BLOG 69: Ryan found himself the right guy, in the right place at the right time

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State quarterback Kyle Parrish (13) scrambles out of the pocket as he is pressured by Northwood defenders on Saturday (Photo/Scott Whitney)

BIG RAPIDS – Mike Ryan is not all that much into hyping himself, but if he was into it he would have had plenty of reason after Saturday’s performance.

Ryan, a redshirt freshman Ferris receiver, put on a great move to get open inside the final minute of the Bulldogs’ home Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Northwood at Top Taggart Field. From there, Ryan and quarterback Kyle Parrish made good on a 50-yard touchdown reception with 28 seconds to play as the Bulldogs snuck away with a 19-13 win.

“Northwood had been playing cover three, but that time they were in cover two and I was able to run right past my guy, he squatted, Kyle threw a good pass that hit me and then I just had to run into the end zone,” said Ryan, a Howell native who finished with three catches for 73 yards and the game-winning touchdown. “This was a big win for our team and I was just happy we were able to come up with this win for our seniors.”

Stinging from a disappointing loss to Wayne, one week earlier, Ryan said the team just talked about focus – regaining it and gearing up for the regular season’s final three games.

“It was a tough loss for us, but we also came back together as a team and talked about finishing up the season strong in these last three games,” the redshirt freshman said. “We felt like if we could do well in these last three games, and see what else happens with other teams … we at least give ourselves some kind of a chance to maybe get into the playoffs. But the thing we have to do is take care of business in our (last) games.”

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