HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech football team travels downstate for the first time this season for a clash against No. 4 Ferris State at Top Taggart Field slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
Watch The Huskies
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The Series
The Huskies and the Bulldogs go way back, meeting 72 times, with the first meeting coming two years after the conclusion of the Second World War in 1947. Oddly enough, each team has won 34 games to go with four ties. Michigan Tech strung together nine wins from 2003 to 2011 but has lost the last 11 matchups to the Bulldogs in their rise to becoming a national powerhouse.
About the Bulldogs
Ferris State, the GLIAC preseason favorite, resides second in the league and is currently riding a five-game unbeaten streak for an overall record of 5-1 and a 2-0 ledger in the loop. The Bulldogs have been among the top seven in the national polls all season and have been steady at the No. 4 spot three weeks running.
The Bulldogs are coming off an interesting win over Wayne State that started at 6 p.m. Saturday and due to lightning and weather in the Motor City, was halted midway through the second quarter and resumed at 11 a.m. on Sunday, seeing the Bulldogs prevail over the winless Warriors, 27-14.
FSU is one of the best in Division II in controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball averaging almost 250 rushing yards on offense while holding the opposition to under 65 yards on the ground. Both rank seventh in the country.
Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 215 yards per game. Chambliss, a three time GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week also leads the Bulldogs on the ground, packaging 43.2 rushing yards per game, totaling 259 yards and seven touchdowns. Six receivers are averaging over two receptions a game with Emari O'Brien (258 yards) and Cam Underwood (241 yards) leading the way adding two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 10 points a game (9.8). Three players have over 25 total tackles this season led by Michael Edwards (18 solo tackles, 12 assisted). The Bulldogs have accounted for 11 interceptions with defensive back Jalen Jones producing a team-leading three interceptions.
About the Huskies
Michigan Tech travels downstate for the first time this fall after suffering its first loss since the opening weekend, falling to Davenport 24-20 at Kearly Stadium on Saturday for an overall record of 4-2 and 1-1 in the GLIAC.
Senior quarterback Alex Fries continues to pace the league with 1,455 yards passing and 14 touchdowns, averaging a GLIAC-high 242.5 yards per game. His two top targets are among the league's-best as Darius Willis has a GLIAC-leading six touchdowns, while Ethan Champney averages 93.3 receiving yards an outing. Champney has 560 receiving yards this season while Willis is close behind with 508. Willis is also the new program leader in reception touchdowns, earning his 25th last Saturday against Davenport.
Sophomore running back Jake Rueff has averaged 47.8 rushing yards per game on 71 attempts with two touchdowns.
Michigan Tech's defense is led by junior defensive back Dante Basanese with 57 total tackles as his 9.8 tackles per game ranks first in the GLIAC and 14th nationally. Five other Huskies have accounted for 35 or more tackles this season.
Veteran defensive back Hunter Buechel has posted a team-leading four sacks for 28 yards while adding two forced fumbles. The defense has also recovered four fumbles and six interceptions.
Punter Brenden Lach is second in the country with a punting average of 46.4 yards in 35 punts for 1,623 yards.
One Last Thing
With five games to play, senior quarterback Alex Fries has tossed for almost 1,500 yards and is on pace to set the school record for passing yards in a season set by Tyler Scarlett in 2012 with his 2,596-yard season.
