The Ferris State football team played its annual spring game on Friday, April 24, between the crimson and gold teams, with the crimson team winning 55-54.
The Bulldogs split the roster in half and played against each other in a scrimmage for the fans.
Head coach Tony Annese gave his overall thoughts on how the game went.
“I was really happy with a lot of young guys playing,” Annese said. “Truthfully, a lot of them didn’t have a ton of reps in the spring, and so the ball wasn’t on the ground as much as I was nervous about, and the quarterbacks did a pretty good job. They were all true freshmen, and so all did well. I think everyone got it out of there clean, and it came down to the wire again.”
With it not being a real game, the format was different, as there were four 12-minute quarters with a running clock, no stopping, no matter what. The scoring was slightly different as well, with field goals being worth three points. What’s added was a first-down for the offense was one point, and a 10-yard play was also one point.
On defense, a touchdown was worth 10 points, a takeaway was six, a three-and-out was worth five and forcing a punt was three points. Another key component was that no starter played in the game, so this was a chance for the coaches to look at potential players who could get more playing time next season.
The crimson team started with the ball and got a pair of first downs before they eventually had to punt to the gold team, who went three and out to give the crimson team an 11-3 lead. Gold was able to tie it up with 11 points at the end of the first quarter.
Gold got a first down to start the second quarter before punting it back to crimson, where quarterback Jordan Simes ran for a touchdown to bring the lead to 24-12. They added to the lead when defensive back Tyler Greene intercepted a pass.
Greene talked about the vibe of the game from both players and the fans’ perspective of who was in attendance.
“I liked the energy a lot,” Greene said. “You know, everyone’s screaming, trying to rally and trying to get the best of all of us. The energy here is always amazing. I always love it.”
Gold defensive back Tez Joseph then intercepted the ball to make the score 32-18, and a pair of deep passes brought the score to 32-24, and a field goal before halftime made it 32-27.
Wide receiver Jamison Williams loved being back on the field.
“It was great,” Williams said. “You know, it feels great having a good time off in winter. We prepared well and got ready for the spring game. It’s just as great to be out here.”
During halftime, the 2026 recruits were introduced, followed by the Ferris State volleyball and soccer teams playing against each other, with volleyball running routes and catching passes, and soccer doing a penalty-shot challenge against the football team.
Gold started with the ball after the half and got a pair of first downs before crimson forced them to punt, which made it 35-29. Crimson got the ball but was forced into a three-and-out for gold to take a 37-35 lead. At the end of the third quarter, gold got the ball but was forced into a three-and-out by crimson to make it 43-37.
After the break, crimson got a first down before they had to punt to make the score 45-40, but then forced a gold three-and-out. Quarterback Kyle Cottee threw a deep pass and then ran in for the touchdown to make the score 54-53, but a crimson first down as time expired ended the game at 55-54.
The Ferris State football team will start the 2026 season at Pittsburg State on August 27, with the home opener coming against Bentley on September 4, at 6 p.m.