October 25th, 2025 2:15pm
No. 1 Ferris State held off an inspired effort from rival Grand Valley State to win the Anchor-Bone Classic by a final of 38-31. The Lakers held a slight edge in total offense, outgaining the Bulldogs 462-433 and also held a time of possession advantage. However, the running game was a difference on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs finished the day with 243 rushing yards while holding the Lakers to 104. Taarik Brett led the way for Ferris State with 89 yards on 10 carries, with two touchdowns. He also scored twice on pass receptions. Brady Rose added 75 yards on 8 carries. Carson Gulker was the leading receiver with six grabs for 85 yards. For Grand Valley, Andrew Schuster passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns. Brady Drogosh also completed a touchdown pass. All four Laker receiving touchdowns were scored by different players.
From Ferris State sports information:
Big Rapids, Mich. - Nationally top-ranked Ferris State emerged victorious over Grand Valley State with a hard-fought 38-31 win in the Anchor-Bone Classic before a sellout crowd on Saturday (Oct. 25) at Top Taggart Field.
The Bulldogs built an early two-score lead and closed out the victory down the stretch to hold onto possession of the trophy for the second consecutive year. The win was FSU's 22nd in a row dating back to last year and 24th-straight home victory in Big Rapids dating back to GVSU's last visit in 2022.
A crowd of more than 10,000 fans watched a back-and-forth tilt between the two West Michigan powers. FSU capitalized on a strong start, scoring 28 points in the first half, and the Bulldogs also got four touchdowns from speedy slot receiver Taariik Brett in the win.
"What a war," said FSU head coach Tony Annese. "I mean I was just so impressed with the way Grand Valley came here and played. They were just relentless and played so hard. Our guys played hard. It was a hard-fought game. I give (GVSU) Coach (Scott) Wooster and his staff a lot of credit for getting their guys to come here and perform at the level they did today."
"I think both programs fought really hard," he added. "For West Michigan to have these two programs and then you add in Davenport. I mean this is big-time college football being played right here in West Michigan with two programs that are regularly in the top 10. Then you have Davenport where (head coach) Sparky (McEwen) has done a great job. What a blessing for West Michigan and a beautiful day. And it's just a great day to celebrate football."
Ferris State established an early lead in the opening quarter, scoring on its first offensive drive. Wyatt Bower connected with Carson Gulker for a 25-yard completion and later found Brett for a 28-yard score to finish a six-play, 65-yard drive.
Soon after, FSU defensive end Tim Allen came up with a fumble recovery to halt a Grand Valley State drive, allowing Ferris State to capitalize with a second touchdown as FSU drove 63 yards in five plays. Bower capped the drive with a five-yard scoring throw to Brett to make it 14-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
GVSU, though, responded with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Schuster to Evan Furtney in the final minute of the stanza as the Lakers moved 74 yards in six plays to pull back within a score.
Ferris State extended its lead early in the second quarter with a 41-yard touchdown run by Taariik Brett, pushing the score to 21-7.
However, the Lakers again battled back as Schuster tossed a pair of second-quarter scores covering seven yards to Kellen Reed and 27 yards to Sean Byrd, tying the game at 21 points apiece.
The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead with 1:35 remaining in the half on Brett's 24-yard scoring run, which capped a quick six-play, 84-yard jaunt to give FSU a 28-21 lead. But, the Lakers answered by moving 39 yards in eight plays with Mathew Bacik closing the half with a long 54-yard field goal to pull GVSU withing 28-24 at the break.
Ferris State maintained the same four-point lead over GVSU at the close of the third quarter, which was aided by a pivotal interception by senior defensive back Justin Payoute, which halted a promising Grand Valley drive at the 4:27 mark. Despite being outgained on the ground, Ferris State's defense delivered notable plays, including Payoute's interception and Alston Ware's pass breakup. On offense, Carson Gulker's 13-yard rush was a key highlight, although a holding penalty nullified a potential touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Ferris State extended its lead with a 38-yard field goal by Eddie Jewett at 12:03, followed by a decisive 10-yard touchdown run by Wyatt Bower at 02:44, capping a 79-yard drive. Grand Valley State answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Schuster at 01:38, but Ferris State recovered the onside kick and came up with a pivotal first down to preserve the win.
"My performance came from strictly my teammates on the offensive side of the ball doing their jobs," said Brett. "Everybody out there did their job. The blocking was great, and I am just going off what they're doing and reading the situations. Wyatt (Bower) did a great job of delivering the ball. It's up to me to make the catches and the plays from there."
Bower completed 10 of 20 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns while adding 53 rushing yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Brett contributed significantly with 89 rushing yards on 10 attempts, scoring twice, and caught five passes for 76 yards and two additional touchdowns. Gulker caught six balls for 85 yards.
"An unsung hero for us, I mean Wyatt (Bower) was super, but for me one of the unsung heroes in this game was Carson Gulker," Annese said. "He made so many plays. We moved him into that position thinking he was an NFL-caliber athlete. And, if NFL players or organizations are out there don't know this then they should start looking because he's a legit athlete. I was very impressed with the way he played."
Payoute made an impact on defense with eight tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Markee Jones recorded four tackles and one sack, bolstering the team's defensive efforts.
"I feel like in the first half, we kind of got in our heads a little bit and let the game take over in the way," said Payoute. "But when we got back into the locker room, we kind of told ourselves to just settle down, let the plays come to us, don't press to make plays. In the second half we did. That's part of why I came away with that pick."
With the win, the Bulldogs remained unbeaten at 8-0 overall and stayed on top of the GLIAC with a 4-0 conference mark. GVSU fell to 4-3 overall.
The Bulldogs will host Northern Michigan next Saturday, Nov. 1, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. (ET) at Top Taggart Field.