'We feel like we let them off the hook': No. 1 Ferris St. escapes with win over Ashland

ASHLAND — Take a deep breath, Ferris State.

The nation’s No. 1-ranked Division II football team survived a strong effort by Ashland University on Saturday night at Jack Miller Stadium, scoring the game’s final 21 points to pull out a 38-28 victory over the upset-minded Eagles.

Playing from behind most of the night, the two-time defending national champions overcame the determined Eagles and their own undisciplined 21-penalty effort to escape with the 10-point win.

“As always the hallmark of Ashland football going way back many years is our kids will fight their tails off and they played their tails off tonight,” AU coach Doug Geiser said. “You go toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country and we feel like we let them off the hook.

“You’ve got to be able to finish against the No. 1 team in the country and we didn’t do that, bottom line.”

Although they missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on their first possession, the Eagles were able to score first when senior defensive end Deeb Alawan was credited with a punt block and Ferris State transfer Chaise Ford recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown just six minutes into the game.

“It was definitely a special feeling,” Ford said. “It felt great to get it against them and score the first touchdown for Ashland.”

Ferris State responded with a 29-yard field goal from Eddie Jewett and a one-yard scoring run by backup quarterback Carson Gulker to go in front 10-7 with 7:58 left in the first half.

But junior quarterback Trevor Bycznski drove Ashland to a pair of touchdowns before halftime as the Eagles went up 21-10 at the break.

After senior receiver Dezmin Lyburtus returned the Ferris State kickoff to the Ashland 45, Bycznski hit Jent Joseph twice for 44 yards to the Ferris State 15.

Following a one-yard loss, AU regained the lead on a 16-yard connection between Bycznski and Lyburtus.

Then taking over at their own 46-yard line with 107 seconds left in the first half, Bycznski hit Lyburtus with his second TD pass from a yard out six seconds before halftime, putting AU up 21-10.

“We’re getting more chemistry throughout the week,” said Lyburtus, who finished with seven catches for 122 yards and the two scores, and who also is a Ferris State transfer to AU.

“It was definitely great having a good performance in front of my friends and family and versus my former team.”

Trailing at halftime, the Bulldogs decided to put the ball exclusively in the hands of Gulker, who shared snaps in the first half with starter Mylik Mitchell. That proved to be a wise decision as the 6-3 sophomore led his team on four scoring drives and to the victory that pushed the Bulldogs to 2-0.

First, Gulker hit junior receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson for a seven-yard score that trimmed AU’s lead to 21-17.

Then, despite the fact the Eagles went 99 yards in just four plays for a Larry Martin four-yard TD run and another 11-point lead, Gulker tossed two more TD passes and scored a late clinching touchdown on the ground from four yards out.

The two TD passes were long strikes of 54 yards to Hunt-Thompson and 50 yards to Xavier Wade.

In the second half alone, Gulker was 5-of-10 passing for 122 yards and the three scores, and ran the ball 18 times for 135 yards and a TD. With this first-half scoring run, Gulker accounted for all five Ferris TDs in the game.

“He’s a dynamic kid, he’s a bigger kid,” Ford said. “He’s a physical, good quarterback. We definitely knew he had it in him to come out and pound the football. We just have to be better.”

For the Eagles, Geo Washington finished with 58 yards on 12 carries, and added 34 more yards with four catches.

Bycznski bettered his first-week effort with a 15-of-29 night for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He also was intercepted once and sacked three times.

“I think we were more aggressive this week,” Bycznski said. “We ran the ball better last week and we threw the ball better this week. As an offense, you just can’t have one or the other. We have to play complementary football.

“As a team I thought we played well. Having a No. 1 team come into your stadium is never an easy thing. Our guys believed we could do it. We just fell short.”

The Eagles, who have started the season 0-2 with a pair of close losses against ranked teams, now turn to nine straight weeks of Great Midwest Athletic Conference games.

That starts next Saturday night at home against Hillsdale.

“I told the team you can take heart from the fact that you went toe-to-toe in the last two weeks with two of the top 10 teams in the country,” Geiser said. “You know you can play with anybody in the country, but you are what your record says you are.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College Football: top-ranked Ferris State rallies to beat Ashland