November 24, 2025
Top-ranked Ferris State football team dominates Northwood in NCAA DII playoff opener with ‘unbelievable’ performance by Chase CarterPage Title
The top-ranked Ferris State University football team opened the NCAA DII playoffs with a convincing 65-14 win over Northwood University sparked by an “unbelievable” performance by quarterback Chase Carter.
The victory extends the Bulldog’s school record for consecutive wins, now at 26. The team, 12-0, advances to the next round of the playoffs. The GLIAC champions and defending national champions are the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Head coach Tony Annese said he wanted to get the team off to a good start after coming from behind in each of the last two games.
On Saturday, Ferris State scored two quick touchdowns to open the game to take a 14-0 lead at the 6:32 mark of the opening quarter.
Carter connected with Carson Gulker for a touchdown followed by Eddie Jewett’s kick for an extra point. Carter then connected with Taariik Brett for a touchdown with Jewett again splitting the uprights.
“It's easy to get off to a fast start when you play Chase Carter,” Annese said, sitting next to the Orlando native at the postgame press conference.
Annese praised the quarterback’s quickness, noting he set two Ferris State records as a freshman member of the track team.
“Wow, right? I mean, 15 carries for 152 yards, 11 for 21 throwing with one bad interception,” Annese said. “All in all, unbelievable performance by him. I thought the defense played really hard and aggressively. “We just played a really good game. And, yeah, it was a nice thing that to have a fast start and just keep, keep on rolling.”
Northwood scored a first-quarter touchdown on a 31-yard pass from Gerry Hanson to Ethan Hamby, and another in the second quarter when Hudson Gerstacker connected with Pauly Seeley.
But it was the Bulldogs doing all the scoring after that, including a touchdown on a 40-yard run by Carter in the third quarter.
“I just think our defense played well,” Annese said. “I think our coaches really were prepared for Northwood. And it was one of those things where our defense executed. They had a really good plan throughout the year, and we're really tough to defend. So, I was really proud of our defense.”
The game was Northwood’s first NCAA playoff appearance since 2006 and it was one of three teams from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference appearing in the postseason. Annese dismissed criticism that more teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference should have been included and praised Northwood coach Dustin Beurer for his team’s 9-3 season.
“I would be remiss if I didn't say that Northwood University had an unbelievable year,” Annese said. “I'm going to say this, Northwood beat two GLIAC teams. They're 2-0 against the GLIAC, and one of them was our second-place team. And so, they earned it. People have to look at that and say, ‘Man, what a job by Dusty and the staff and, and what a great season they had, and they earned their way here. Dusty is going to build that program, and they're going to keep on growing and be a really good program for years to come.”