PREVIEW: Huskies travel to Ferris State

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech football (3-4, 2-1 GLIAC) is back on the road this week to face defending Division II National Champion Ferris State (5-1, 1-1). The No. 7 ranked Bulldogs fell from No. 1 after losing to Grand Valley State at home in the Anchor-Bone Classic at Top Taggart Field. Meanwhile, the Huskies rediscovered the win column with home victories over Wayne State and Northern Michigan this month. The schedule only gets tougher, however, as Tech is up against three ranked teams in its final four weeks. All four remaining opponents hold winning records, including undefeated, top-ranked Grand Valley State (7-0). 

LAST TIME OUT

• Sophomore Darius Willis corraled two touchdown catches, and the Husky defense limited Northern Michigan to 220 yards of total offense as Michigan Tech earned its 12th straight Miner's Cup victory Saturday afternoon at chilly Kearly Stadium in GLIAC football. Senior Braxton Blackwell added a first-half interception and sophomore Brandon Michalak tacked on a touchdown catch for the Huskies in front of 1,629 fans.
• Together, the Huskies counted up to 12 as they received the 20-year-old trophy following the game.
• Michigan Tech improved to 17-3 since the Cup's inception in 2002 and is now 49-41-1 overall against the Wildcats in the rivalry dating back to 1920.
• Marc Sippel led the team with 13 tackles (three solo). Blackwell, Michael Bates Jr., and Hunter Buechel tallied six apiece.
• Both teams punted six times and Brenden Lach averaged 41.7 yards per punt in a light breeze for MTU. Ark led the Huskies with 12 scrambles for 52 yards.
• Will Marano rushed 17 times for 48 yards and Alec Moriarty contributed six runs for 26 yards.

TAKING THE LEAD

• Senior quarterback Will Ark started games for the Huskies beginning in 2018, making him a four-time winner of the Miner's Cup behind center. On October 10, he was named GLIAC Player of the Week after posting a season-high 340 yards passing with three touchdown passes and another running in a 35-34 homecoming win over Wayne State.
• Ark ranks third in the GLIAC behind Whittaker (Davenport) and Peterson (Grand Valley State) with 160.8 passing yards per game. 
• He has thrown for 12 touchdowns (2nd) with five interceptions and a 56-percent completion rate.

STAYING DISCIPLINED

• Michigan Tech ranks ninth in Division II for fewest penalty yards per game (39.14) and 11th in fewest total penalty yards (274). The Huskies led the GLIAC for fewest penalty yards per game in 2021.

RECEIVING REPORT

• Sophomore Darius Willis leads the squad with 45 receptions for 86.4 yards per game (2nd) and a GLIAC-leading nine touchdowns. The sophomore receiving corps also includes Ethan Champney (25 receptions, 246 yards), and Brandon Michalak (15 receptions, six 

touchdowns, 332 yards). 

ON THE GROUND

• Ferris State ranks 31st in rushing yards per game (193.5) in Division II while the Huskies check in at 140th (87.9).
• Junior Will Marano takes the bulk of the carries (131) and averages 45.9 yards per game with a pair of touchdowns.
• Alec Moriarty played well on Saturday and has increased his time on the field. The sophomore has 40 carries for 129 yards and one score.
• Ark regularly moves the ball both on designed quarterback keepers and scrambling. He has three rushing touchdowns and a season-long 16 yard run for the Huskies.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

• Sophomore kicker Drew Wyble made a season-long 40-yard field goal and is 3-for-4 on attempts this fall.
• Wyble is also 23-for-24 (96-percent) on extra points through eight games.
• Sophomore punter Brendan Lach averages 40.8 yards per punt with nine landing inside the opponent 20-yard line and three touchbacks on 42 attempts.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Nationally top-ranked Ferris State University drew in a record crowd and held the advantage going into the fourth quarter of Saturday's (Oct. 15) Anchor-Bone Classic showdown against second-ranked rival Grand Valley State, but the Lakers tallied a pair of touchdowns in the final period and earned a 22-21 win over the Bulldogs at Top Taggart Field.
• FSU totaled 316 yards on offense and quarterback Mylik Mitchell completed 19 of 27 passes for 235 yards and a score.
• Marcus Taylor ran for 56 yards and caught five passes for 86 yards. Slot receiver CJ Jefferson led the team with six catches for 83 yards.
• A crowd of 12,661 fans attended the contest, marking the largest crowd to ever watch a Bulldog home game in Big Rapids.
• The setback snapped the Bulldogs' 19-game winning streak going back to last season and ended FSU's school all-time best 43-game regular-season winning streak that dated to 2017. It marked FSU's first regular-season home loss since 2016.
• Tony Annese is in his 10th season at the helm in 2022. Prior to Ferris State, Annese led Grand Rapids Community College to three successful seasons and 25 seasons at the high school coaching level. The Bulldogs made their second NCAA Division II National semifinals appearance in 2016 and broke through to the National Championship game in 2018. After making a run to the National Semifinals again in 2019, Annese led the Bulldogs over Valdosta State for the National title last season, capping an undefeated 14-0 record.
• Junior Grand Valley transfer Caleb Murphy (Dowagiac, Mich.) leads the country with 13.0 sacks (11 solo), ahead of Zach Durfee (Sioux Falls) at 11.5. The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC and rank seventh nationally in sacks (24).