Following a first-round playoff bye, the Ferris State Bulldogs dropped 78 points to advance in the postseason.
The No. 1 seeded Bulldogs (11-1, 7-0 in GLIAC) defeated the No. 4 seeded Central Oklahoma Bronchos (11-2, 8-1 in MIAA) by a score of 78-17 in the second round of super region three in the DII national playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 30.
In the snowy conditions, Ferris outgained Central Oklahoma 688 yards to 422 including a staggering 485 yards on the ground.
Head coach Tony Annese was proud of how his team was able to control the game in the trenches on the ground.
“Coming in we knew establishing the run would be key and we thought that we could do that well,” Annese said. “When we have been good on offense it has been because the offensive line has dominated, and they dominated today.”
Junior running back Kannon Katzer led the Bulldogs in rushing, he totaled 200 yards and three touchdowns, including a 176-yard quarter coming in the second quarter of the game.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was second on the team in rushing with 18 carries for 116 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
The game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter and the Bronchos took the lead on a short field goal following a Ferris punt to make it 10-7 early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs took back the lead on a 38-yard touchdown run for Katzer and never looked back.
Ferris forced Central Oklahoma turnovers on three straight possessions and capitalized on those miscues by scoring a touchdown off of each Broncho giveaway.
Junior linebacker Sefa Saipaia, who had an interception in the game, was happy with how his defensive group was able to force turnovers against the nation’s top offense in Central Oklahoma.
“We are just one as a unit, we can’t win by ourselves,” Saipaia said. “We have such a great mentality and we all just know the job that we have to do.”
In addition to the four turnovers forced, Ferris also held Central Oklahoma to just 33% (5-15) on third-down conversions.
Even though the Ferris offense struggled early with a turnover and missed plays, Chambliss knew the “best defense in the nation” had their back.
“It’s the best defense in the nation,” Chambliss said. “I know that they have our back just as much as we have their back, there are always gonna be mistakes in football but we just have to keep pushing.”
The score quickly multiplied as the Bulldogs held a 41-17 lead at halftime due to the 34 points scored in 7:46 to close out the second.
Chambliss loved his team’s big play ability as they scored six touchdowns from 20 yards out or further.
“Coming into the game we had to set the tone early, we knew they had a lot of playmakers,” Chambliss said. “We had to make a lot of plays today and our playmakers showed up on the field.”
Through the air, Chambliss completed 50% of his passes (9-18) for 206 yards and one touchdown.
The Bulldogs scored 37 points in the second half with no answer from the Bronchos and cruised to their first playoff victory since 2022.
Ferris will move on to play the defending national champions, the Harding Bisons, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at home.
With only eight teams left standing the Bulldogs will need to win two more games before they can complete the journey to Texas in search of their third national championship in the last four years.