October 24th, 2026 3:30pm
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The nation's top-ranked Ferris State University Bulldogs moved a step closer to NCAA Division II history on Saturday (Oct. 24), overcoming a league challenge in a hard-fought 27-20 win over 12th-ranked Michigan Tech at Top Taggart Field.
The win was the Bulldogs' 38th in a row dating back to 2024 and matches Northwest Missouri State for the second-longest all-time winning streak in D2 history. FSU is now only two games away from the record of 40-straight set by Grand Valley State in the early 2000's.
Ferris State answered an early deficit with 24 consecutive points across four scoring drives, moving from down 7-0 to ahead 24-7 in the third period. FSU finished with 240 rushing yards, 25 first downs and a 10-for-16 mark on third down while holding Michigan Tech to 261 total yards.
"First off, you just saw great coaching by the Michigan Tech staff," said FSU head coach Tony Annese. "Just great preparation. You saw a Michigan Tech team that was just — I mean, they were ready. They were ready.
"I give our guys credit because I said this to them after the game that we're everybody's Super Bowl," he added. "It's a tough spot to be in, but obviously, when you get all the accolades we've gotten and win at the level we've won at, we just have to realize that. Our guys do, but it was just a remarkable, remarkable effort by them. They played so hard on all sides of the ball."
After the Bulldogs picked up one first down on its opening possession, Michigan Tech drove 78 yards, with Elliott Larner breaking a 45-yard run and later scoring on a 10-yard rush at 11:14 of the first stanza. Starting at its own 12 after the kickoff, Ferris State put together an 82-yard response, using a 14-yard run by Taariik Brett, an offside penalty on fourth-and-1 and a 12-yard Chase Carter run to reach the red zone before Kevin Simes scored from 12 yards out at 4:57 and Jay Cady tied it with the extra point. MTU moved across midfield on its next series, but FSU stopped it with a third-down sack shared by Dre Thomas and Ryan Ahern, and the quarter ended tied 7-7.
In the first quarter, the Bulldogs converted four of seven third downs and totaled seven first downs. Michigan Tech had 102 rushing yards and no passing yards, while Ferris added 86 yards on the ground.