#2 GLIAC NORTH
FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS
(8-3 overall, 8-2 GLIAC)
2014 Ferris State Preview (by Tony Nicolette, GLIAC contributor)
Year two of the Tony Annese era provided yet another step forward for the Ferris State football program. Seven wins in year one, and eight more in year two have expectations soaring in Big Rapids as 2014 arrives. With a lot of key pieces from well-ranked offensive (tops in scoring and rushing in the GLIAC) and defensive (tops in rushing and total defense in the GLIAC) units returning, those expectations are certainly warranted.
On offense, the Bulldogs are centered around QB Jason Vander Laan. The junior signal caller enters his third year as the starter, and is coming off a campaign that saw him set the Division II single-season record for rushing yards by a QB with 1,607. He found the end zone 21 times on the ground, and 15 more times through the air and returns as the arguably the most potent offensive threat in the GLIAC. At his disposal are the two rushers immediately behind him statistically from last year (Jamaal Jackson and Kitwana Clark), as well as his top two receivers in Jake Lampman and Antonio Agurs. Toss in a great deal of returning stability on the offensive line and the Ferris offense should once again be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Defensively, the top end of the tackles list has seen some departures. However, the Bulldogs should be very good up front as a pair of All-GLIAC defensive linemen return in Corey Stone, and the team’s sack leader Justin Zimmer. Strong play in the secondary is also expected from returning starters A.J. McEwen and A.J. Sowards. McEwen was one of the league’s best ball hawks in 2013 snaring five INT’s, breaking up 12 passes, and recovering a fumble.
Ferris will be a bit road-weary come October, as three of their September tilts will find them away from Big Rapids. Their lone home stand in the opening month is against arch-rival Grand Valley in week three, and they follow that up with a trip to Saginaw Valley the following Saturday. They open October with a homecoming visit from Findlay, which may prove particularly intriguing if their run defense is as good as last year and Findlay’s Daiquone Ford is as prolific as he was in 2013. October concludes with two tough trips at Ohio Dominican and at Michigan Tech.
