December 18th, 2025 8:30pm
Courtesty ferrisstatebulldogs.com
This Week's Action
The Ferris State University Bulldogs take on the Harding Bisons in the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championship Game on Saturday in McKinney, Texas. The Bulldogs will be making their fifth national championship game appearance in the last seven seasons and seeking a fourth title in five years. This year marks FSU's nation-leading 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. FSU won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 and is the defending champion after winning in 2024.
The Matchup
Ferris State captured the outright GLIAC Championship this year and went unbeaten at 11-0 in the regular season. The Bulldogs beat Newberry (S.C.) 49-17 in the national semifinals last week at home in Big Rapids. This year's GLIAC title was Ferris State's fifth in the last seven seasons and the Bulldogs have won their last 29 games in a row overall going back to last year. Harding is also 15-0 on the year and beat Kutztown (Pa.) 49-27 on the road in the D2 Semifinals last week. FSU and Harding are the only teams to claim national titles since 2021.
Defending National Champion
FSU won its third national title this decade a season ago with a memorable 49-14 win over Valdosta State (Ga.) in the title game in McKinney, Texas. The playoff run included dominating wins over Central Oklahoma and Harding along with a 48-38 comeback win over Slippery Rock (Pa.) in the national semifinals. FSU has now won the Super Region Three Championship seven times in the last nine years.
Media Coverage
Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN2 and will also be aired locally by the Bulldog Sports Network and Sunny 97.3 FM with the veteran broadcast team of Rob Bentley (play-by-play) and Sandy Gholston (color) calling the action. Radio pregame coverage gets underway at 3 p.m. (ET). The contest will also be streamed with FREE live audio online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com for all links.
Eleven Straight Playoff Berths
The Bulldogs, who are midst their 116th season of varsity competition this fall, are making their nation-leading 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. FSU made six-straight NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal appearances from 2016-22 and was one of only four teams in all of college football to win at least 11 games for eight-straight years prior to the 2023 campaign.
Great Bulldog Stretch
The Bulldogs reached the NCAA DII National Championship game for the first time in school history in 2018, matching an all-time NCAA record with 15 victories (15-1). Over the two seasons of action in 2018 and 2019, not counting 2020 in which FSU did not play due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs were a combined 27-2 overall. FSU is now 92-7 in the last seven seasons on the field.
Memorable Bulldog Run
Over the last decade, the Bulldogs have compiled a 137-14 overall record and claimed three national titles, seven conference championships, posted six unbeaten regular-seasons, captured seven regional titles and reached the national quarterfinals seven times. Ferris State has also accumulated three Harlon Hill National Player of the Year trophies, twice had a student-athlete tabbed as the nation's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won 29 postseason games in addition to an appearance in the 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 NCAA D2 National Championship Games.
National Power & State's Best
Now in the 13th season under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have become a national power on the Division II level. FSU has posted a 152-21 overall mark in his tenure and the Bulldogs have also posted the best winning percentage of all 21 collegiate programs in the state of Michigan along with the GLIAC since his arrival. Overall, Annese has won 86% of his games as a head coach on the collegiate and prep levels and owns 377 wins to date, which is the most of any current GLIAC member head coach at all levels.
Team #116 For FSU
This year represents the Bulldogs' 116th season of varsity football on the Ferris State campus. FSU owns a 530-450-40 all-time mark and notched the program's 500th victory in 2023.
The Head Coaches
Ferris State – Tony Annese (Alma, 1983), 13th season, 152-21-0 (.878) – 2-1 vs Harding). Annese recorded a 195-41 (.826) mark as a head coach in four stops at the high school level before totaling a 30-4 (.882) record in three years as the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College.  His overall career mark at all levels is 377-66 (.851) to date and includes three prep state championships and two national JUCO crowns along with three D2 National Championships. He claimed his 300th win in 2018 with a national semifinal win at Minnesota State. The Bulldogs are 80-10 at home and 67-10 on the road under Annese in his FSU tenure.
