Oct. 26, 2024

Ferris State football team beats top-ranked GVSU 34-7 to reclaim Anchor-Bone Trophy

The Ferris State University football team beat rival and nationally top-ranked Grand Valley State University 34-7 in the Anchor-Bone Classic on Saturday before a sellout crowd at Lubbers Stadium.

Ferris State scored twice in the final three minutes of the opening half to take a 13-0 lead at the break and then scored twice in the third period to garner the win. The Bulldogs tallied 363 yards of total offense in the triumph and the defense limited the Lakers to only 229 yards.

Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss engineered the Bulldog attack with 122 rushing yards on 22 carries and completed 11-of-19 throws for 114 yards. He also scored three touchdowns as the third-ranked Bulldogs improved to 7-1 overall and reclaimed the Anchor-Bone Trophy.

"This was a great team win," Ferris State head coach Tony Annese said. "I thought all sides of the ball contributed. You can go to the defense. We had a few interceptions, a fumble recovery. You can go to the offense and basically churning the clock and running the ball effectively against a good defense, a run-stopping team.

"Then with special teams, Grand Valley scores its only touchdown and then Taarik (Brett) takes it back almost to the house," he added. "(Jeremiah) Housey blocks a punt. We had huge plays. It's as good a team win as I can remember in a long time."

Ferris State struck first as the Bulldog offense drove 77 yards in nine plays on its opening possession to grab an early 3-0 lead on Mitch Middleton's 28-yard field goal.

The score stood until the final three minutes of the first half when the Bulldogs closed an 11-play, 42-yard drive with another Middleton field goal from 45 yards away, giving Ferris State a 6-0 lead.

The margin grew with 48 seconds to go in the opening half as the Bulldogs moved 68 yards in seven plays following a GVSU turnover and found the endzone for the first time on Chambliss' 31-yard run up the middle.

In the third quarter, the Lakers cut the Bulldog lead down to 13-7 on the first possession as Cody Tierney raced down the sideline on a 45-yard scoring run less than three minutes into the frame.

However, the Bulldogs used a huge return on the ensuing kickoff from slot receiver Brett to answer the Lakers' score. His return gave Ferris State a short field and the Bulldogs capitalized with a short three-play, 24-yard drive that culminated in Chambliss' 13-yard touchdown run. That made it a 20-7 game with 10:33 to go in the period.

Later, the Bulldogs came up with a blocked punt from receiver Jeremiah Housey and Chambliss finished off a five-play, 30-yard drive with a one-yard scoring carry to push the margin to 27-7 late in the third quarter.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs finished off the scoring with a 14-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Tailback Zak Ahern reached the end zone on a three-yard carry to account for the final margin.

"This is amazing and I'm so proud of our team," Chambliss said. "I am so proud of how hard our guys played today. I am so glad we got the win today. I'm so impressed with our offensive line. They've worked their tails off … best offensive line in the nation."

The Bulldogs finished with 249 yards rushing on 44 attempts and went four-of-four in the redzone. Ferris State was also six-of-14 on third down.

The defense limited the GVSU rushing attack to 155 yards on 34 tries and the Lakers finished six-of-19 passing overall for 74 yards in the game. The Bulldog defense also came up with two interceptions, forced a fumble and garnered a sack.

"We've just been preaching all week that we have to get back to playing Ferris State football," defensive back Justin Payoute said. "We've been playing good defense all year and we just wanted to come out and display everything today that we have been showing all season."

Along with Chambliss, tailback Kannon Katzer ran for 71 yards on nine carries for Ferris State. Senior Emari O'Brien caught three passes for 42 yards and Katzer had two grabs for 24 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Konnor Near paced FSU with a game-high 10 tackles in the victory. Jalen Jones added six tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception.

Ferris State will head to Marquette to face Northern Michigan University on Saturday, Nov. 2, for a 1 p.m. league kickoff inside the Superior Dome.