Posted: Nov 07, 2025
Game 10: Saginaw Valley vs. Ferris State
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 1 PM ET
Wickes Memorial Stadium | University Center, Mich.
Preview Interview: Coach Brady
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Video - https://flosports.link/4nEhv83
Live Stats - https://svsucardinals.com/sports/fball/2025-26/boxscores/20251108_ih03.xml
Radio - https://alphamediaplayer.com/wsgwsports
KICK-OFF
Saginaw Valley State University football looks to bounce back after a tough loss to Davenport on the road last week when they host No. 1-ranked Ferris State on Senior Day.
LAST TIME OUT...
Mistakes plagued the Cardinals in the 31-17 loss at Davenport last week. Early in the game, the Panthers jumped ahead 7-0 after blocking a punt and recovering it in the endzone. Capitalizing on two SVSU turnovers in the first half, they added 10 more points and carried a 17-7 lead into halftime. Overall, the Cardinals finished with four turnovers—three interceptions and a fumble.
Zarek Zelinski (Waterford, Mich. / Waterford Kettering HS) achieved a career-high 82 receiving yards, highlighted by a 64-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
Michael Jamerson III (Flint, Mich. / Davison HS) had three runs for 47 yards, including a 37-yard gain on a 2nd-and-5 that pushed the ball to DU's 13-yard line. Three plays later, Nicholas Patterson (Mooresville, Ind. / Mooresville HS) punched the ball into the endzone from five yards out to tie the score at 7-7 with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter.
Mason McKenzie (Caledonia, Mich. / Caledonia HS) ended the game 14-of-29 for 188 yards and a touchdown, also rushing 22 times for 84 yards. Jamerson III posted 14 carries for 93 yards. With three catches for 82 yards and a score, Zelinski contributed significantly. Terrence Brown Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS) recorded a team-high five receptions for 50 yards and added two carries for 20 rushing yards.
Christian Boivin (Traverse City, Mich. / Traverse City West HS) led the defense with 10 tackles, including one for loss. He recorded his fourth game this season with double-digit stops. Jaden Bevier (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti HS) added eight tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Tyree Hill (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Ann Arbor Huron HS) and Brandon Lewis (Lansing, Mich. / Lansing Catholic HS) each had six tackles. Sean Hodges (Detroit, Mich. / Cass Tech HS) contributed five tackles in the losing effort.
1ST-AND-10
• Mason McKenzie leads the team in both passing (1,668 yards) and rushing (817 yards) this season. He has completed 59.1% of his passing attempts and is involved in over 50% of the total team touchdowns (19-of-37). He leads the GLIAC in total offense (276.1), ranking 20th in NCAA Division II. His 817 rushing yards rank third in the GLIAC and 23rd in the country.
• McKenzie was 11-for-24 for 187 yards and a touchdown in the game against Ferris State last season. He led the Cardinals in rushing as well with 90 yards on 18 carries and another score in the three-point loss (27-24) to the Bulldogs.
• McKenzie averages nearly 200 yards passing (190.2) and 100 yards rushing (90.8) in the six home games this season. He has completed 86-of-132 passes for 1,141 yards and nine touchdowns.
• Terrence Brown Jr. is tied for first in the conference for receiving touchdowns (5) and is third in receiving yards (531). Brown's move to the slot has proven beneficial for both him and the team, as he is McKenzie's favorite target with a team-high catches. He is also the team's leading scorer with 54 points.
• Christian Boivin leads the defense with 84.0 tackles. He has compiled 3.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, one interception, and four pass breakups this season. He is in a three-way tie for the most tackles in the GLIAC and anchors a Cardinal defense that allows the second fewest rushing yards per game (106.3) and has held opponents to under 50 yards rushing twice this year.
• Junyoung Chung has 51 tackles, tied for second-most on the team, with 28 solo stops. He has 1.5 tackles for loss and two breakups to his credit as well.
• Adom LeDuc helps lead the Cardinal pass rush with 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He has 45 tackles (4th on the team) and has one forced fumble and a pass breakup.
• James McDonald has the third-most tackles on the team with 50 stops. He has recorded double-digit tackles three times, including two of the last three games.
• The Cardinals are 4-2 at home this season, including a three-game winning streak inside Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium. SVSU is outscoring opponents 35.7-22.7 at home. They have also outgained the visitors 438.3-328.7 yards per game.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Ferris State enters this week a perfect 9-0 this season. The nationally top-ranked Bulldogs are on a 23-game winning streak that dates back to August 31, 2024, when FSU fell 19-3 in the season-opening game at Pittsburg State (Kansas).
FSU remained unbeaten after defeating Northern Michigan 70-35 on senior day last week. The Bulldogs scored eight rushing touchdowns and finished with 597 total offensive yards in the game.
Wyatt Bower leads Ferris State behind center. The redshirt freshman signal caller has completed 62.9% (105-167) of his passes for 1,640 yards and 18 touchdowns. Bower is also the team's leading rusher with 639 yards and another 11 scores for a season total of 30 touchdowns. His passing yardage ranks third in the GLIAC, while his rushing yards are fourth.
Quarterback Chase Carter has the second-most rushing yards on the team with 389 yards and nine scores. Running back Zak Ahern has totaled 314yards and five touchdowns to help the potent Bulldog ground game.
Taariik Brett leads the Ferris State receiving corps with 24 catches for 339 yards and five touchdowns. Carson Gulker has 19 receptions for 314 yards and four scores, while Cam Underwood adds 18 catches for 311 and five touchdowns.
Alston Ware leads the defense with 40 tackles, 1.5 for loss, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and one quarterback hurry. Isiah Bobbit-Byars has 39 stops, 4.5 for loss, three interceptions, three breakups, and two hurries. Gyasi Mattison ties Bobbit-Byars with three picks, while having the third-most tackles on the team with 35. Justin Payoute leads with four interceptions. He adds 32 tackles (4th most on the team), one forced fumble, and a recovery. The Bulldogs' leading pass rusher is Kailib Davis with five sacks on the season.
THE SERIES
This is the 50th meeting between Saginaw Valley State and Ferris State. The Cardinals trail in the all-time series 19-29-1, and have dropped the last 10 meetings (11 counting the vacated win in 2013).
Three of the last four meetings have seen one-score gaps, with the average margin of victory during that stretch sitting at 7.75.
Last 10 Meetings
Sept. 27, 2014 - FSU 47, SVSU 13
Sept. 26, 2015 - FSU 35, SVSU 18
Nov. 12, 2016 - FSU 51, SVSU 17
Oct. 14, 2017 - FSU 49, SVSU 17
Oct. 20, 2018 - FSU 28, SVSU 14
Oct. 26, 2019 - FSU 34, SVSU 10
Sept. 18, 2021 - FSU 47, SVSU 45
Oct. 8, 2022 - FSU 33, SVSU 28
Sept. 30, 2023 - FSU 38, SVSU 17
Nov. 9, 2024 - FSU 27, SVSU 24
Overall: 0-10 | H: 0-4 | A: 6-0 | Avg. Margin: 20.6
