August 28, 2025

Ferris State football fans celebrate season-opening victory over Pittsburg State, return of marching band, and debut of cheer and STUNT squad

The Ferris State University football team launched its defense of its NCAA DII national title with a convincing 34-17 victory over Pittsburg State University on an evening that included the rebirth of the Bulldog marching band after 30 years.

Pittsburg State was the lone blemish on the Bulldogs’ 2024 record, with the team dropping the opener on the road in Kansas, The Bulldogs have not lost a game since, driving all the away to the championship game over Valdosta State University in December and adding a 15th consecutive win on Thursday.

That won’t be an issue this season. Quarterback Wyatt Bower, an Engineering Technology major form Corunna, earned the start and ran for a game-high 99 yards on 25 carries with two scores while adding 11-of-18 pass completions for 112 yards and a touchdown in his debut.

Bower said he didn’t even know he was starting until about 10 minutes before the game. Coach Tony Annese said he often doesn’t tell students they are starting until just before game time.

“I asked him if he was ready, and he said, ‘Yes!’” Annese said after the game, before praising his young quarterback’s performance before a large and boisterous crown at Top Taggart Field.

Annese called the Gorillas, ranked No. 9 in the nation, a “proud” and “gritty” program and respected that it got back into the game after the Bulldogs opened up a 20-3 first half lead.

Ferris State also got 44 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving from junior slot receiver Taariik Brett while senior slot Brady Rose ran for 28 yards and a score in addition to catching four balls for 53 yards.

The Bulldog offense totaled 331 yards with 200 coming on the ground and 131 in the air.

Defensively, Ferris State held the Gorillas to only 67 yards rushing on 28 tries. Pitt State finished with 361 yards of total offense as Jackson Berry threw for 294 yards on 18-of-41 passing.

The Gorillas struck first as a long completion from Berry got them into Bulldog territory on their opening drive before they settled for a 47-yard field goal only three minutes into the game, taking a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs answered quickly as Bower engineered an eight-play, 56-yard drive and found the endzone for the first time on an eight-yard keeper midway through the initial period. 

Ferris State took a 14-3 lead on tailback Zak Ahern's three-yard scoring run at the end of the first period, which finished a 48-yard drive on 12 plays.

The lead grew to 20-3 with 6:31 to play in the first half when Bower scored from 11 yards out. His run capped a long 13-play, 94-yard scoring march.

The Ferris State lead was cut to 20-10 at halftime as Berry hooked up with Kuron Parchman on a 60-yard scoring completion with only 58 seconds left in the opening half.

In the third quarter, the Bulldogs pushed the advantage to 27-10 when Rose found paydirt with 7:45 to play in the period. His scoring run finished off a short six play, 26-yard jaunt.

Pitt State trimmed the deficit to 27-17 with 5:14 to go in the third period as Cleo Chandler, Jr. reached the endzone on a short three-yard carry.

From there, though, the Bulldogs added a 24-yard TD throw from Bower to Brett with only 8:40 left for the final score and the Ferris State defense kept the Gorillas off the board the rest of the way to preserve the win.

On the defensive side, Isiah Byars had a team-high nine stops for the Bulldogs. Senior Jalen Jones also intercepted a pass in the win.

The game marked the debut of the new Marching Bulldogs, which took the field for the first time prior to the game and again at halftime for a show that included songs from Aerosmith, Journey, and Stevie Wonder, drawing a standing ovation.

The game also marked the first performance of the cheer and STUNT team, a varsity sport with nearly 40 student-athletes. It’s the first new varsity sport at Ferris State in 25 years.

The football team will hit the road for another non-league contest on Saturday, Sept. 6, versus Lake Erie in Painesville, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.