The Ferris State University football team battled back to defeat preseason nationally-ranked Hillsdale College 20-17 Friday night at Top Taggert Field.
FSU rallied back from a 17-7 third quarter deficit for the nonconference victory before a “Community Day” home opener crowd of 3,453 fans.
Junior running back Skyler Stoker garnered Babb Ford Bulldog Player of the Game honors as he rushed for a career-high 162 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Driving 70 yards in six plays, the Bulldogs cut the Chargers’ lead to 17-13 with 7:04 left in the third quarter on Stoker’s 11 yard touchdown run. Stoker went on to score the winning touchdown from 9 yards out with 13:07 left in the fourth quarter.
Also contributing were junior running back Dwayne Williams with 73 yards on 12 attempts and senior quarterback Tom Schneider with 57 yards in 11 tries. In addition, Schneider completed 10-of-21 passes for 84 yards. Senior receiver Mike Ryan snagged five receptions for 49 yards.
Junior tailback and 2010 All-GLIAC selection Joe Glendening paced HC with 153 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts. Glendening was the only Charger running back to gain more than 21 yards in the contest.
FSU’s defense created two critical second half turnovers and forced HC to punt on their final two possessions. Junior linebacker Tayo Moss recorded a game-high 13 tackles. Junior linebacker Alex Brajak added 12 tackles, and senior defensive tackle Muneer Bawayeh had nine stops.
The Bulldogs finished with 370 yards of total offense (286 yards rushing and 84 yards passing) compared to the Chargers’ 355 total yards (189 yards rushing and 166 passing.)
FSU will travel to Saginaw Valley State University Sept. 10 to open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference play. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Bulldogs upset the Cardinals last season in a 21-17 home win.