FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will celebrate its annual Homecoming this Saturday (Oct. 14) afternoon as the Bulldogs go up against the Gannon University Golden Knights in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Opening kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (EDT).

The Records: Ferris State is currently 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the GLIAC after suffering a 41-7 conference home loss to Michigan Tech last Saturday (Oct. 7) 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.

Gannon is 0-6 overall and 0-5 in the GLIAC to date following a 30-3 conference home defeat by Wayne State last Saturday (Oct. 7) at Gannon Field in Erie, Pa. The Golden Knights finished 3-8-0 overall and tied Ferris for eighth place in the final GLIAC standings at 3-7-0. Gannon posted a 0-6 road ledger and was 3-8 at home a season ago.

The Series: First-ever meeting between the two schools.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 73-54-0 (.575) – (0-0-0 vs. Gannon). Pierce is 37-23-0 (.617) at home, 27-20-0 (.574) in October, and 68-46-0 (.596) in GLIAC contests. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Gannon – Bill Elias (Massachusetts, 1977), 8th season, 30-47-0 (.389) – (0-0-0 vs. Ferris State). Elias arrived to Gannon in 1999 from Louisiana State University, where he served as an assistant head coach since 1994. He was named the Independent Football Alliance (IFA) Coach of the Year in 2003.

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.

Homecoming Games: Ferris State is 31-32-2 (.492) in its Homecoming contests dating back to 1931 and has won 12 of its last 16 such encounters. The Bulldogs recorded a 62-42 victory over Northern Michigan in their 2005 Homecoming game (10/15). Ferris had its three-game Homecoming winning streak snapped in 2004 (10/23) with a 28-6 home loss to Michigan Tech. FSU’s longest winning string is at nine (1981-89). Ferris State posted a 19-6 victory over Albion in its initial Homecoming in 1931 (10/17). Hillsdale (2-6-0) represents the Bulldogs’ most common Homecoming opponent while Wayne State (5-1-0) and Michigan Tech (2-4-0) are the second most common foe.

Shutout Streak Ends: Ferris State gave up a first-quarter touchdown at 7:26 in last Saturday’s (Oct. 7) contest against Michigan Tech. Prior to that, the Bulldogs hadn’t allowed a first-quarter point in their five games this season and have currently outscored the opposition 37-6 (+31 pts.) in the opening stanza this fall.

Catching On: Sophomore flanker Cole Meredith (Paris/Big Rapids) caught a career single-game high six passes for 75 yards versus Michigan Tech Saturday (10/7), which included the Bulldogs’ lone score of the game on a 17-yard second-quarter TD reception. His previous high was five grabs for 86 yards and a TD in the 2006 season opener at Kentucky State (9/2). Meredith’s first collegiate catch came a season ago at Michigan Tech (10/22) with an 11-yard reception.

Tale of Two Halves: Ferris State has outscored its opponents 106-50 (+56 pts.)?in the first half this season, but has been outscored by the opposition in the second half by a 87-55 margin (+32 pts.).

Double Digits: Senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) notched his 17th career double-figure tackle outing with a game-leading 16 stops versus Michigan Tech last Saturday (10/7). He recorded 10 tackles against Saginaw Valley State earlier this season (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.

Ferris Versus Pennsylvania Schools: Ferris State is 14-13-2 (.517) all-time against Pennsylvania-based colleges, which includes an 9-7-0 home mark (.563)?and a 5-6-2 (.462) road ledger. The Bulldogs registered a 28-7 league victory over Mercyhurst earlier this season (9/9) in Erie, Pa.

Oct. 14 Contests: Ferris State is 6-4-1 (.591) all-time in outings played on Oct. 14. The Bulldogs, who are 2-2-1 at home and 4-2-0 on the road, suffered a 21-10 league loss to Mercyhurst in their 2000 Homecoming contest. The setback snapped a four-game winning streak on this particular date. FSU is 2-2-0 (.500) in Homecoming encounters.

Tackle Leaders: Ferris State’s top three leading tacklers this season are sophomore outside linebacker Jeff Hollandsworth (Livonia/Stevenson), sophomore defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) and senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) have combined for 33.9% (144-425) of the squad’s total tackles output this season. Hollandsworth has racked up a team-high 52 stops while Visser and Klobucher have accumulated 48 and 44 tackles apiece this fall to date.

Final Five: Ferris has registered a 52-27-1 (.656) record in its final five regular-season contests per season since 1990. The Bulldogs have compiled a 1-4 record in each of the last two seasons (2004-05) after going 3-2 in each of the previous two campaigns (2002-03). FSU’s lone win last season (10/18) during that span was a 62-42 home conference victory over Northern Michigan in the Bulldogs’ annual Homecoming game.

Select Group: Senior quarterback Ryan Kaul (Clarkston) became the sixth signal-caller in Ferris State history to eclipse the 4,000-yard career passing mark. Kaul has currently passed for 4,094 yards and 28 TD’s in 34 outings after throwing for 167 yards and a TD versus Michigan Tech.