Harding -Paul Simmons (Harding, 1994), 8th season, (1-2-0 vs. FSU). Simmons is in his eighth season as the head coach at Harding University and previously spent 11 years as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator. He was a head coach at the Harding Academy of Memphis from 1998-05 and led the squad to six state playoff trips after serving as an HU graduate assistant in 1997-98. The Harding grad was a three-time All-America linebacker for the Bisons.
Series History
Saturday will mark the fourth-ever series' matchup between FSU and Harding as the two squads previously met in both 2017 and 2018, splitting a pair of playoff matchups, prior to Ferris State's 41-7 win last year in the 2024 national quarterfinals. It will also represent the sixth-time ever in which the Bulldogs have faced a team from the Great American Conference (GAC). The Bulldogs dropped a 16-14 setback to Harding in the Super Region Three Championship game in 2017 at Top Taggart Field before pulling out a 21-19 first-round win in 2018. FSU has also twice beat another GAC institution in playoff action in Ouachita Baptist, which includes a win in Arkansas in 2018. Overall, Ferris State is 4-1 versus GAC schools.
School-Record Streak
Ferris State is currently riding a school-record win streak of 29 consecutive games dating back to a season-opening loss at Pittsburg State (Kan.) a year ago. The Bulldogs have also currently won their last 29 home games in a row at Top Taggart Field dating back to a loss to Grand Valley State during the 2022 regular season and have won 17 of their last 18 NCAA D2 Playoff games.
Eighth National Semifinal
Last week marked the Bulldogs' eighth national semifinal game in program history and the seventh in the past nine seasons. FSU made its first-ever semifinal appearance in 1995, falling at North Alabama, and has since made the final four of D2 football seven times under head coach Tony Annese. FSU imporved to 6-1 in semifinal games under Annese and 6-2 all-time in program history with the win over Newberry. This year also marked the fifth national semifinal played at home, including the fifth in a row. Ferris State has hosted a semifinal game each year since 2019 with the exception of 2020 when no games were played and 2023.
Awesome Stretch
Under head coach Tony Annese, the Bulldogs have lost only seven regular-season games over the past 10 years on the field dating back to mid-October of 2013. Two of the setbacks came in 2016 when the Bulldogs eventually made their deepest postseason run at the time with a trip to the NCAA-II National Semifinals. Since the middle part of the 2013 season, FSU has only lost three times to Grand Valley State and twice to Ashland in regular-season action along with a close setback last season at FCS member Montana and last year's game at Pitt State. The Bulldogs own a 114-7 (.942) regular-season mark since closing the 2013 season by winning their final four games.
The D2 Playoff Field
The D2 Playoff field was expanded this year to 32 teams and there were no longer any first-round byes. In additon, the regions were realigned this fall with the GLIAC now joined by the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in Super Region Three.
With this year's playoff push, the Bulldogs have also now made the D2 National Quarterfinals eight times in the past nine seasons of action dating back to 2016 and the semifinals seven times in the same span.
Four-Straight Final Four's
Prior to 2023, the Bulldogs made four consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals and advanced to the final four five times in six seasons overall. FSU became the first program in GLIAC history to advance to four-straight semifinals, the fourth program ever and the first since Northwest Missouri State (2005-10) to accomplish the feat. The Bulldogs also advanced to three national championship games in four seasons of action on the field from 2018-22. The 2025 season marked FSU's seventh national semifinal berth in the last nine seasons.
School Record Effort
The Bulldogs' 788 yards of total offense versus Roosevelt this year marked the highest figure in school history, topping the previous mark of 767 yards set in a home win over Tiffin in 2014. Additionally, it marked the sixth time in program history in which FSU totaled 700 plus yards in a game and all six efforts have come under current Bulldog head coach Tony Annese. Along with the previous mark, FSU also totaled 761 yards at McKendree (2014), 744 yards at American International (2024) along with 706 yards against Lake Erie (2014) and 705 yards versus Northern Michigan (2023). The 788 yards versus Roosevelt also represents the highest figure for any D2 school to date this year in a single contest.
