FERRIS STATE ANNOUNCES 2005 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Bulldogs To Play Five Home Games; Season Begins Aug. 27 At Grand Valley State

A challenging 11-game schedule awaits the Ferris State Bulldogs for the 2005 gridiron season.

An 11-game schedule with five home dates and a season-opening Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at archrival Grand Valley State highlight the 2005 Ferris State University football schedule. The announcement was made today by FSU Athletics Director Tom Kirinovic.

“This season's schedule will be a challenging one in that we play the same opponents as a season ago,” said Ferris State head coach Jeff Pierce, who begins his 11th year at FSU this fall and is the school’s all-time winningest coach. “We will be tested right out of the gate with our season opener at Grand Valley State. We start off the season with some tough challenges and also finish the year with several highly-competitive matchups.

"The conference (GLIAC) seems to get more competitive each year so it's important for our team to be focused and come out ready to play every Saturday," added Pierce.

The Bulldogs launch the 2005 gridiron season and their 97th year of varsity competition on Saturday, Aug. 27 versus the two-time (2002-03) NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State Lakers in Allendale, Mich. A 7 p.m. (EDT) start time is scheduled for conference opener at GVSU’s Arend D. Lubbers Stadium. The winner of the contest will be presented with the fourth annual Anchor Bone Trophy, which is sponsored by Huntington Bank.

Ferris begins the home portion of its schedule Sept. 3 as the Bulldogs host Ashland in a 7 p.m. (EDT) conference matchup at FSU’s Top Taggart Field. Prior to the game, the Turn Back The Clock Night event will be conducted beginning at 4 p.m. (EDT) with the traditional Fireworks Night festivities to take place immediately after the contest.

The following week (Sept. 10), the Bulldogs continue league action at Hillsdale in a 2:30 p.m. (EDT) outing before returning home to face Indianapolis (Sept. 17) and Mercyhurst (Sept. 24) on consecutive weekends. The 7 p.m. (EDT) contest with Indianapolis will serve as the traditional Community Night event while Ferris’ 2 p.m. (EDT) encounter versus Mercyhurst represents the sixth annual FSU Bulldog Hall of Fame Game. The first half of the season’s slate concludes with the Bulldogs visiting Findlay Oct. 1 in a 7 p.m. (EDT) conference tilt.

Ferris will then venture to Grand Forks, N.D., on Oct. 8 for a clash against the 2004 NCAA-II National Semifinalist North Dakota Fighting Sioux of the North Central Conference (NCC). The non-conference outing, which will begin at 2 p.m. (EDT), marks the second consecutive year in which the two teams will square off on the Sioux’s home turf. North Dakota, who were the national runner-ups in 2003, claimed the NCAA-II Northwest Region Championship title last season.

The Bulldogs’ remaining home schedule includes afternoon contests versus Northern Michigan (Oct. 15) and the regular-season home finale against 2004 GLIAC Co-Champion and NCAA-II Northwest Region Semifinalist Northwood (Oct. 29). Northern Michigan will serve as the opposition for Ferris’ 79th annual Homecoming Game, which is slated for a 2 p.m. (EDT) opening kickoff.

An Oct. 22 road date with 2004 GLIAC Co-Champion and NCAA-II Northwest RegionSemifinalist Michigan Tech along with the Nov. 5 regular-season finale outing at Saginaw Valley State round out the schedule.

The Bulldogs sport a combined 193-188-14 (.506 winning pct.) all-time record against this season’s opponents. This season’s opponents registered a combined 72-53 (.576) record for the 2004 campaign.

Ferris State compiled a 6-5 overall record this past season, which included a fifth-place 6-4 conference mark. The winning mark represented the Bulldogs’ third winning campaign in the last four seasons.

For single-game ticket information, please contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888 or charge by phone at 1-800-585-3737 via Star Tickets Plus. Tickets will go on sale around July 1 and also be available for purchase online at www.starticketsplus.com.

2005 Ferris State Football Schedule

Aug. 27 at Grand Valley State* , 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 Ashland* (Turn Back The Clock Night/Fireworks), 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 at Hillsdale*, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 Indianapolis* (Community Night), 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 Mercyhurst* (Hall of Fame), 2 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Findlay*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 at North Dakota, 2 p.m.
Oct. 15 Northern Michigan* (Homecoming & Youth Day), 2 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Michigan Tech*, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 Northwood* (Senior Day), 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 at Saginaw Valley State* , 12 p.m.

All times are Eastern; *Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game
All home games are in bold and will be played at Top Taggart Field