No. 18 Eagles Fall At No. 1 Ferris State In NCAA Second Round

Despite a quick 14-0 lead, Ashland University's No. 18-ranked football team lost an NCAA Division II second-round game at No. 1 Ferris State, 56-24, in a frigid and snow-covered game in Big Rapids, Mich., on Saturday (Nov. 29) afternoon.
 
The Eagles' season comes to an end at 10-3, and the defending national-champion Bulldogs move on at 13-0.
 
It was a 2025 season in which AU won a share of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship, won an NCAA playoff game for the second year in a row for the first time in program history, and qualified for the NCAA postseason three times in a four-year span for the first time.
 
Ashland didn't waste time getting on top, as a 36-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Cameron Blair to junior wide receiver Jamari Croom at the 11:11 mark of the opening quarter polished off a 75-yard, seven-play drive to put the Eagles ahead 7-0.
 
It then didn't take long for AU to go up by two scores, as freshman tailback Chris Maloney went for a 65-yard touchdown jaunt – the longest of his young collegiate career – putting Ashland ahead 14-0 halfway through the first period.
 
The Bulldog response was a two-yard scoring run from running back Carson Gulker with 4:21 left in the third, cutting the Ferris State deficit in half to 14-7. Quarterback Chase Carter then tied the score with 1:40 to go in the first on a 50-yard touchdown run, then the ensuing extra point.
 
At the end of the first 15 minutes, despite the field and weather conditions, the two teams combined for 28 points, 301 yards of offense and no turnovers – with Maloney accounting for 104 yards on nine carries.
 
The Eagles regained the lead at the 9:28 mark of the second quarter thanks to a 33-yard field goal from redshirt freshman kicker Manaki Watanabe, making it a 17-14 game. But a 30-yard scoring strike from Carter to wide receiver Cam Underwood just 62 seconds later gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the day at 21-17.
 
Following an exchange of turnovers (the AU takeaway being a fumble recovery by redshirt freshman defensive tackle Slade McClaskey), then an Ashland turnover on downs, Ferris State took a 28-17 lead with 1:33 remaining in the half when slotback Taariik Brett rushed in from 13 yards out.
 
To begin the second half, Ferris State upped its lead to 35-17 when Carter connected with slotback Brady Rose for a 34-yard score. It was a 42-17 game after Carter and wide receiver Tae Boyd combined on a 27-yard TD pass at the 10:53 mark of the third.
 
Rose's six-yard touchdown run with 4:50 to go in the third put the score at 49-17.
 
Early in the final stanza, Blair and sophomore tight end Jonathan Merimee teamed up for a seven-yard TD to make it a 49-24 contest. Running back Jake Price scored on a four-yard run to give the Bulldogs their final margin of victory.

 
WRAPPING IT UP

• Maloney ran 25 times for 198 yards and a score. Despite not being a regular player this season until Nov. 1, he led the Eagles with 810 rushing yards.
• Blair threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and added 62 yards on the ground.
• Ashland and Ferris State combined for 80 points and 905 yards (648 rushing) of offense.