FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will begin a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) homestand starting this Saturday (Oct. 7) afternoon against the Michigan Tech University Huskies at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. The contest will kickoff at 2 p.m. (EDT).

The Records: Ferris State improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC with a 42-24 conference decision over Northern Michigan last Saturday (Sept. 30) evening at NMU's Superior Dome in Marquette, 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.

Michigan Tech won its first game of the 2006 season by posting a 14-12 conference triumph versus Hillsdale last Saturday (Sept. 30) at MTU's Sherman Field in Houghton, Mich. The Huskies are presently 1-4 both overall and in the GLIAC this season. MTU compiled a 6-3-0 mark both overall and in the conference a season ago, which consisted of a 2-3 road ledger and a 4-0 home record.

The Series: Michigan Tech has a 28-24-4 lead in the all-time series which started in 1947. Ferris State is 11-12-3 at home, 10-16-1 on the road, and 2-0-0 at neutral sites versus the Huskies.

* Michigan Tech posted a 35-19 home victory in last season's (10/22) meeting at Houghton, Mich. MTU halfback Lee Marana scored four rushing TD's in the contest and also set two Huskies' single-game records for yards rushing (333) and rush attempts (51). MTU racked up 482 yards in total offense, including 384 yards on the ground. Ferris State recorded a 278 offensive yard total as quarterback Ryan Kaul passed for 177 yards and two TD's while FSU outside linebacker Jeff Hollandsworth's 10 tackles marked a game high.

* Ferris State has won 15 of the last 20 meetings to date although Michigan Tech has won the last three encounters to date.

* Thirty-one of the 55 meetings have been decided by 15 points or more and Ferris is 13-18-0 (.419) in those games – (7-7-0 at home and 6-11-0 away).

* In the last six encounters, Ferris State is averaging 23.0 points per game (138 pts.) and Michigan Tech 26.7 points a contest (160 pts.) for a 3.7 points differential.

* Ferris State is 6-5-4 in contests decided by 10 points or less (4-3-3 home, 1-2-1 away, 1-0-0 neutral) and 17-23-0 in games decided between 11 or more points (7-9-0 home, 9-14-0 away, 1-0-0 neutral).

* The Bulldogs are averaging 30.4 points a game (152 pts.) in its last five home appearances while the Huskies are scoring at an average of 16.6 points (83 pts.) an outing during that span.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 73-53-0 (.579) – (6-5-0 vs. Michigan Tech). Pierce is 37-22-0 (.627) at home, 27-19-0 (.587) in October, and 68-45-0 (.602) in GLIAC contests. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Michigan Tech – Tom Kearly (Winona State, 1980), 1st season, 1-4-0 (.200) – (0-0-0 vs. Ferris State). Kearly spent the last six seasons at MTU as associate head coach and offensive coordinator. He spent 19 years at Central Michigan, including the last six as associate head coach and last nine as offensive coordinator. Kearly is the son of former MTU football coach and athletics director Ted Kearly (1969-72).

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.

Grigg Named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week: Senior tailback Shawn Grigg (Allegan) was named this week’s Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 2) following his career-high 201 rushing yards and four TD’s on 27 carries (7.4 avg.) in Ferris’ 42-24 win at Northern Michigan Saturday (9/30). He scored on runs of 16 and nine yards in the first half and then tallied two second-half TD’s with rushing scores of four and 10 yards. Grigg also had two pass receptions for 22 yards.

Ground Assault: Ferris’ 321 yards rushing on 46 carries at Northern Michigan were the most since 2004 when the Bulldogs rolled up 472 yards on the ground in 59 rush attempts in a 35-7 triumph over Findlay (10/2/04). FSU has eclipsed the 200-yard single-game rushing mark in its last four outings to date and is averaging 251.8 yards per game (1,007 yds.) during that period.

Nationally Ranked: Ferris State is listed 25th this week (10/2) in Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette after being ranked 23rd in last week’s poll. The Bulldogs are among other teams receiving votes with seven in this week’s (Oct. 3) American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Poll. Grand Valley State maintains its top ranking in both national polls.

A Cats’ Nemisis: Senior quarterack Ryan Kaul (Clarkston), who passed for 141 yards at Northern Michigan Saturday (9/30), has presently thrown for 630 career yards in his three career appearances versus the Wildcats. Kaul has completed 58.4% (45-77) of his pass attempts with six TD’s and averaged 210.0 yards per game in the series.

Shutout In The First: Ferris State still hasn’t allowed a first-quarter point in its five games this season and has outscored the opposition 37-0 in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs have tallied 58 more points (154-96) than the opposition this campaign.

Don’t Run: Ferris State’s rush defense has held its opponents to a conference-leading 77.2 yards per game (386 yds.) this season. The Bulldogs, who rank 18th nationally in that statistical category this week, limited Northern Michigan to 49 rushing yards last Saturday (9/30). FSU stopped Mercyhurst (9/9) for a season-best -33 yards on the ground.

Better Than Last: Ferris’ 4-1-0 overall record to date this campaign already surpasses last season’s win total (3-8-0 overall; 3-7-0 GLIAC).

Career Best: Junior tailback Kirk Covey’s (Cedar Springs) 42 rushing yards on four carries at NMU was a career high, bettering his 10 yards on two attempts at Indianapolis (9/18/04).

Schu-Stopper: Junior defensive end Erik Schumacher (Lake Isabella/Beal City) has notched a career single-season best 8.5 tackles for a loss of 47 yards in five games this fall. Schumacher, who posted 3.0 tackles for minus 14 yards at Northern Michigan, has produced 13.5 career tackles for minus 5 8 yards in 27 contests. His previous season high was 5.0 stops for negative 11 yards in 11 2005 outings.

Strong In The Trenches: The Bulldogs’ starting offensive line, which features four seniors and a junior, has helped the team average 216.4 rushing yards per game (1,082 yds.) this season. Left tackle Kevin Teeple (Bancroft/Durand), left guard Allen Feigel (Livonia/Stevenson), center Tim Pickens (Sterling Heights/Henry Ford II), and right tackle Chris Putra (Jackson/Lumen Christi) are all seniors while junior right guard Bill Bourdlais (Newberry) is the lone non-senior and a former defensive tackle. Ferris recorded an average of 137.4 rushing yards per contest (687 yds.) last fall in the season’s first five games. The group has also allowed only seven sacks for -44 yards this campaign compared to 14.0 sacks for a negative 77 yards in FSU’s initial five games last season.