2021 Ferris State Bulldogs football team

2021 Ferris State Bulldogs football
NCAA Division II champion GLIAC champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 58–17 vs. Valdosta State
Conference	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
Record	14–0 (7–0 GLIAC)
Head coach	Tony Annese (10th season)
Offensive coordinator	Steve Annese (10th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Ryan Hodges (7th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Top Taggart Field

2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Ferris State $^		7	–	0					14	–	0
No. 7 Grand Valley State ^		6	–	1					10	–	2
Michigan Tech		5	–	2					6	–	4
Saginaw Valley State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Northern Michigan		2	–	5					4	–	7
Davenport		2	–	5					3	–	8
Wayne State (MI)		2	–	5					2	–	9
Northwood		0	–	7					1	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

The 2021 Ferris State Bulldogs football team represented Ferris State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by tenth-year head coach Tony Annese. The Bulldogs played their home games at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan.

The Bulldogs competed for the 2021 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game against Valdosta State.^[1] This was their first appearance in the championship game since the 2018 game.^[1] Ferris State defeated Valdosta State, 58–17. The win gave Ferris State their football program's first national championship.^[2][3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:30 p.m.	Findlay*	No. 3	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI		W 54–14	6,625
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at Ashland*	No. 2	Jack Miller Stadium Ashland, OH		W 45–19	3,975
September 18	7:00 p.m.	Saginaw Valley State	No. 2	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI		W 47–45 ^OT	6,012
September 25	3:00 p.m.	Davenport*	No. 3	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI (rivalry)		W 38–0	6,636
October 2	1:00 p.m.	at Northwood	No. 3	Hantz Stadium Midland, MI		W 67–25	1,982
October 16	7:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Grand Valley State	No. 3	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (Anchor–Bone Classic)		W 35–28	17,007
October 23	1:00 p.m.	at Michigan Tech	No. 1	Kearly Stadium Houghton, MI		W 38–10	1,332
October 30	1:00 p.m.	Northern Michigan	No. 1	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI		W 44–24	2,460
November 6	12:00 p.m.	at Davenport	No. 1	Farmer's Insurance Athletic Complex Caledonia, MI		W 50–14	1,266
November 13	1:00 p.m.	Wayne State	No. 1	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI		W 35–13	1,743
November 27	1:00 p.m.	No. 4 Grand Valley State*	No. 1	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI (NCAA Division II Second Round)		W 54–20	3,742
December 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 3 Northwest Missouri State*	No. 1	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)		W 41–20	4,127
December 11	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Shepherd*	No. 1	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI (NCAA Division II Semifinal)	ESPN+	W 55–7	2,473
December 18	9:00 p.m.	vs. No. 5 Valdosta State*	No. 1	McKinney ISD Stadium McKinney, TX (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	ESPNU	W 58–17	3,933
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final
AFCA	3	2 (1)	2 (1)	3	3	3	3	1 (23)	1 (26)	1 (24)	1 (25)	1 (30)	1 (30)

References

1. Savage, Brendan (December 11, 2021). "Ferris State to Play for Division II National Football Championship". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
2. Hutton, Jason (December 19, 2021). "Ferris State Routs Valdosta State to Win First National Championship". Grand Rapids, Michigan: WXMI-TV. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
3. Kirkland, Crawford (December 19, 2021). "Ferris State Football Wins Division II National Title by Trampling Valdosta State, 58–17". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 20, 2021.