ASHLAND — Those back-to-back losses to open the season are fading from the rearview mirror.
If Ashland University can spring the upset on fourth-ranked Ferris State, those memories will dip below the horizon for good.
Ashland (2-2, 2-0 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) is riding high after last week’s 35-10 Homecoming victory over Northwood, but coach Lee Owens knows a different monster awaits the Eagles at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs are averaging 49 points and 583.8 yards a game, tops in the GLIAC.
“We know how good they are and how talented they are,” Owens said. “It will be a heck of a challenge for us.”
Ferris coach Tony Annese is every bit as weary of the Eagles. Annese, who is 64-14 in his seventh season at Ferris, is just 1-3 against AU.
“They’ve beaten us two years in a row and they’ve beaten us three out of four. It’s the only GLIAC team that’s got a winning record against us,” Annese said. “Obviously, that makes us a little nervous.”
Ferris State dual threat quarterback Jayru Campbell has made opposing defensive coordinators nervous all season. The junior, who had originally committed to Michigan State coming out of Detroit Cass Tech, has completed 43 of 71 passes for 850 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 462 yards and eight touchdowns on 64 carries.
Senior wideout Keyondre Craig averages a whopping 30.1 per catch and has a pair of touchdowns. Freshman receiver Sy Barnett has eight catches for 223 and three touchdowns.
As good as they are through the air, the Bulldogs are even more lethal on the ground. Ferris averages a GLIAC-best 340.3 rushing yards per game. Marvin Campbell has rushed for 268 yards and three touchdowns, while Derrick Portis has picked up 182 yards and scored a pair of TDs.
Ashland counters with the third best rushing defense in the GLIAC. The Eagles surrender just 99 yards on the ground per game.
“No one’s run the ball against us and we’ve played some pretty good football teams,” Owens said. “We knew coming in that was going to be the strength of our football team.”
Linebacker Clay Shreve ranks third in the GLIAC with 9.3 tackles per game. Defensive end James Prater Jr. has a team-high six tackles for loss.
“(Ashland is) a great-coached team, has a great system and is always well-prepared,” Annese said. “We’ve got to be at our best.”
So do the Eagles. One area that concerned Owens was AU’s penalty woes through the first four games. The Eagles have been flagged 30 times for 315 yards and were guilty of nine penalties for 113 yards against Northwood.
“We have to be more disciplined. There is no excuse for several of the penalties we had,” Owens said. “We have a chance to win every week, but not if we beat ourselves.”
