FERRIS STATE FOOTBALL SET TO BEGIN SPRING PRACTICE

First Workout Scheduled For Tuesday; Spring Game To Be Held April 22

The Ferris State University football team will take its first step in preparation for the 2005 season as the Bulldogs begin spring drills this Tuesday (March 29) over a four-week period.

Ferris will practice a NCAA-mandated 15 times this spring, culminating with the annual Crimson and Gold Spring Game Friday, April 22, at FSU’s Top Taggart Field. A 6 p.m. (EDT) kickoff is scheduled for the contest. The Bulldogs will also hold two scrimmages on consecutive Saturdays (April 9 and 16) at Top Taggart Field but may be moved to the South Campus practice fields if field conditions permit. The April 9 scrimmage will begin at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) while starting time for the scrimmage on April 16 is set for 11 a.m. (EDT). All practices are open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend.

“It's always exciting to get a fresh start and prepare for the upcoming season,” said head coach Jeff Pierce, who begins his 11th year at Ferris this fall and is the program’s all-time winningest coach. “Spring drills allow us (coaches) an opportunity to see how much the underclassmen in our program have progressed in the offseason. There's also some vacant positions due to graduation which we need to fill so there will be some highly-competitive situations develop as guys battle for playing time.”

The Bulldogs will have over 80 student-athletes taking part in spring ball as the drills continue to serve a key part in the team’s preparation for the upcoming gridiron campaign. Ferris welcomes back 12 starters from last season along with both regulars at the punter and placekicker positions. Senior flanker Carlton Brewster (Grand Rapids/Creston) is the top offensive returnee after garnering All-America Honorable Mention honors by D2Football.com and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette a season ago. A 2005 preseason All-America candidate, Brewster caught a career-best 81 passes for 1,230 yards and eight touchdowns last fall en route to achieving first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) accolades. The wideout finished last season ranked sixth nationally in receptions (7.4 avg.), eighth in receiving yards (111.8 ypg.) and 24th in all-purpose yards (150.0 ypg.).

Defensively, a pair of 2004 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selections in senior cornerback Jim Skodak (Lennon/Corunna) and junior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) return. Skodak, a two-time (2003-04) all-conference honorable mention pick, had 31 tackles with three pass interceptions a season ago while Klobucher racked up a team and career-high 134 tackles as his 11.4 stops per game ranked 19th among the NCAA Division II national statistical leaders.

Cornerback Jim Skodak is one the Bulldogs' top defensive returnees and was a honorable mention All-GLIAC selection a season ago.

The Bulldogs will hold practices on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week in April from 3:30-5:30 p.m. (EDT) at Top Taggart Field and will move to the South Campus practice fields if field conditions permit.

"We're working on going full speed ahead and focus on coming out fundamentally strong as we can in 15 days of practice," said Pierce. "Experimenting with some different ideas and adding some new wrinkles to our schemes is one of our spring objectives." Upon conclusion of the Crimson and Gold Spring Game, the fifth annual FSU Gridiron Club Spring Tailgate reception be held at The Scoreboard Bar and Grill in Big Rapids. The popular event is open to the public and free of charge.

Ferris State posted its third winning season in the last four years in 2004 with a 6-5 overall record and finished fifth place in the GLIAC standings at 6-4. The Bulldogs will kickoff their 97th season of varsity competition Saturday, August 27, at conference archrival Grand Valley State. The conference opener is set for a 7 p.m. (EDT) start at GVSU’s Arend D. Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Mich. Ferris is scheduled to play an 11-game regular season slate and the home opener will be conducted Saturday, Sept. 3, versus Ashland in a 7 p.m. (EDT) matchup.

Ferris State Football

Spring Practice Schedule

Practice #1 - Tuesday, March 29, 3:30 p.m. (Non-pads)
Practice #2 - Thursday, March 31, 3:30 p.m. (Non-pads)
Practice #3 - Friday, April 1, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #4 - Saturday, April 2, 11 a.m.
Practice #5 - Tuesday, April 5, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #6 - Thursday, April 7, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #7 - Friday, April 8, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #8 - Saturday, April 9, 8:30 a.m. (Scrimmage)
Practice #9 - Tuesday, April 12, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #10 - Thursday, April 14, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #11 - Friday, April 15, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #12 - Saturday, April 16, 11 a.m. (Scrimmage)
Practice #13 - Tuesday, April 19, 3:30 p.m.
Practice #14 - Thursday, April 21, 3:30 p.m. (Non-pads)
Practice #15 - Friday, April 22, 6 p.m. (Crimson and Gold Spring Game)