Hitting the road to Big Rapids, the No. 18 Grand Valley State University football team (4-3) faced top-ranked rival No. 1 Ferris State University (7-0) in the highly anticipated Anchor-Bone Classic. Labeled as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Game of the Week, the Bulldogs came away Saturday with the 38-31 shootout victory.
Playing in front of 10,089 people, the Laker community and pep band continued to support the team, despite the previous week’s loss. Head coach Scott Wooster said that support on the road was an incredible sight heading into the game. The Lakers won the toss and deferred the ball to the second half, allowing the Bulldogs’ number one offense in Division II to take the field, beginning the biggest matchup of the year for both teams.
A free kick out of bounds by GVSU opened the game, giving Ferris the ball on the 35-yard line. Ferris moved the ball with a play action pass to the outside, where after breaking multiple tackles, moved the ball to the Lakers’ 32-yard line. On the sixth play of the drive, a quick pass over the middle was taken the distance, giving the Bulldogs the first score of the game with 12 minutes left in the first quarter.
Starting their first drive on the 26-yard line, an eight-yard run by senior running back Syone Usma-Harper set up third and short. The Lakers failed to convert to start the game, and were forced to punt. GVSU pinned Ferris deep with the punt to start their second drive when sophomore wide receiver Kenyon Owens made an impressive open-field tackle on the 12-yard line. Holding Ferris to a third down, an offensive false start forced a third and long. On a deep pass to try to move the chains, junior defensive back Quinn Wills had a pass breakup to give his team the ball back.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster was able to find his partner, sophomore quarterback Brady Drogosh, in the pass game with multiple completions, moving the ball to the Ferris’ 39-yard line. However, this momentum was stopped after a fumble by Schuster was recovered by the Bulldogs’ defense.
A tricky end-around reverse by Ferris found open space, moving them to the four-yard line. Throughout the first 10 minutes of the game, Ferris used all three of their timeouts in the half to find the perfect play to try and get a two-score lead over the Lakers. This play was a well-executed shot pass over the middle, giving Ferris a 14-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Beginning their third drive, the Lakers were able to shut down back-to-back plays. Momentum picked up with a first-down pass to junior tight end Evan Furtney. Two plays later, a busted defense by Ferris left Furtney wide open, where Schuster found him for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Ending the first quarter, the Lakers still found themselves fighting from behind 14-7.
“I saw how the linebacker and safety were kind of confused and nobody had eyes on me,” said Furtney. “I kind of knew I was going to be wide open, and I appreciate Schuster for trusting me to make a play.”
Flipping the field, the Bulldogs quickly got to work, finding a lane on the outside with a read option and running a 41-yard running touchdown to extend their lead 21-7.
The Lakers moved the ball into Ferris’ territory with a strong drive, made up of an 11-yard run by sophomore running back Paschal Jolman, an 11-yard catch from junior wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El and a 14-yard catch by senior wide receiver Griffin Shinrock. After a timeout by GVSU, this drive was capped off with a touchdown pass by Schuster to senior wide receiver Kellen Reed, making the score 21-14.
Stiffening up defensively, the Lakers’ defensive line held Ferris to a fourth-and-three, forcing a punt and taking control of the ball on the Lakers’ 17-yard line. A contested 14-yard catch by Shinrock on a flag route moved the chains for the Lakers, entering Bulldog territory. On the Ferris 27-yard line, sophomore wide receiver Sean Byrd beat his defender on a go route, catching a deep strike from Schuster to tie the game 21-21.
With two minutes left in the half, Ferris’ passing game drove them down the field. A broken tackle by the sideline gave an open path to the end zone for Ferris, and allowed them to regain the lead, 28-21.
With under a minute remaining, the Lakers, commanded by Schuster, drove past midfield to the Ferris 36-yard line. Setting a new career-long, sophomore kicker Mathew Bacik hit a 54-yard field goal to make it 28-24 at the half. Putting up 24 points in the first half, this is the most points scored on Ferris this season thus far in what was a first-half shootout.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Lakers started the drive at their 17-yard line. After getting close to a first down, GVSU was forced to punt on fourth-and-one. The Lakers’ defense held strong on the following drive, and after a batted pass at the line by redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Josh Williams, forced a three-and-out.
Keeping the drive alive, three straight rushes by Drogosh totaled 36 yards, putting the Lakers’ offense on the opponent’s 36-yard line. Despite the powerful drive, a rally by the Bulldogs defensively put pressure on Schuster, forcing an interception in the end zone for a touchback.
“The difference in the second half was that we made turnovers,” said Schuster. “I made a mistake (and) I want that one back. Possessions were at a minimum in the second half, so I think we just got to convert, (and) make big time plays when they come to you.”
After a fast third quarter of no scoring, Ferris started the fourth on the Lakers’ 49-yard line. Senior linebacker Anthony Cardamone and junior linebacker Jimmy Downs combined for a big third-down stop, stuffing the run and forcing a Ferris 38-yard field goal with 12 minutes left in the game.
Down 31-24, a pass to the sideline to Wyche-El for 21 yards started the drive strong. A 28-yard completion to Byrd on the next play put the Lakers inside the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line. Battling for every yard, the GVSU offense took the field on a fourth and three. However, a pass breakup forced an incompletion and turnover on downs.
“We get some plus-one-run game going, some zone read going, get it right down there and don’t put points on the board,” said Wooster. “(We) marched on down the field, felt like we had it dialed up pretty good, but then red zone turnovers halted everything.”
Needing a stop, the Lakers’ defense forced Ferris into a fourth and three, but a costly offsides call gave up the first down. Multiple penalties on the Lakers during this drive set up Ferris across midfield, and a few plays later, found the endzone to move the score to 38-24.
“The 15-yard penalty was really frustrating,” said Wooster. “We had a couple helmets off, hands up in our face masks, the referees called it there, and we continued to play unsportsmanlike. We can’t give up those yards, especially in that situation.”
Down two scores and in need of points quickly, a 31-yard completion to Reed set up the Lakers deep, and a center screen to Wyche-El was taken the remaining 19 yards to the end zone for Schuster’s third touchdown pass of the game, putting the score at 38-31. Desperately needing the onside kick, it was Ferris who jumped on the ball with a minute left in the game. With little time left, the Bulldogs killed the clock to close out their second straight victory over GVSU.
With this win, the series record becomes 32-25-1, with GVSU continuing to hold the all-time record lead. The Lakers will look to recoup after tough back-to-back losses, next traveling to Wayne State University (0-8) Saturday.
