FOOTBALL: Ferris Falls Hard To Northern, 34-0

MARQUETTE - Ferris State University has twice played road games and twice has run into what can best be described as a flat-out buzzsaw (disguised as the Northern Michigan University football team).

Northern dominated the Bulldogs from start to finish as the Wildcats came out firing from the start and built a 13-0 by halftime. Certainly the Cats probably felt their lead could have been even bigger. But, by the end, it hardly mattered as Northern turned on the afterburners by the end of the first half and rolled to a decisive 34-0 win over Ferris before a large and appreciative homecoming crowd of 4,271 (the crowd seemed a bit larger at peak times during the game) inside the Superior Dome in Marquette on the NMU campus.

At the end of the first half, Northern had outgained Ferris on the ground 244-92 and it really wasn't any better for the Bulldogs in the second half as they struggled to stop the run. When the game was over, the Wildcats still maintained an edge in total yards (389-319) against a Ferris team that just had few answers. The total yards were not indicative of the final score (dominated by Northern).

By the end of the third quarter, Northern had built a 34-0 lead against the Bulldogs and, in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats started to substitute reserves into the game.

Ferris, late in the game, went to senior receiver Chris Wilson and Mike Ryan quite a bit. Wilson, at 6-foot-6 made some catches in the second half as a bright spot. Ryan had six catches for 91 yards and Wilson five catches for 91 yards in the loss.

Still, even with Wilson's good play, the Bulldogs could not get into the end zone.

Ferris mostly utilized Kyle Parrish, as a thrower, and D.J. Freeman, as a runner, at quarterback. When Parrish entered the game, the Bulldogs used the vertical passing game. When Freeman was in the game, mostly in the Wildcat, he was in a running role. Parrish completed 29-of-55 passes for 306 yards).

Northern had a staggering total of 353 yards rushing in the game contest while Ferris managed just 13 yards on the ground.

Ferris will be back in action on Oct. 3 in the Battle at the Ballpark in Comstock Park when the Bulldogs will take on Michigan Tech University at 7 p.m. in Comstock Park.