The No. 1-ranked Ferris State football team took down the Tiffin Dragons by a score of 41-34 at Top Taggart Field Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (3-0, 0-0 in GLIAC) started off slow against the Dragons (1-1, 0-0 in G-MAC). Tiffin started with the ball and marched down the field on a 6-play, 75-yard drive that ended on a two-yard touchdown pass.
Ferris responded with a touchdown drive of their own, capped off with a 3-yard rush from redshirt freshman quarterback Wyatt Bower, who scored two passing and two rushing touchdowns in the first half.
Bower feels like he’s gotten acclimated well to the challenges of college football.
“I feel like I’ve gotten acclimated really well,” Bower said. “Obviously, it’s different from high school, lots of changes, a lot of learning. I went to Corunna High School, which is a small town with a small football team. So, I’m learning a lot every week and throughout the summer and fall.
The first half ended with the Bulldogs up 35-14 after Bowers scored on a 75-yard touchdown run for Ferris. The Bulldogs ended the first half with 398 total yards of offense compared to 192 yards for the Dragons.
Tiffin scored on a rushing touchdown for the first points in the second half to bring the score to 35-20. Tiffin added to their score on a blocked field goal, which was returned for a touchdown to make the score 35-27.
The Bulldogs scored in the final two minutes of the game with a one yard rushing touchdown by Bower before the Dragons answered back to make it 41-34, which would be the last score of the game.
Bowers ended the game passing 15-for-23 for 232 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 22 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Wide Receiver Brady Rose also threw a touchdown pass, connecting on one of two passes. Ferris State ended the game with 534 total yards of offense, while Tiffin had 405 total yards.
Head coach Tony Annese gave all credit to Tiffin in the tough win.
“First off, give Tiffin a lot of credit. I could’ve told you, which I did on Wednesday, that this was going to be a dogfight. Coach [Ekkens] has just done an unbelievable job there at Tiffin. He’s a really good coach, and he’s done a super job at Tiffin. I was watching their game from last week and I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, this teams, like, legit good’. They’re very well coached, very well disciplined.”
The Bulldogs will face Rio Grande for Ferris State’s Homecoming on Saturday, September 20, at 3 pm at Top Taggart Field.