BULLDOG FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2001 SCHEDULE

11-Game Schedule Features Four Evening Contests
–Season Opener at South Dakota State Sept. 1

Four night games, including the first two home outings, and a season-opening matchup at highly-regarded South Dakota State University highlight the 2001 Ferris State University Football Schedule as announced today by FSU Athletics Director Tom Kirinovic.

The 11-game slate, which features 10 consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games to conclude the regular season campaign, begins Saturday, Sept. 1, as the Bulldogs officially kickoff their 94th season of varsity competition on the road against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.  The season-opening contest, scheduled for an 8 p.m. (EDT) kickoff, will not only represent the first-ever meeting between the two teams but also the first night game to ever be played at SDSU's Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, S.D.

Ferris State opens both the home and conference portion of its schedule a week later (Sept. 8) as the Bulldogs play host to the University of Findlay Oilers in Big Rapids.  Opening kickoff is 7 p.m. (EDT) at FSU's Top Taggart Field and the traditional post-game fireworks display near the stadium will be held as part of the annual Fireworks Night festivities.

Following the GLIAC opener, Ferris continues conference action the next two consecutive weekends (Sept. 15 and 22) as the Bulldogs visit 2000 GLIAC Co-Champion Saginaw Valley State University (Sept. 15) and Wayne State University (Sept. 22).  Both outings are scheduled for 12 p.m. (EDT) starting times.  SVSU along with Northwood University were participants in the 2000 NCAA Division II Northeast Region Playoffs.

Ferris then returns to Top Taggart Field to begin a two-game conference homestand, starting with a 7 p.m. (EDT) matchup against 2000 GLIAC Co-Champion Northwood (Sept. 29).  A week later (Oct. 6), FSU will host arch-rival Grand Valley State University at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) in the second annual Bulldog Hall of Fame Game which coincides with the University's annual Autumn Adventure Event.

The remainder of Ferris' home slate features the 75th Homecoming Game against Michigan Tech University (Oct. 20) at 2 p.m. (EDT) and the regular-season finale versus the University of Indianapolis (Nov. 10) at 1:30 p.m. (EST).  The final regular-season home game is FSU Senior Day as the Bulldog gridiron program will honor its graduating seniors.

The Bulldogs' final three road games are against Mercyhurst College (Oct. 13), Northern Michigan University (Oct. 27) and Hillsdale College (Nov. 3).  The NMU contest is slated for a 7 p.m. (EDT) start while the other two road encounters are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) and 2:30 p.m. (EST), respectively.

"This schedule is a challenging one, which means we must be prepared and come ready to play each weekend," said FSU head coach Jeff Pierce, who has compiled a current 42-25 coaching record (.627) in six seasons at Ferris.  "We start off the season at South Dakota State, a solid football program which plays in one of the nation's top conferences (North Central Conference), so we'll be tested right out of the blocks and find out where we are at.

"Our conference schedule will be a dogfight.  If we're going to be successful, we must play at the top of our game every Saturday.  The question we along with every other team in the GLIAC must answer is can you get ready to play 10 title fights in a row?" Pierce added.

The Bulldogs are a combined 121-132-14 (.479 winning pct.) all-time against this season's opponents and the opposition registered a combined 59-61-0 (.492) record a season ago.  Ferris State returns 37 letterwinners from last season's squad which posted a 5-6 overall record, including a 5-5 GLIAC mark (fifth-place tie).