All-Time Winningest Coach
Ferris State head coach Tony Annese became the Bulldogs' all-time winningest coach in 2022, surpassing former FSU head coaches such as Jeff Pierce and Keith Otterbein. Annese has posted a 152-21 (.878) mark in his Bulldog tenure to date, moving past Pierce (102-85) atop the all-time chart. Otterbein, who retired as the head coach at Hillsdale pror to last year, is third on the list with a 60-39 record during his Ferris State coaching career.
D2 Elite 100 Preseason All-Americans
Two Ferris State University football standouts garnered preseason All-America mention as D2Football.com unveiled its 2025 Elite 100 Watch List. The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with the input of small college draft expert Josh Buchanan. The Bulldogs had a second-team honoree in senior center Jarvis Windom along with a honorable mention choice in senior defensive back Justin Payoute.
Best In The Country
Since the start of the 2014 season, the Bulldogs have the most wins of any NCAA Division II team in the country. The Bulldogs recorded back-to-back 11-1 seasons in 2014 and 2015 before a 12-3 mark in 2016 followed by an 11-2 showing in 2017 and a 15-1 mark in 2018 along with a 12-1 record in 2019. FSU then went 14-0 in 2021, 14-1 in 2022, 8-3 in 2023 and 14-1 in 2024 for a cumulative 137-14 record in the span counting this year.
Only Team In The Nation
The Bulldogs were the nation's only team to reach the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals six-straight seasons from 2016-22. Ferris State claimed the Super Region Championship in 2016 with a decisive road win at rival Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals to reach the national semifinals for the second time in school history. In 2017, the Bulldogs also made it back to the national quarterfinals, but fell to Harding on a game-ending field goal at home in Big Rapids. FSU reached the national title game in 2018 and the national semifinals in 2019 before falling at home to eventual national champion West Florida prior to back-to-back national title campaigns in 2021 and 2022.
Playoff Record Under Annese
The Bulldogs have posted a record of 29-7 in the NCAA Division II Playoffs under head coach Tony Annese, which includes a 4-0 mark in 2024 en route to the school's third NCAA Division II National Championship. The Bulldogs had not had a season end prior to the national quarterfinals since 2015 before the 2023 season. FSU advanced to at least the D2 National Semifinals five times in a six-year period from 2016 to 2022 under Annese.
A Look At The Dawgs
A strong nucleus returned from last year's national championship team, including nearly 12 starters and more than 50 letterwinners this fall. Over the past four seasons of action, the Bulldogs now own a 64-5 overall record, including last week's win. FSU is 92-7 over the last seven seasons of on-field action, including back-to-back NCAA D2 National Championships in 2021 and 2022 and last fall.
Another 11-Win Season
This year marks the 12th time in school history in which the Bulldogs have won at least 11 games in a campaign, but also the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. FSU's 15 wins this year ties for the most in program history along with 2018 (15-1). FSU also won 14 games in back-to-back title campaigns in 2021 (14-0) and 2022 (14-1) and 2024 (14-1).
D2 Playoff History
Ferris State's berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs this year represents the 16th appearance in school history with the other five berths prior to the last 11 years all coming during a memorable five-year stretch from 1992-96. Overall, the Bulldogs hold an all-time NCAA Playoff mark of 34-12 to date and made their deepest runs in 2021, 2022 and 2024 with NCAA Division II National Championships. In 2018, FSU also reached the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. Ferris State has reached the national quarterfinals or beyond eight times since 2016 with seven national semifinal berths and five title game appearances in the stretch. The Bulldogs had won nine-straight NCAA D2 Playoff games prior to a 2023 opening-round setback at Grand Valley State. This year marked FSU's eighth national semifinal game with the first coming back in 1995.
Extended Pregame Coverage
The Bulldog Sports Network and local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM will once again have extended Bulldog Football pregame coverage this fall. This season, the network will offer two hours of pregame coverage for all regular-season home matchups along with an hour pregame show for all road games. The "Bulldog Tailgate Show" airs from the Top Taggart Field parking lots two hours prior to each home game with the "Johnson Auto Pregame Show" an hour from kickoff inside the broadcast booth for both home and away games. All are carried live both on Sunny 97.3 FM and online across the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. All home games this fall along with conference matchups will also be televised on a pay-per-view basis on FloSports.
