FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team continues Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this Saturday (Oct. 21) afternoon as the Bulldogs face the Ashland University Eagles. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (EDT) at Community Stadium in Ashland, Ohio.

The Records: Ferris State improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC after registering a 35-14 conference victory over Gannon in last Saturday's (Oct. 14) Homecoming contest at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris registered a 3-8-0 overall record in 2005, which included an eighth-place tying 3-7-0 GLIAC mark. The Bulldogs were 2-3 at home and 1-5 on the road a season ago.

Ashland won its second straight game with a 24-17 league win against Northern Michigan last Saturday (Oct. 14) at NMU's Superior Dome in Marquette, Mich. The Eagles, who are presently 3-3 both overall and in the GLIAC, have won three of their last four outings to date. AU is 2-1 at home and 1-2 on the road this campaign. Ashland posted a 9-2-0 overall record in 2005, which included an 8-2-0 conference mark to tie for third place in the GLIAC.

The Series: Ashland has an 11-7-0 all-time series advantage over Ferris State which originated in 1967. The Bulldogs are 4-5-0 in contests played at Ashland and are 3-6-0 in outings held at Big Rapids.

* Ashland has a 11-7-0 lead over Ferris State in a series dating back to 1967 in which the Eagles won the first seven meetings.

* The Bulldogs have won seven of the last 11 outings, including three of last four contests to date.

* Eight of the 18 meetings have been determined by eight points or less and the Bulldogs sport a 4-4-0 mark in those encounters.

* The Bulldogs are averaging 22.8 points (91 total) to Ashland’s 14.8 (59 total) for an +8.0 points differential in the last four games.

* Ferris State is 4-4-0 in contests decided by 10 points or less and 3-7-0 in games decided between 11 and 30 points.

* In the last three meetings at Ashland, Ferris is averaging 25.7 points per game (77 total) while Ashland has averaged 28.7 points (86 total) an outing?during that period.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 74-54-0 (.578) – (5-4-0 vs. Ashland). Pierce is 36-31-0 (.537) on the road, 28-20-0 (.583) in October, and 69-46-0 (.600) in GLIAC contests. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Ashland – Lee Owens (Bluffton, 1977), 3rd season, 17-11-0 (.607); Career: 11th season, 57-72-0 (.442) – (1-1-0 vs. Ferris State). Owens previously served as head coach at NCAA Division I Akron (Ohio) from 1995-2003 and guided the Zips to a share of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division title in 2000.

On The Radio: All of Ferris State's 2006 football contests can be heard live on WYBR Radio (102.3 FM) with Jason DaDay calling the action.

On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The site features information on all of FSU’s varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics, yearbooks and more. The 2006 Ferris State Football Yearbook can also be accessed at the site.

Live Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2006 Ferris State home contests will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon to access the “Live Stats” feature.

Season Best: Junior split end Mike Guevara (Oakland, Calif.) totaled a season-high five receptions for 118 yards with two TD’s against Gannon last Saturday (10/14). He averaged 23.6 yards per catch while scoring TD’s of seven and 65 yards in the contest. Guevara’s previous high was 116 yards on four grabs versus Saginaw Valley State (9/16).

Aerial Strike: Senior quarterback Ryan Kaul (Clarkston) threw for five TD’s last Saturday (10/14) in the win over Gannon to match a Ferris State single-game record for most passing TD’s. Kaul now shares the school mark with Dave DenBraber (at Northwood, 10/31/87), Doug Arnold (vs. Clarion Pa., 91/6/89), Matt McCarthy (at Grand Valley State, 11/13/99) and Kyle Park (vs. Wayne State, 9/23/00). Kaul’s previous high was four TD’s on 330 yards passing in 2005 versus Northern Michigan (10/17).

Seeing Double: Senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) recorded his 18th career double-digit tackle performance in last Saturday’s (10/14) tilt with Gannon by posting a game-high 11 stops. Earlier this season, Klobucher compiled a season-best 16 tackles versus Michigan Tech (10/7) and had 10 stops against Saginaw Valley State (9/16). The two-time (2004-05) All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection generated five double-digit tackle games last season after garnering eight such performances in 2003. Klobucher, who was the 2005 Ferris State Most Valuable Player, has led the Bulldogs in tackles the last two seasons. The 2006 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette preseason All-American posted a team-best 109 tackles in 10 games a season ago after compiling a squad-high 134 tackles in 2004 which represented the 18th-best output among Ferris’ all-time single-season leaders. An exceptional student-athlete, Klobucher was the 2005 FSU President’s Academic Award winner and a two-time (2003-04) co-honoree for highest team gpa.

I Caught One: Junior quarterback C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) has thrown TD passes before in the collegiate ranks, but never has caught one until last Saturday (10/14) against Gannon. Van Wieren, who also plays on the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball team, hauled in a seven-yard Ryan Kaul pass late in the opening quarter for his first TD reception. He presently leads the 2006 team in scoring with 48 points (eight TD’s).

On A Streak: Ryan Kaul has passed for over 140 yards in his last three outings to date and is averaging 195.3 yards per game (586 yds.) during that span. The 2005 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection has seven TD passes with a 56.5% (39-69) in the three-game period.

Vote For Pierce: Jeff Pierce is currently in third place among Division II coaches for the 2006 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors the college football coach who best exemplifies responsibility and excellence on and off the field. Initial fan voting concludes Nov. 5.

Productive Punting: Sophomore punter Jim Yates (Goshen, Ind.), the 2005 FSU Special Teams Player of the Year, averaged a season-high 46.0 yards per punt with 184 yards on four punts against Gannon last Saturday (10/14). His career single-game best average was 53.7 yards at Michigan Tech last season (10/22) with three punts for 161 yards. He presently ranks 12th on FSU’s all-time punting leaders list with 1,267 yards on 32 attempts for a 39.6 yards per punt average in 18 games.

First Impression: Ferris State has held the opposition to six first-quarter points in its seven contests this fall while scoring 51 points in the opening frame. The Bulldogs have also outscored their foe in the first half by 63 points (120 to 57) this campaign.

October Outings: The Bulldogs have compiled a 47-23-1 (.669) record in October contests since 1990. FSU is 24-14-0 (.632) on the road and 23-9-1 (.712) at home during that span.

First Line of Defense: Four of Ferris’ top 10 tackles leaders this season are defensive linemen in sophomore tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville), junior end Erik Schumacher (Lake Isabella/Beal City), junior tackle Kurt Hout (Arvada, Colo./West) and sophomore end Kyle Walker (Grand Haven). The four have accounted for 25.1% (125-499) of the squad’s total tackles with Visser listed third at 55 stops and Schumacher’s 28 tackles ranking sixth. Hout, a transfer from Northern Colorado, ranks eighth with 24 stops and Walker is 10th as a result of posting 18 tackles. They have combined for 27.5 tackles for a loss of 130 yards this season, which includes 13.0 pass sacks for minus 92 yards.