FSU Football At A Glance: The Ferris State University football team will open the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) portion of its 2006 season schedule this Saturday (Sept. 9) when the Bulldogs tangle with the Mercyhurst College Lakers at MC's Louis J. Tullio Field at Erie, Pa. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

The Records: Ferris State is 1-0-0 overall and 0-0-0 in the GLIAC to date after claiming a 31-13 non-conference victory over Kentucky State last Saturday (Sept. 2) at KSU’s Alumni Stadium in Frankfort, Ky. 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.

Mercyhurst is 0-1-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the GLIAC for the 2006 season as a result of suffering a 33-14 season-opening loss to Northwood last Saturday (Sept. 2) in GLIAC action at Tullio Field in Erie, Pa. Last season, the Lakers finished with a 2-8-0 record both overall and in the GLIAC (11th-place tie). MC was 1-4 both at home and on the road a season ago.

The Series: Ferris State has a 4-2-0 advantage in a series which started in 2000. Mercyhurst was victorious in the first two outings while Ferris has won the last four meetings to date.

* Ferris posted a 33-27 victory over the Lakers last season (9/24) in the Bulldogs' annual Hall of Fame Game at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. Junior quarterback C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) scored three rushing TD's and set a Ferris single-game rushing record by a quarterback with 194 yards on 28 carries. He also passed for 219 yards as the Bulldog offense rolled up a season-high 533 yards in total offense while holding MC to only 88 yards on the ground. For his performance, Van Wieren was honored as the GLIAC's Offensive Player of the Week.

* Three of the six meetings have been decided by 11 points or more and Ferris is 1-2-0 (.333) in those contests.

* In the last four meetings, Ferris is averaging 29.0 points per game (116 total) while Mercyhurst is scoring at an 18.8 points a game clip (75 total) for a +10.2 points an outing margin during that period.

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

* The Bulldogs are averaging 21.3 points per contest (64 total) in its three road appearances while the Lakers are averaging 22.0 points a game (66 total) for a -7.0 points per game differential.

* Ferris is averaging 392.7 yards per game in total offense (2,356 total yds.) in the all-time series while Mercyhurst has compiled a 275.7 yards average (1,654 total yds.). In passing, the Bulldogs are averaging 232.0 yards an outing (1,392 total yds.) and the Lakers have recorded 194.0 yards (1,164 total yds.) for a +38.0 yards per game margin. Ferris has rushed for an average of 160.7 yards a game (964 total yds.) to Mercyhurst’s 81.7 yards (490 total yds.) per contest for a +79.0 yards differential.

The Coaches: Ferris State – Jeff Pierce (Ferris State, 1979), 12th season, 70-52-0 (.570) – (4-2-0 vs. Mercyhurst). 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, who played at Ferris (defensive back) from 1974-77, is the 12th head coach in Ferris State’s history and became the Bulldogs’ all-time winningest coach in 2004 (9/4) as a result of Ferris’ 23-17 overtime conference win at Ashland. Pierce surpassed current Hillsdale head coach Keith Otterbein (1986-94; 60-39-3) for the program’s top honor.

Mercyhurst – Marty Schaetzle (Bucknell, 1983), 5th season, 13-31-0 (.295) – (0-4-0 vs. Ferris State). Schaetzle spent five seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I-AA Bucknell before coming to MC.

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 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.

Ferris State Versus Pennsylvania Schools: Ferris State is 13-13-2 (.500) all-time against Pennsylvania-based colleges, which includes a 4-6-2 (.417) road ledger and a 9-7-0 (.563) home mark. The Bulldogs’ most common opponent from Pennsylvania is the Indiana (Pa.) Indians, who are 5-1-0 versus the Bulldogs.

Miller Time: Junior split end Robert Miller (Carson, Calif./Harbor C.C.) made his Ferris debut at Kentucky State and had a game-high seven receptions for 28 yards, which included a nine-yard TD catch 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.

Catching On: Sophomore flanker Cole Meredith (Paris/Big Rapids) made his 2006 season debut at Kentucky State a notable one with five catches for a game-best 86 yards. Meredith, who had only an 11-yard pass reception at Michigan Tech (10/22) in 11 games last season, accounted for the Bulldogs’ first score at KSU with a second-quarter 20-yard TD catch. Meredith was a 2005 GLIAC All-Academic Team member and the 2004 FSU Tomorrow’s Team Offensive Player of the Year.

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.

Big Jake: Jake Visser surpassed the 100 career plateau in tackles with a game-leading nine stops (five solos) at Kentucky State. Visser has totaled 107 career tackles (48 solos) in 13 games and is averaging 8.23 stops per contest during that span. A season ago, Visser ranked 47th nationally in forced fumbles (0.27 avg.) and 64th in total tackles (8.9 avg.). He racked up nine tackles (three solos) versus Mercyhurst last year (9/24).

Moore To Come: Junior outside linebacker Jordan Moore (Ada/Lowell) posted a career game-high seven tackles (six solos) at Kentucky State last Saturday (9/2), which eclipsed his previous best of six stops at Grand Valley State (8/27) in the Bulldogs’ 2005 season opener. Moore suffered a season-ending injury in the Grand Valley State contest last fall after placing 14th among the 2004 team tackles leaders with 15 stops in 11 contests.

Notable Recovery: Senior defensive end Dan Boulter (Redford/Saint Agatha) tallied his first collegiate TD in the Kentucky State contest with a second-quarter fumble recovery in the Thorobreds’ end zone.