BLOG 56: Pierce: Parrish had an ‘impressive’ performance

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State receiver Cole Meredith goes up for a pass in Indianapolis as the Bulldogs took on the University of Indianapolis in Key Stadium (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

INDIANAPOLIS – No one ever wants to see an injury – particularly to a starting quarterback. But, when the unfortunate does occur, coaches love to see backups enter the game with confidence and get the job done.

When Ferris head coach Jeff Pierce recruited Kyle Parrish, a junior-college transfer, he knew he was bringing in a guy with starter ability. Even as redshirt freshman Tom Schneider emerged from a tightly-contested battle for the starting quarterback position as the winner, Pierce and the staff maintained confidence in Parrish’s ability. Saturday, in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Pierce was ecstatic to see Parrish deliver the goods as he led Ferris to a 31-24 road win over Indianapolis.

“He came in and stepped in and really sparked our football team to a victory,” said Pierce as his team improves to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC. “I was really impressed with the way he came out and performed in this game. He showed a lot of poise in the pocket and even when there was pressure he kept his eyes down the field and delivered the football to receivers.”

Parrish, who made a strong case for GLIAC and national Division II player of the week honors, completed 26-of-41 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns as receiver Seth Hubbard had two TD grabs while seniors Rahseem Jones-Salaam and Cole Meredith each had one. Parrish also rushed the football nine times for 73 yards.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com