyone blinked about what our job was and what we needed to do to get a win.”
Going into the game, Wayne State had not defeated Ferris since 2009.
The Bulldogs got off to an atypical start, only scoring three points in the first quarter, their lowest first-quarter total since week one.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss broke the touchdown drought for Ferris after a one-yard touchdown run just before the game was postponed.
Chambliss completed 57.9% of his passes (22-38) which was good for 235 yards and one touchdown. Chambliss was also the leading rusher for the Bulldogs as he went for 157 yards on 16 carries and a score.
Ferris wasted no time once play resumed on Sunday, scoring on their first drive after the delay to extend their lead to 17-0 at the half.
However, the Warriors did not make it easy on the Bulldogs in the second half, cutting the Ferris lead to three late in the third quarter.
Self-inflicted wounds allowed Wayne State to get back in the game. The Bulldogs accounted for a jaw dropping 16 penalties resulting in 139 yards given up.
Head coach Tony Annese was not happy with how his team handled themselves with the self-inflicted setbacks.
“It’s the worst thing you can ever do to yourself, you have 100% control over how you react,” Annese said. “You can’t make that many mental mistakes and be a great team, maybe we are okay with being mediocre.”
The Bulldogs pulled away after the late scare from Wayne State, scoring ten unanswered to hang on for a 27-14 win.
Ferris head coach Tony Annese had nothing but positive words for the Warriors post-game.
“The Warriors were the Warriors; you have to give them credit,” Annese said. “They played really hard. It’s not easy being where they are. They are trying to build a program. Mad respect for how they performed against us.”
The Bulldogs finished with 510 total yards of offense with their usual balanced approach, 275 yards rushing, and 235 yards passing.
Junior wide receiver Cam Underwood led Ferris in receiving, catching two balls for fifty-eight yards.
The Bulldog defense was dominant per usual, allowing just 234 yards of offense and intercepting the Warriors on three different occasions.
Sophomore defensive back Mike Edwards led the team in tackles with nine.
Senior defensive lineman Victor Nelson was candid about how the delay affected the defense.
“Playing a game over two days was different for sure,” Nelson said. “The majority of us have never had to do something like that. We didn’t get much sleep, but we adjusted well and stayed focused to win the game.”
This Saturday, Oct. 19 the Bulldogs are back at home with a game against the Michigan Tech Huskies (4-2, 1-1 in the GLIAC). Last season, Ferris defeated Michigan Tech 35-21. Gametime is set for 1 p.m.