Bulldog Blitz Football Radio Show
This season, the Bulldog Sports Network will continue the "Bulldog Blitz" Football Radio Show on Sunny 97.3 FM and FerrisStateBulldogs.com. The show airs each Wednesday during the fall from 6-7 p.m. (ET) and also be available in podcast format via Spotify, YouTube and other social media platforms.
Leading The Nation
Presently, the Bulldogs lead the nation in Division II football in total offense at 515.5 yards per game and FSU is also first nationally in scoring offense, averaging 53.5 points per game. Along with the offensive success, the Bulldog defense ranks 17th nationally in total defense (298.3 ypg.) and is 17th in scoring defense (18.6 ppg.) in addition to fifth in red zone defense (.632). FSU is also first in the country with 30 interceptions to date this year.
Rushing Success
The last 97 times the Bulldogs have rushed for more than 130 yards in a contest as a team, FSU has compiled a 95-2 overall record. The lone setbacks in that mark were in the 2019 national semifinals versus West Florida along with the 2018 national championship game against Valdosta State.
Alumni In The NFL
Ferris State has had a total of 13 different players in a NFL Preseason Camp over the past four summers, which is the most of any D2 school in the country. A total of 10 of the alums have played in at least one NFL regular-season game since 2016, including current NFL players Zach Sieler (Miami), Caleb Murphy (New England) and Tavierre Thomas (Tampa Bay), who all remain with pro organizations. Former tight end Mason Pline, who was a two-time national champion for the Bulldogs before playing his final season as a graduate transfer on the FCS level at Furman University last season, is on injured reserve with the New Orleans Saints. Sieler was chosen last year as the AFC National Defensive Player of the Week and is a Pro Bowl candidate.
Playoff Stretch Under Annese
Ferris State has currently won its last 17 NCAA Division II Playoff games in a row with head coach Tony Annese on the sideline and has not dropped a postseason contest with him at the helm on gameday since 2019. A five-time GLIAC Coach of the Year, Annese was not present for the 2023 playoff road loss at Grand Valley State.
National Title Game Appearances
Last year marked the Bulldogs' fourth title game appearance in the past six seasons of on the field action. FSU fell to Valdosta State (Ga.) 47-45 in 2018, but came back to beat the Blazers in the title game 58-17 in 2021 before topping the Colorado School of Mines 41-14 in the title game in 2022. All four previous national championship game appearances have been at the McKinney ISD Stadium.
Among The Nation's Best
Ferris State head coach Tony Annese currently ranks as the nation's winningest active D2 head coach, based on a minimum of six seasons, with a 152-21 (.878) overall record in his 13 seasons. He's also presently second in all of NCAA D1 and D2 football regardless of level, trailing only Ryan Day (Ohio State, .882).
National Rankings Info
The Bulldogs were a consensus preseason #1 team in the nation heading into the 2025 season by D2Football.com along with the AFCA, Lindy's Sports and the NCAA Power Rankings. FSU topped every major poll at the end of last season and held onto the top spot in each poll this week.
Top Taggart Field Success
The Bulldogs have won 81 of their last 88 home games overall at Top Taggart Field dating back to the 2013 season. FSU has been unbeaten at home each of the past three seasons with a 5-0 mark in 2023 and a 9-0 home record in 2024 along with 10-0 at home this fall. FSU has won its last 29 home games in a row since a 2022 setback to GVSU.
Great Road Record
The Bulldogs have also been highly-successful on the road under head coach Tony Annese with a 67-10 road mark since 2012. FSU is also 5-1 in neutral site games for a combined 72-11 mark away from home in the span.
Gene Upshaw Award Winner
Ferris State senior offensive tackle Tim Anderson (Rochester/Adams) was chosen as the 2025 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award recipient, presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club. He became the fourth FSU player since 2019 to be named D2's best offensive or defensive lineman, joining past winners Austin Edwards (2019), Dylan Pasqauli (2021) and Caleb Murphy (2022). A first-team All-GLIAC honoree this year, Anderson was also chosen as the GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year and earned Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Super Region Three First Team accolades.
