October, 28, 2025

Ferris State football players Brett, Payoute and volleyball libero Davies earn GLIAC Player of the Week honors

Ferris State University football players Taariik Brett and Justin Payoute and volleyball player Hope Davies earned Player of the Week honors from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after stellar performances.

Brett, a slot receiver from Jonesboro, Georgia, and Payoute, a safety from Miami Gardens, Florida, were key players in the Bulldogs’ 38-31 win over rival Grand Valley State University in the Anchor-Bone Classic on Saturday.

Brett, a junior majoring in Integrative Studies, scored four first-half touchdowns as Ferris State jumped in front of the Lakers and came away with the win.

Brett tallied a team-high 89 yards rushing on 10 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per rush, with two scores on the ground while adding five catches for 76 yards and two more scores at a 15.2 yards per catch average in the receiving game.

The standout playmaker hauled in two early scores from 28 and five yards away to give Ferris State a 14-0 lead and later scored twice in the second frame on runs of 41 and 24 yards as the Bulldogs took a slim 28-24 halftime lead.

Payoute, a senior majoring in Criminal Justice, also had a huge day as he finished with a team-high eight tackles, including a tackle for loss, while adding a forced fumble and an interception in the win. His second-half interception in the end zone thwarted a potential go-ahead scoring drive for GVSU.

The win was the Bulldogs' 22nd in a row going back to last year and 24th-straight home win in Big Rapids as they moved to 8-0 on the year.

Ferris State will host Northern Michigan in the final regular-season home game this Saturday, Nov. 1, at Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Davies, a redshirt freshman from Grand Rapids on the volleyball team, earned Player of the Week honors for the first time in her college career.

Davies, a libero, had an impressive week as the nationally-ranked Bulldogs stretched their winning streak to 11 consecutive matches. She finished the week with 35 digs while averaging 5.83 digs per set in back-to-back 3-0 wins over Davenport at Purdue Northwest at Bulldog Arena.

The Elementary Education major produced 21 digs in the win over the Panthers and 14 more against the Pride as Ferris State improved to 18-4 overall and 9-1 on top of the GLIAC.

Ferris State will visit Wayne State University on Friday, Oct. 31, for a 7 p.m. league encounter in Detroit before taking on Grand Valley State on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 3 p.m.  in Allendale.