December 20th, 2025 3:30pm
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Ferris State (16-0) won the 2025 Division II football national championship on Saturday afternoon in McKinney, Texas. The Bulldogs defeated Harding (15-1) by a final score of 42-21. The victory delivers Ferris State's fourth national championship, all within the past five years. The Bulldogs were the No. 1 team in the D2Football.com Top 25 poll every week of the season and became their first team in Division II history to win 16 games in a single season. The program has won 30 consecutive games dating back to August 31, 2024.
How it happened...
At game time, the field was soaked in sun, temperatures were in the high 70s and the stands were nearly filled to capacity on both sides, with 10,521 fans in attendance.
Ferris State won the opening coin toss and elected to defer.
Harding received the opening kickoff. The Bisons picked up two first downs on the opening drive, but managed just 22 yards on six plays before punting.
Ferris State set the tone for their offensive day on the first play from scrimmage. Brady Rose scampered 45 yards into Harding territory to open the drive. The Harding defense stiffened in the red zone, forcing Ferris State into a fourth and 2 inside the five yard line. The Bulldogs went for the conversion and cashed in with a Wyatt Bower touchdown run from five yards out. That opened the scoring at 7-0, Ferris State
On the first play of the next possession, Harding lost the first of three fumbles on the day, setting up Ferris State in plus territory. The Bulldogs would need five plays to go 33 yards with, Chase Carter and Wyatt Bower splitting snaps at quarterback. Carter rushed 20 yards to set up a first and goal at the Harding 10 yard line. Bower ran in for the score position two plays later, his second touchdown in the first quarter.
Facing very unfamiliar territory, down 14-0, Harding would respond on their next drive. The Bisons got an explosive play from Christian Franklin to set up field position near midfield. Facing a third and long later on the drive, the Bisons put the ball in their air. The ball floated over the middle and fell incomplete but the Bulldogs were flagged for pass interference. The penalty gave the Bisons a fresh set of downs and two more Christian Franklin runs set up a first and goal. Andrew Miller posted Harding’s first points of the day with a nine yard run to paydirt. The score cut the Bulldog lead in half at 14-7.
The Harding defense came up with their only real stop of the day on the next drive. The Bulldogs advanced as far as the Harding 25 yard line, but were turned away on downs. Forgoing a field goal attempt on 4th and 15, the Bulldogs went for the first down but failed to convert.
The Bisons were unable to move the ball after the defensive stop, but a field -flipping 67 yard punt pinned Ferris State at their own five yard line. Undaunted, The Bulldogs marched 95 yards in 12 plays. The longest play of the drive was a 27-yard completion to Carson Gulker. Cam Underwood capped the drive with a 23-yard grab in the end zone.
The Bisons managed to cut into the lead once more with a drive that was ignited by a 42-yard pass completion to Brady Barnett. Christian Franklin then hauled in a 15-yard touchdown completion off a deflection to give Harding new life at 21-14 as the game went to halftime.
The Bulldogs received the second half kickoff and needed just two plays to re-establish a two-score lead. Chase Carter rushed twice, once for 11 yards and again for a 64-yard touchdown.
Facing the pressure again, Harding’s special teams responded with a 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown by G'Kyson Wright.
For the third time in the game, the Bisons had new life, but for the third time, couldn’t sustain it. The Bulldogs would need just three plays to cover 75 yards and push the lead back to 14 points at 35-21. The drive included a 32-yard catch and run by Brady Rose and a 40-yard catch by Tae Boyed. Wyatt Bower finished the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the day.
Harding moved the ball into plus territory and attempted to cut into the lead with a long field goal attempt. The 57-yard field kick fell a few yards short.
With an opportunity to put the game out of reach, Ferris State inserted Carson Gulker at quarterback. A deep pass by Gulker was hauled in deep in Harding territory. A few plays later, Gulker was on the receiving end of a Wyatt Bower pass, scoring on a TE drag. Gulker’s TD extended the lead to its largest of the day at 21 points.
Two series later, the Bulldogs were on the cusp of putting the game out of reach but a fumble at the goal line gave possession back to Harding.
The Bisons would then hold the ball for the next ten minutes of play. Unfortunately, it was far too late in the game for a clock-chewing drive. The Bisons would eventually turn the ball over with a fumble in Bulldog territory, but even if the drive had ended with points, less than five minutes remained on the clock.
The Bulldogs were able to pick up a few first downs to run out the remainder of the game clock and claim the program’s fourth national championship.
Ferris State finished the day with 587 yards of total offense. They posted 363 rushing yards and 224 passing. Harding rushed for 246 yards and passed for 80, totaling 326.
Wyatt Bower finished the day 10-16 passing for 177 yards and touchdowns. He also added 38 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Chase Carter was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 111 yards and a TD on just seven carries. Carson Gulker was 2-2 passing and also added 41 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Byars led the Ferris State defense with 11 total tackles. Eric Jackson had seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Jalen Jones had two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
For Harding, Christian Franklin led the offense. He rushed nine times for 72 yards and also caught two passes for 38 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown. Braden Jay had 10 carries for 52 yards while Andrew Miller had 22 carries for 70 yards. Defensively, Luke Martin, Troy Wiseman and Clark Griffin all ended with day with seven tackles each.
We will have a complete recap the national championship game on Inside D2Football on Sunday night at 8pm, eastern.