BLOG 33: No Consolation: No. 24 Ferris falls to rival No. 2 Grand Valley

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris receiver Damien Miller goes up for a football Saturday as the Bulldogs were in Allendale to face Grand Valley. (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

ALLENDALE – Standing on the Grand Valley State University campus, between the GVSU Fieldhouse and the massive new Laker Turf Building with an indoor football field among its amenities, Ferris State head football coach Jeff Pierce clearly was a man not buying into the “moral victory” theory.

Pierce’s Bulldogs, ranked 24th in the country, were minutes removed from a tough 31-13 loss to archrival Grand Valley State, the No. 2-ranked Division II team in the nation. While some people might take solace in the competitive edge the Bulldogs showed, against the powerful Lakers, Pierce and his team lamented what might have been in the 2008 edition of the Anchor-Bone Classic.

“We’re very disappointed we didn’t come away with a win,” said Pierce, whose team now is 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. “Our guys gave a great effort and got after it … but, at the same time, we’re (upset) we weren’t able to come out of this with a win when we were so close to it and we just made a few mistakes that could have really changed things for us in a game that was as tight as this one.”

Statistically speaking, the game was fairly even. Ferris rushed for 167 yards while Grand Valley ran for 174. Not many people would have expected it, but the Bulldogs held the edge through the air with 193 yards to 158 for GVSU. In total offense, it was Ferris with a slim edge, 362 to 332.

Paris Holloman scored the Bulldogs’ first touchdown on a 2-yard run at 9:26 of the second quarter and Tom Schneider had the second, on a 1-yard run at 3:41 of the third quarter.

Ferris, playing the Lakers (3-0, 3-0) in front of a Lubbers Stadium record crowd of 14,612, had a key fumble that proved costly and had its struggles at times converting on offensive opportunities in the red zone.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com