FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will travel to Michigan's Upper Peninsula this Saturday (Sept. 30) in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action as the Bulldogs face the Northern Michigan University Wildcats in Marquette, Mich. A 5 p.m. (EDT) start time is slated for the contest at NMU's Superior Dome.

The Records: Ferris State, which is presently 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the GLIAC, suffered its first 2006 season loss last Saturday (Sept. 23) evening with a 29-27 conference setback to Hillsdale at HC's Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium in Hillsdale, 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.

Northern Michigan stands at 2-1 both overall and in the GLIAC to date. The Wildcats dropped a 37-35 conference decision to nationally-ranked Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Sept. 23) at SVSU's Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium in University Center, Mich. The Cats' compiled a 2-8-0 mark both overall and in the GLIAC (11th-place tie) for the 2005 campaign. NMU was 2-3 at home and 0-5 in road encounters last fall.

The Series: The all-time series is currently tied at 13-13-6 following last season's 62-42 home league victory by Ferris State in its annual Homecoming contest.

* Ferris scored its most points in a game since 1999 with last year's 62-42 triumph at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs tallied 41 first-half points which was one shy of tying a Top Taggart Field record for most points in one half. Both teams combined for 1,115 yards in total offense with FSU accumulating a 585 of those yards, including 443 yards in the opening half. The Bulldogs led 62-14 after three quarters and then had to withstand a 28-point fourth-quarter outburst by Northern Michigan. Ferris quarterback Ryan Kaul passed for 330 yards and four TD's while runnin for two more to garner GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

* Ferris State has won 11 of the last 14 meetings, including six of the last eight contests.

* Sixteen of the 32 meetings have been determined by 15 points or more and the Bulldogs are 9-7-0 (.563) in those encounters.

* In the last six contests, Ferris State is averaging 21.8 points per game (131 pts.) while Northern Michigan has averaged 18.7 points a contest (112 pts.) for a +3.1 points margin.

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

* The Bulldogs are averaging 9.0 points a contest (27 pts.) in their last three road appearances. The Wildcats have averaged 12.3 points per game (37 pts.)during that span.

* Ferris is averaging 355.8 yards in total offense (1,423 yds.) for the last four matchups. The Bulldogs have rushed for a 156.8 yards average (627 yds.) and passed for 199.0 yards (796 yds.)in those four games.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 72-53-0 (.576) – (8-3-0 vs. Northern Michigan). Pierce is 35-31-0 (.530) on the road, 28-20-0 (.583) in September, and 67-45-0 (.598) in GLIAC contests. Pierce, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history.

Northern Michigan – Bernie Anderson (Northern Michigan, 1978), 1st season, 2-1-0 (.667); Career: 20th season, 95-97-0 (.495) – (0-0-0 vs. Ferris State). Anderson is the dean of GLIAC football coaches and left Michigan Tech in summer 2006 as the school’s all-time winningest coach. He was the 2004 GLIAC Coach of the Year and had a 6-11-0 coaching mark versus Ferris while at MTU.

Nationally Ranked: Ferris State continues to be nationally ranked this week (9/26) as the Bulldogs are listed 23rd by Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette after being 14th the previous week (9/18). FSU is also among other teams receiving votes for the second straight week by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Poll as the Bulldogs compiled two points. Grand Valley State continues to hold down the number-one ranking in both national polls.

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.

Van Wieren Nears Rushing Mark: Junior quarterback C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) rushed for a team season-high 180 yards on 36 carries at Hillsdale last Saturday (9/23), which was 14 yards shy of matching the school’s single-game mark by a Ferris quarterback. Van Wieren is the current record holder after running for 194 yards on 28 attempts versus Mercyhurst last season (9/24).

Moore Is Better: Junior outside linebacker Jordan Moore’s (Ada/Lowell) 16 tackles (11 solos)?in four contests this fall represents a season best, surpassing his 15 stops (seven solos) in 11 2004 outings.

Just One More: C.J. Van Wieren’s four rushing touchdowns at Hillsdale was one shy of tying a Ferris State single-game record for rushing TD’s. Van Wieren accounted for every Bulldog TD by scoring on runs of four, three, 33 and nine yards against the Chargers. The school mark is currently held by Mo Harris, who scored five rushing TD’s at Michigan Tech in 1998 (10/24).

Pointless In The First: Ferris State hasn’t allowed a first-quarter point this season while scoring 23 points in the opening frame. The Bulldogs have also outscored the opposition in the second quarter by 25 points (48-23) this campaign. A?season ago at this time, FSU was outscored 44-7 in the second quarter and 13-7 in the first quarter.

Movin’ On Up: Senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon), the Bulldogs’ leading tackler the last two seasons, has moved into a tie for 13th place on Ferris’ all-time tackles leaders list following his team-high nine tackles (six solos) at Hillsdale. Klobucher’s 322 career stops in 35 games presently ties him with Charlie Pierson (1998-01) and the two-time (2004-05) honorable mention All-GLIAC honoree is nine tackles shy of climbing into 12th place in the FSU record books.

Nearing The Mark: Sophomore punter Jim Yates (Goshen, Ind.) is 82 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark in punts. Yates, the 2005 FSU Special Teams Player of the Year, has 24 career punts for 918 yards (38.2 avg.) in 15 contests.

A Record Pace: C.J. Van Wieren has ran for a team-leading 325 yards on 65 carries in three games this season and is within 38 yards of equaling his school-record 363 rushing yards (83 attempts)?by a FSU quarterback in 10 2005 outings. Van Wieren is also a member of the Bulldog men’s basketball team.

By John: Senior H-Back John Vandenberg’s (Trenton) 91 yards on the ground in four games this season represents a career high, eclipsing his 69 rushing yards in 11 contests for 2005. Vandenberg has rushed for a combined 74 yards on 18 carries in his last two outings to date and has totaled 174 career yards on 34 attempts in 31 encounters.