December 14th, 2024 4:00pm
A wild come-from-behind effort by No. 1 Ferris State (13-1) lifted the Bulldogs past Slippery Rock (12-2) 48-38 in Saturday’s national semifinal game at Top Taggart Field.
Trinidad Chambliss ran for 124 yards, passed for 221 yards and the Ferris defense came up with four interceptions for the Bulldogs who will play Valdosta State at McKinney Texas, next Saturday for the national title kickoff set for 2 p.m. (ET) at the McKinney ISD Stadium.
Kannon Katzer had 165 yards rushing and the go-ahead touchdown run late in the game. It will be Ferris fourth appearance in the national title game since 2018. They won it in 2021 and 2022.
“Give Slippery Rock a lot of credit,” Ferris coach Tony Annese said. “They’re a super ballclub. Their coach does a great job. Their preparation was great. They’ve played in more playoff games than we did. They. grinded through tough challenges and have gotten better.
“We’re happy to be heading to Texas. It’s something we’ve experienced. Now it’s the fourth time. We feel blessed to be able to do it. Our guys know what it’s all about.”
It was a wild first half with Slippery Rock leading 38-27 thanks especially to wide receiver Logan Ramper catching five passes for 118 yards including three touchdowns.
Slippery Rock’s offense was tough to stop in the early going.