FSU Football At A Glance: A Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) battle of undefeated teams will square off this Saturday (Sept. 16) evening as the Ferris State University football team will host the nationally-ranked Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals in the Bulldogs' 2006 season home opener at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EDT) with the annual Fireworks Display to be held following the contest.

The Records: Ferris State improved to 2-0 overall and is 1-0 in the GLIAC after registering a 28-7 victory over Mercyhurst last Saturday (Sept. 9) in the Bulldogs' conference opener at MC's Tullio Field in Erie, Pa. 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.

Saginaw Valley State, which is ranked fifth nationally this week by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is second in D2Football.com’s poll, remains undefeated for the 2006 season following a 26-10 conference decision over Gannon last Saturday (Sept. 9) at SVSU’s Wickes Memorial Stadium in University Center, Mich. The Cardinals were 11-2-0 overall and placed tied for second in the GLIAC at 9-1-0 last season. SVSU suffering a season-ending 24-17 loss at Grand Valley State (Nov. 26) in the 2005 NCAA Division II Quarterfinals. The Cardinals, who won their first six games a season ago, were 5-2 on the road and 6-0 at home in 2005..

The Series: The series, which began in 1975, is currently tied at 15-15-1. Saginaw Valley State has won five of the last six meetings and has a current three-game winning streak.

* Saginaw Valley State claimed a 39-32 home victory over Ferris State in the 2005 regular-season finale (Nov. 5). FSU, which trailed by 18 points (28-10) late in the second quarter, rallied to claim a 32-31 lead with 14:20 left in the contest. However, the nationally-ranked Cardinals would score the game's winning points 3:13 later as the hosts marched 66 yards on eight plays. Ferris quarterback Ryan Kaul passed for 320 yards and two TD's in the contest while running for another score.

* Twenty-three of the 31 meetings have been determined by 15 points or less with Ferris State sporting a 9-13-1 (.413) in those games – (5-6-0 at home and 4-7-1 on the road).

* Five of the last eight contests have been decided by 13 points or more, including three of the last four outings.

* In the last six meetings, Ferris State is averaging 26.2 points per game (157 pts.) to Saginaw Valley State’s 33.2 points a contest (199 pts.) for a -7.0 points margin.

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

* The Bulldogs are averaging 23.6 points a game (118 pts.) in their last five home appearances while the Cardinals have scored an average of 29.2 points (146 pts.) an outing for a 5.6 points differential.

* FSU is averaging 317.7 yards in total offense in the last three meetings compared to SVSU’s 525.0 yards average. The Bulldogs have averaged 67.3 yards rushing and 250.3 yards passing in that period.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 71-52-0 (.577) – (5-6-0 vs. Saginaw Valley State). Pierce has compiled a 34-30-0 (.531) coaching mark in road encounters and is 26-19-0 (.578) in September contests to date. Pierce is 36-22-0 (.621) at home, 27-19-0 (.587) in September, and 66-44-0 (.600) in GLIAC contests. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Saginaw Valley State – Randy Awrey (Northern Michigan, 1978), 8th season, 65-20-0 (.765); Career, 17th season, 113-61-1 (.649) – (5-2-0 vs. Ferris State). Awrey ranks as SVSU's all-time winningest coach and was selected the 2003 GLIAC Coach of the Year.

Conference Openers: Ferris State is 8-17-1 (.327) in conference openers since 1980 and sports a 4-7-1 (.375) road mark in those outings during that period. The Bulldogs dropped a 30-10 decision at Grand Valley State last season (8/27) after suffering a 24-6 home loss to the Lakers in the 2004 season opener (8/28). The last time FSU won its conference opener was in 2001 (9/8) with a 33-10 home triumph over Findlay.

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 13 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. Mercyhurst was ranked 13th with 23 points.

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.

Notable Start: Ferris State’s 2-0 mark this season represents its best start since 1996 when the Bulldogs won their initial three contests en route to a 10-2-0 overall record and a first-place 9-1-0 mark in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC).

Miller Time Again: Junior split end-tailback Robert Miller (Carson, Calif./Harbor C.C.) turned in a notable performance at Mercyhurst with a game-high 142 yards rushing (11.8 avg.) on 12 carries while having two grabs for 46 yards. He scored on a 42-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and also caught a 35-yard TD pass in the third quarter. Miller earned both National Junior College Athletic Association ( NJCAA) All-America Honorable Mention and NJCAA Academic All-America Honorable Mention kudos in 2005 while playing at Harbor (Calif.) Community College. His cousin, J.R. Redmond, played at Arizona State as a running back and is a six-year NFL veteran.

Stout Defense: Ferris State’s defense held Mercyhurst to -33 net yards rushing on 29 attempts last Saturday (9/9). It was the Bulldogs’ best single-game rush defensive effort since at least 1985. Ashland holds the GLIAC defense rushing record as a result of limiting Ferris to -63 net yards on ground in 1992 (9/12).

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.

Proving His Worth: Sophomore outside linebacker Jeff Hollandsworth (Livonia/Stevenson) notched his sixth double-figure single-game tackle effort of his career with a team-leading 11 stops (three solos) at Mercyhurst. Hollandsworth, who ranked third among the squad’s 2005 tackles leaders with 91 stops (38 solos), has accumulated six career double-digit tackle contests. The 2005 GLIAC All-Academic Team member and 2005 FSU’s Most Improved Defensive Player tallied a career-best 16 tackles against Northwood last season (10/29).

Bulldogs At Top Taggart Field: Ferris State is 77-55-2 (.582) at Top Taggart Field since 1980 and sports a 63-44-2 (.587) conference home ledger during that span. The Bulldogs are 56-28-2 (.663) overall since 1990, which includes a 50-25-2 (.662) league record.

Big Jake Strikes Again: Sophomore defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) totaled a season-best tying nine tackles (five solo) at Mercyhurst, including four sacks for a loss of 24 yards. The 2005 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection has presently compiled 116 career tackles (53 solos) in 14 contests, which includes 13.0 tackles for minus 56 yards and nine sacks for a loss of 49 yards.

Home Openers: The Bulldogs are 38-39-4 (.494) in home-opening contests dating back to 1920, which includes an 8-8-0 (.500) record since 1990. Ferris is 7-6-0 (.538) in its last 13 home openers to date after suffering a 24-21 conference loss to Ashland last season (9/3/05). FSU’s last home-opening triumph occurred in 2002 (9/7) with a 33-21 non-conference decision over Hillsdale.