All-Super Region Three Honorees
A region-best eight FSU football standouts have claimed 2025 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Super Region Three honors as announced by the national organization. The Bulldogs' eight total honorees were the most of any school in Super Region Three as the next closest teams had only four total recipients. In addition, FSU had five first-team standouts on the list, which was also the most of any school in the region.
Ferris State's All-Super Region Three First Team picks included a pair of offensive honorees in senior tackle Tim Anderson (Rochester/Adams) along with senior center Jarvis Windom (Detroit/Cass Tech). FSU also had three first-team selections on the defensive side in senior safety Justin Payoute (Miami Gardens, Fla.), sophomore cornerback Ahlston Ware (Ocoee, Fla.) and senior defensive tackle Kailib Davis (Grand Rapids/Union).
On the defensive side, the Bulldogs' honorees included tight end Carson Gulker (Zeeland/West) and offensive tackle Bob Anderson (Rochester/Adams) in addition to linebacker Isaiah Byars (Elk Grove, Calif.).
School Scoring Record
This season, the Bulldogs have topped the school scoring record, totaling 802 total points to date this year thru 15 games of action. The figure already surpasses the NCAA Division I FBS single-season record of 726 points set in a campaign by LSU in 2019. The Division II record is 837 points by Pittsburg State in 2004, which puts Ferris State curently 35 points shy of the D2 mark.
Aiming For Four In Five Years
The Bulldogs are one win away from notching potentially a fourth NCAA Division II National Championship in the past five years. The only other D2 school to claim four national championships in a five-year span was GLIAC rival Grand Valley State, which won back-to-back national championships 2002 and 2003 along with 2005 and 2006. FSU's back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 were the first back-to-back championships since Northwest Missouri State accomplished the feat in 2015 and 2016.
Among The Nation's Top Scorers
Ferris State's Carson Gulker currently has 56 career touchdowns, which ranks second among the active NCAA Division II players in the coutnry and fifth among all active NCAA Division I, II or III players natinoally. Gulker finished the 2022 season with a school-record 31 scores on the ground, including eight in the final three playoff games en route to a national title. His 31 TD's rushing were the most by a D2 quarterback ever, becoming the third consecutive Bulldog to hold the distinction behind former standouts Jason Vander Laan and Jared Bernhardt. In 2022 and 2023, Gulker accounted for 59 total touchdowns with 45 rushing and 14 passing for the Bulldogs before being sidelined due to injury most all of last season. He has 11 total touchdowns this year with five on the ground and six in the air.
Bulldog Notebook
The winner of Saturday's game will become the first team in modern NCAA football history to finish with a 16-0 record. Both FSU and Harding have matched the all-time mark with 15 wins to date this year ... Saturday's game will mark the first time the nation's top two teams from wire-to-wire in the seasonal polls have met in the time game. The last was Northwest Missouri State and Grand Valley State in 2006 ... Saturday's game will pit the two teams with the most wins in Division II football since 2020 as the Bulldogs own a 65-5 record and Harding is 62-6 over the past five years ... FSU senior safety Justin Payoute (Miami Gardens, Fla.) leads the nation at the NCAA level in interceptions this year with a school single-season record nine to date ... As a team, the Bulldogs are tops in the country with 30 interceptions overall, which is also a school all-time mark .... Ferris State tied the school reocrd for wins in a season with 15 last week and can break the mark by winning its 16th game of the campaign this week. FSU went 15-1 in 2018 with the lone loss coming in the national title game to Valdosta State .... Saturday's national championship game will be televised at 13 different Buffalo Wild Wings locations across the state of Michigan .... The Ferris State radio broadcast team of Rob Bentley & Sandy Gholston will call their sixth national championship game together. The duo had the call of the school's first NCAA D2 National Championship in men's basketball in 2018 and has called each of the previous four title game contests in football.