FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will wrap up its 2006 regular season this Saturday (Nov. 11) against the Wayne State University Warriors in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play at Big Rapids, Mich. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST) at FSU's Top Taggart Field. Ferris will recognize its 19 seniors prior to the contest.

The Records: Ferris State improved to 7-3 overall and 6-3 in the GLIAC with a 17-14 conference decision over nationally-ranked Northwood last Saturday (Nov. 4) at NU's Hantz Stadium in Midland, 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.

Wayne State secured its first winning season in more than a decade with a 33-17 home conference triumph over Ashland last Saturday (Nov. 4) at WSU's Adams Field in Detroit, Mich. The Warriors are 3-1 on the road and 3-3 at home this fall. WSU was 3-7-0 both overall and in the GLIAC for the 2005 campaign.

The Series: Ferris State has a 22-20-0 all-time series lead over Wayne State in a series dating back to the 1920 season. Wayne State won the first four meetings and eight of the first 10 outings.

* Ferris State has won 10 of the last 12 meetings, which includes five of the last six outings to date.

* 21 of the 42 games have been determined by at least 15 points and Ferris is 12-9-0 (.571) in those contests – (4-4-0 home & 8-5-0 away).

* Seven of the last eight encounters have been decided by 13 points or more and the average margin of victory is 20.3 points per game.

* In the last five meetings, Ferris State is averaging 40.2 points per game (201 pts.) compared to Wayne State’s 25.8 points a contest (129 pts.) for a +14.4 points difference.

* Ferris State is 8-7-0 in contests decided by 10 points or less (6-3-0 home and 2-4-0 away) and 15-12-0 in games decided between 11 or more points (4-5-0 home and 11-7-0 away).

* Ferris State is averaging 34.8 points a game (174 pts.) in its last five home outings versus Wayne State while the Warriors have scored at a 27.8 points per contest clip (139 pts.).

* In the last meeting between the two teams (9/27/03), Ferris outscored Wayne State 23-3 in the second half to prevail 29-16. The Bulldogs trailed 13-6 at halftime, but proceeded to tally 16 unanswered third-quarter points to claim a 22-13 lead after three quarters. FSU was outgained 343 to 303 in total offense, which included a 215-153 yards advantage in passing. Ferris rushed for 150 yards while the Warriors compiled 128 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs extended their series winning streak at WSU to six straight with the road triumph.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 76-55-0 (.577) – (7-2-0 vs. Wayne State). Pierce is 38-24-0 (.613) at home, 17-9-0 (.654) in November outings, and 71-47-0 (.602) in GLIAC contests all time. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Wayne State – Paul Winters (Akron, 1980), 3rd season, 10-20-0 (.333) – (0-0-0 vs. Ferris State). Winters was named Wayne State's 19th head coach in 2003 after spending the previous nine years at NCAA Division I Akron. He ranks as Akron's seventh all-time leading rusher and was named Akron's Athlete of the Year in 1980. He was inducted into UA's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

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.

Best Record Since 2001: Ferris State’s seven victories this fall represents its most since 2001 when the Bulldogs finished with a 7-4-0 overall record. A win over Wayne State this Saturday (11/11) would give Ferris its eighth victory of the 2006 campaign and would represent the Bulldogs’ best mark since 1996 (10-2-0 overall).

Nationally Ranked: Ferris State moved up to 25th in this week’s (11/7) Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette poll after being ranked 39th the previous week. FSU also moved up 11 places in this week’s (11/5) CollegeSportsReport.com’s poll from 37th to 26th place. The Bulldogs are among teams receiving votes in this week’s (11/7) American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Poll. Wayne State is listed 54th by CollegeSportsReport.com this week.

