FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will kickoff its 2006 season this Saturday (Sept. 2) as the Bulldogs face the Kentucky State University Thorobreds at Frankfort, Ky. A 1 p.m. (EDT) opening kickoff is scheduled for the non-conference contest at KSU's Alumni Stadium.

The Records: Ferris State registered a 3-8-0 overall record for the 2005 season and placed tied for eighth place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) with a 3-7-0 mark. The Bulldogs were 2-3 at home and 1-5 on the road a season ago. Kentucky State is currently 1-0-0 overall in the 2006 season after posting a 21-7 non-conference victory over Kentucky Wesleyan last Saturday (8/26) at KWC’s Steele Stadium in Owensboro, Ky. KSU, which is among teams receiving votes in this week’s (8/29) American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll, scored all of its 21 points in the third quarter to overcome a 7-0 first-quarter deficit. Last season, the Thorobreds compiled a 6-5-0 overall record with a fifth-place 5-4-0 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). KSU was 1-3 at home, 4-2 on the road, and 1-0 at neutral sites last fall.

Season Openers: Ferris State will be participating in its 96th season opener since 1900 (no scores available in 1912 & 1916) and has compiled a 39-51-5 (.437 winning pct.) record. The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 17 season openers to date, which includes two of their last nine. Head coach Jeff Pierce has posted a 4-7-0 career mark in season-opening contests. Ferris dropped a 30-10 conference decision to 2005 NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State in last season’s opener (8/27) at Allendale, Mich.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: FSU was picked to finish tied for sixth place in the 2006 GLIAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll, which was released Aug. 7 by the league office at the annual GLIAC Football Media Day event in Bay City, Mich. The Bulldogs totaled 81 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference’s head coaches. A year ago, Ferris compiled a fifth-place 95 points total in the preseason poll. Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State was the favorite to repeat as conference champions as the Lakers accumulated 143 points along with 11 first-place votes. Saginaw Valley State had 131 points to garner second place and Ashland was third with 119 points, which also included two first-place votes.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 69-52-0 (.570) – (0-0-0 vs. Kentucky State). Pierce has compiled a 33-30-0 (.524) coaching mark in road encounters and is 25-19-0 (.568) in November contests to date. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history. Kentucky State – Fred T. Farrier (Holy Cross, 1994), 2nd season, 7-5-0 (.583) – (0-0-0 vs. Ferris State). Farrier was named the 29th head coach in KSU history March 2005 after spending 2004 at Shaw (N.C.) as the Bears’ offensive coordinator and associate head coach. Farrier also served two seasons (1998-99) as a graduate assistant coach at Michigan State under coach Nick Saban and was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Saginaw Valley State in 2000.

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 squad’s 2006 yearbook can also be found 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.

2006 Team Captains: The team captains for the 2006 season are senior quarterback Ryan Kaul (Clarkston) and senior fullback-H-Back John Vandenberg (Trenton) on offense. Another set of seniors, middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) and cornerback Jim Skodak (Lennon/Corunna) will be the defensive captains. All but Vandenberg served as a team captain last season.

New Face On The Bulldog Sideline: Tony Rosso is the only regular addition to the Ferris State coaching staff. Rosso, who has spent the last two seasons (2004-05) at Western State (Colo.), will serve as an offensive assistant and coach various units within the Bulldog offense. He will also be involved in the program’s fundraising activities, developing an association with Bulldog football alumni, and coordinating efforts with the FSU Gridiron Club. A native of Midland, Mich., Rosso was an assistant coach and coordinator of football operations at Western State in Gunnison, Colo. He coached with current FSU assistant Ted Egger at Adams State (Colo.) for two seasons (2002-03).

Preseason All-Americans: Mike Klobucher has been tabbed a 2006 preseason All-American by both Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and Consensus Draft Services. Klobucher, a two-time (2004-05) All-GLIAC Honorable Mention pick, paced Ferris in tackles last year for the second straight season with 109 stops in 10 games. The Bulldogs’ 2005 Most Valuable Player presently ranks 18th among FSU’s all-time tackles leaders with 297 career stops. Sophomore defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) also earned Hansen’s Football Gazette preseason All-America honors. Visser attained honorable mention all-league and FSU Most Valuable Defensive Lineman recognition in 2005 after recording a team second-place 98 tackles.