Inside “Dominance” as Ferris State University Bulldogs put on a show, the Bulldogs rolled up 35 points and more

The Ferris State University Bulldogs delivered a dominant performance in their home opener on Saturday, defeating Lake Erie College 56-3 at Top Taggart Field.

In front of over 6,000 spectators, the Bulldogs amassed 35 points in the first quarter alone and held a commanding 49-3 lead at halftime. Ferris State racked up 654 yards of offense during the game.

The victory was a strong rebound from their season-opening loss to Pittsburg State in Kansas, though the team did suffer a setback with quarterback Carson Gulker being injured in the first half.

“It feels great to get a win after last week. I told the guys that Pittsburg State was a solid team and that game left us with a bad feeling,” head coach Tony Annese commented. “This game was a chance to clean that slate. It was a solid team win, though it was slightly marred by Carson’s injury. I was happy with our performance.”

Junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the Bulldogs’ offense, completing 16 of 22 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s good to come back and get a win,” Chambliss said. “The offensive game plan this week was fantastic.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs restricted Lake Erie to just 144 total yards, including 67 rushing yards on 33 attempts. Ferris State also forced two turnovers.

“After last week’s loss, we were really hard on ourselves, but our hard work paid off today,” defensive tackle Victor Nelson remarked.

Ferris State got off to a strong start, scoring on their opening drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown by Chambliss. On their next drive, Chambliss added another touchdown with a 14-yard run, making it 14-0 within the first five minutes.

Gulker led another scoring drive, connecting with tailback Kannon Katzer for a 20-yard touchdown pass, aided by an interception from senior linebacker Konnor Near.

Lake Erie managed their only score with a 19-yard field goal late in the first quarter, but Ferris State responded with two additional touchdowns to lead 35-3 by the end of the first period. Markel King scored on a one-yard run, and Jeremiah Lee caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Chambliss.

In the second quarter, Taariik Brett scored with an eight-yard reception from Chambliss, and Chambliss later connected with King for another eight-yard touchdown.

The only points of the second half came when junior James Coby scored on a three-yard run to open the fourth quarter.

Lee led the receiving corps with four catches for 59 yards. Katzer had three receptions for 61 yards. Gulker led the ground game with 67 yards on two carries, including a 64-yard run that was stopped just short of the end zone.