Regular Season Finales: The Bulldogs are 14-8-0 (.636) in regular-season finale contests dating back to 1985, which includes a 9-7-0 (.600) mark since 1990. FSU has dropped its last four season finales to date – 17-14 at Indianapolis (11/16/02) and 35-20 to Indianapolis (11/15/03), 47-14 versus Saginaw Valley State (11/6/04), and 39-32 at Saginaw Valley State (11/5/05). Ferris is 6-4-0 (.600) at home in these outings since 1985, including 1-4-0 (.200) since 1995.

Ground Gainer: Junior quarterback C.J. Van Wieren’s (Holland/West Ottawa) game-high 109 rushing yards at Northwood last Saturday (11/4) represented his second 100-yard plus game performance this season. Van Wieren ran for a season-high 180 yards and four TD’s on 36 carries at Hillsdale (9/23). He totaled a career-high 194 yards and three TD’s in 28 attempts against Mercyhurst in 2005 (9/24). Van Wieren, a FSU men’s basketball team member, has presently rushed for a team and season-high 465 yards on 90 carries (5.2 avg.) in seven 2006 outings. His 883 career rushing yards in 24 games is a Ferris school-record for most net yards rushing by a Bulldog quarterback, eclipsing Bill Costner’s (1978-80) 851-yards total.

At The Top: Ferris State is averaging 307.5 total offensive yards (1,230 yds.) in its four Top Taggart Field home appearances this season. The Bulldogs have rushed for an average of 145.8 yards (583 yds.) and passed for 161.8 yards (647 yds.) this campaign. FSU is scoring 18.5 points (74 pts.) per game compared to the opposition’s 26.5 points (106 pts.) an outing. Ferris has outscored its opponents 30-13 in the first quarter, but the opposition holds a 57-24 points advantage in the second half.

19 Seniors Play Final Game At Top Taggart: Nineteen Ferris State seniors will be making their final career appearance at Top Taggart Field this Saturday (11/4) versus Wayne State – Nick Beaudry, Dan Boulter, Mitch DeVries, Josh Eichler, Allen Feigel, Nate Fricke, Shawn Grigg, Ryan Kaul, Mike Klobucher, Matt Leslie, Rob Lukofsky, Chris Machalak, Nick Maeder,Tim Pickens, Chris Putra, Jereld Sawyer, Jim Skodak, Kevin Teeple and John Vandenberg.

Ground Assault: Ferris State’s 1,786 rushing yards in its 10 games this fall presently represents the sixth-highest season total in school history. The Bulldogs are 96 yards shy of matching the fifth-place 1,882 yards total set in 1990. FSU is one point shy of matching its 258 points total in 2002, which is the 12th-highest season output at Ferris State.

Tackles Leaders: FSU’s top three tackles leaders this season, senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon), sophomore outside linebacker Jeff Hollandsworth (Livonia/Stevenson) and sophomore defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) have combined for 35.2% (238-676) of the team’s total tackles production with both Klobucher and Hollandsworth registering a team-leading 80 stops apiece. Visser has racked up 78 tackles this fall.

Nearing The Century Mark: Senior free safety Nick Beaudry (Goodells/Marysville) and junior defensive end Erik Schumacher (Lake Isabella/Beal City) are both approaching the 100-career mark in tackles. Beaudry has presently totaled 91 stops (52 solos)in 32 contests while Schmacher has amassed 94 tackles 946 solos) in 32 games.

Moving Up The Sack Exchange: Jake Visser’s 14.5 pass sacks for minus 84 yards presently represents ranks 16th among the Bulldogs’ all-time leaders and is one half-sack shy of tying Jim Lyman (1995-98; 15.0 for -76 yds.) for 15th place. The 2005 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team pick has posted a squad-best 10.5 sacks for 62 yards which is tied for the sixth-highest single-season output in FSU history.

One Pick Away: Senior cornerback Jim Skodak (Lennon/Corunna), a three-time (2003-05) All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team performer, is one pass interception shy of moving into a tie with Alvin Grier (1998-02) for sixth place among the Bulldogs’ all-time leaders. Skodak has 10 career pass thefts, including a team-high three this season, in 46 contests. He has three interceptions apiece in his last three seasons.