GAME 6: Saginaw Valley at Ferris State
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 1 PM ET
Top Taggert Field | Big Rapids, Mich.

Kick Off...
The Cardinals hit the road to face the nation's top-ranked team at Ferris State in the second GLIAC contest of the season. SVSU (2-3, 0-1 GLIAC) looks to end a three-game skid and earn its first conference win of the season in a tough environment in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs (5-0, 1-0 GLIAC) have won their last 35 games and haven't lost a conference contest in nearly three years (Oct. 14, 2023).

Last Time Out...
Saginaw Valley State football fell to No. 11 Davenport, 37-27, on homecoming. The Cardinals (2-3, 0-1 GLIAC) scored three straight touchdowns to pull within 10 points of tying the Panthers (5-0, 1-0 GLIAC) in the fourth quarter, but the rally fell short.

JT Webber (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Grand Blanc HS) recorded his second 100-yard receiving performance of the season after hauling in five passes for 102 yards. Meijer Player of the Game Sean Hodges (Detroit, Mich. / Cass Tech HS) flipped the momentum to the Cardinals with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final two minutes of the third quarter, putting the score at 37-20. Hodges had two interceptions on back-to-back possessions, six tackles, and two stops for loss.

Wolf recorded his fourth 300-yard passing performance, finishing 18-for-30 for 325 yards and two touchdowns. Ramonty Houze Jr. (Harper Woods, Mich. / Harper Woods HS) had a great showing with four catches for 98 yards. Mylek Lee (Inkster, Mich. / Romulus HS), Miles, and Hill each had three catches. Lee totaled 50 yards, while Miles had 38 and a touchdown, and Hill had 37 and a score. Tommy Offer (Rochester, Mich. / Adam HS) registered a team-high 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. It was the first time in his career he registered double-digit stops in a game. James McDonald (Warren, Mich. / De La Salle HS) finished with 10 tackles and a half-tackle for loss. Jalen Edwards (Davison, Mich. / Davison HS) totaled eight tackles. Jaden Bevier (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti HS), Brandon Lewis (Lansing, Mich. / Lansing Catholic HS), and Hodges finished with six tackles.

The Series
This is the 51st meeting between Saginaw Valley State and Ferris State in football. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 30-19-1 and are on an 11-game winning streak. Last season's matchup had the Cardinals push FSU to double overtime. SVSU held a 17-7 lead at halftime before Ferris flipped the momentum with a 21-point third quarter to take a 28-24 lead heading into the fourth, then held on to the win with a touchdown in the second overtime for the 51-45 victory.
 
Four of the last five meetings between the Cardinals and Bulldogs have been one-score games (2025, 51-45 / 2024, 27-24 / 2022, 33-28 / 2021, 47-45); all four were National Championship seasons for Ferris State.

1st-And-10...
•Saginaw Valley State football enters a new era with first-year head coach Michael Engle. Engle became the eighth SVSU football coach when he was hired in January. Engle spent four years at UIndy before he joined the Cardinals.

• The Cardinals were chosen fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll. SVSU finished with 28 points, three points behind fourth-place Davenport. 

• Defensive Lineman Adom LeDuc (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Utica Stevenson HS) was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List. LeDuc was named to the first-team defense, earning a spot among the 11 best defensive players in all of Division II college football. 

• The Cardinals named wide receiver Braden Hill, offensive lineman Kaiden Bell, defensive lineman Adom LeDuc, and linebacker James McDonald.

• Kicker Teagen Lenderink was selected as the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the season opener. He is the only Cardinal to receive a GLIAC Player of the Week award so far this season.

• The Cardinals lead the GLIAC in passing yards per game (299.3) while the Panthers' passing defense ranks second, surrendering 155.8 yards through the air per game.

• Ferris State is the only team in D2 not to give up a sack yet this season, and has only surrendered two tackles for loss. 

• The Bulldogs currently lead the country in red zone defense (0.417) and scoring defense (6.2).

• FSU is currently on a 35-game winning streak, with their last loss coming to Pittsburg State in the first game of the 2024 season. Ferris State has also won its last 18 GLIAC games, with the last loss coming to Grand Valley State in October of 2023.

• The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 186-37 this season and have allowed two opponents to score a high of 14 points through the first five games. Saginaw Valley State has outscored opponents 161-141, and the three losses have been by an average margin of seven points.

Cardinal Receivers Highlight Efficient Passing Game...
SVSU has a trio of receivers with 100-yard performances through the first three games.

JT Webber leads the Cardinals with 467 receiving yards. He had back-to-back 100-yard games to open the season and collected a third last week against Davenport. Webber tallied 107 yards in the season-opening win over McKendree before repeating in game two with 132 yards against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Webber had one catch for an 82-yard touchdown in the loss to Northwood, and he led the team with four receptions for 44 yards at Kentucky State. Last week against the Panthers, Webber caught a team-high five passes for 102 yards.

Matt Vaughn totaled 102 yards on four catches against the Bearcats in the season opener with two touchdowns. He has finished the first four games with three or more catches for the Cardinals. Against the Javelinas, he caught three passes for 35 yards. At Northwood, the converted TE caught four for 27, then added three for 26 against the Thorobreds.

Braden Hill recorded a team-best 135 receiving yards with three touchdowns at Northwood for his first 100-yard receiving game this season. He leads the team with five touchdown catches. Hill added a sixth score at Kentucky State when he returned a punt for a 58-yard touchdown in the first quarter, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead early.

Ramonty Houze Jr. had a big showing against Davenport last week, catching four passes for 98 yards. Houze had three catches of 20 yards or more against the Panthers, including a 34-yard reception on a 3rd-down play to extend a drive for the Cardinals in the first half.

The Cardinals currently rank sixth in NCAA Division II and second in the GLIAC in team passing efficiency with 185.75. Hill is one of 32 players in the country to return a punt for a touchdown. He also ranks 11th with his five touchdown catches, second-best in the league. Webber leads the conference and ranks fourth in the nation in yards per reception (27.47). Hill is seventh in the same category at 24.43, second in the GLIAC. 

About the Bulldogs...
Ferris State is one of three unbeaten teams left in the GLIAC (15 in D2).  The Bulldogs hold a school record and nation-leading 35-game winning streak, and a 31-game winning streak at home. 

FSU is averaging 530.6 yards a game with 286.6 on the ground and 244.0 in the air. They are second in the conference in points per game at 44.6 and are tied for the best in scoring defense, allowing just 7.4 points per contest. 

Wyatt Bower leads the team under center for the second season. Bower is completing nearly 65% of his passes (55-of-85), with six touchdown tosses and only two interceptions. He also leads the way on the ground with a team-best 302 yards and five scores. Zak Ahern also has five rushing touchdowns and is second on the team with 194 yards. Marcel Jones has 162 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown as well. 

Jaylin Townsend and Kevin Simes lead the receivers with 15 grabs this season. Townsend has 273 yards and two touchdowns, while Simes has 142 and a score. 

Nick Flegler leads the defense with 24 total tackles. Trace Corlew and Tyrone Fowler are second with 24 each. Corlew has two tackles for loss, and Fowler has five with 1.5 sacks. Brady Hamby is fourth with 21 stops and 3.0 tackles for loss. Three Bulldogs (Tre-Quori Rollerson, Bill Brown, and Jerek Fields) have an interception this season.