Posted: Nov 08, 2025
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- The Saginaw Valley State University football team lost to No. 1 Ferris State 51-45 in double overtime Saturday. The Cardinals (5-5, 4-2 GLIAC) forced six turnovers, turning them into 24 points, but the Bulldogs (10-0, 6-0 GLIAC) overcame a 17-point deficit late to force a shootout down the stretch.
Meijer Player of the Game Christian Boivin (Traverse City, Mich. / Traverse City West HS) led the team with 15 tackles, forced a fumble, and picked off two passes in the second half, both resulting in Cardinal touchdowns.
Ferris State opened with a drive into SVSU territory, but freshman defensive back Trace Corlew (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) intercepted Bulldog quarterback Wyatt Bower at the 1-yard line and returned it to the three.
The Cardinals moved the ball to the 25-yard line before the drive stalled and forced a punt; however, the drive was extended when FSU ran into punter Max Taylor (St. Joseph, Mich. / St. Joseph HS), resulting in a new set of downs. Quarterback Mason McKenzie (Caledonia, Mich. / Caledonia HS) rushed for 27 yards on two plays, and Michael Jamerson III (Flint, Mich. / Davison HS) rushed for 27 more to push the ball to the Bulldog 16-yard line. Two incomplete passes forced Teagen Lenderink (Rockford, Mich. / Brentwood Academy TN) to hit a 35-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead with 6:51 remaining in the first quarter. The kick sealed a 13-play, 80-yard drive.
Bower threw his second interception of the game on the second play of the next drive when DJ Voltz (Saginaw, Mich. / Carrollton HS) snagged the ball out of the air at the Bulldog 45 and returned it 31 yards to the 14, however a penalty for a block in the back moved the ball back to the FSU 35 as the Cardinals took possession with the lead.
Saginaw Valley couldn't capitalize on the good field position and was forced to punt. Boivin would give the offense another shot after forcing a Bower fumble on the next Ferris State drive that was recovered by Corlew at the Bulldog 36, but the Ferris State defense held tough and forced another punt to keep the score at 3-0 when the first quarter ended.
The Bulldogs drove 80 yards in five plays and scored on a 64-yard pass from Chase Carter to Carson Gulker to open the second quarter with a 7-3 lead.
The Cardinals responded two drives later with a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard pass from McKenzie to Terrence Brown Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS) that recaptured the three-point lead for SVSU, 10-7, with 5:32 left in the first half.
Boivin came up big again with a stop of Bower on a 4th-and-1 to give SVSU the ball back on downs with 3:45 left before the break. A holding penalty in the final two minutes created a 3rd-and-21, and the Cardinals were forced to punt the ball away with 44 seconds left in the half.
On the first play of the FSU drive, Jaden Bevier (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti HS) forced another Bower fumble and Brandon Lewis (Lansing, Mich. / Lansing Catholic HS) recovered on the 15-yard line with 31 ticks left on the clock.
McKenzie made sure to capitalize on the sudden change and scampered the 15 yards to the endzone to push the lead to 17-7 as the teams entered the locker room at the half.
The Cardinal defense continued in the second half as Bower was picked off by Boivin during the first FSU drive of the second half to give SVSU the ball on the Bulldog 15-yard line.
McKenzie rushed for six yards on the first two plays before hitting Braden Hill (Charlotte, Mich. / Charlotte HS) for seven yards and a first down inside the 10-yard line. Nicholas Patterson (Mooresville, Ind. / Mooresville HS) entered the game under center and punched in the remaining six yards for a score that extended the SVSU lead to 24-7 with 9:42 left in the third quarter.
Ferris State responded with a six-play, 65-yard drive that was finished by a three-yard touchdown pass from Carter to Taariik Brett at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter.
A kick catch interference call on the SVSU punt gave the Bulldogs the ball on the Cardinals' 39-yard line. Four plays later, Carter found Cam Underwood for a 30-yard score, and the lead was cut to 24-21 with 3:11 left in the third frame.
The momentum flipped the Bulldogs' way on the next drive when McKenzie's pass was intercepted by Justin Payoute and returned 38 yards for another score, and Ferris State recaptured the lead, 28-24, and held it into the fourth quarter.
Gulker attempted a halfback pass on the next Ferris State drive and was picked off by Boivin (his second interception of the game) at the Bulldog 30-yard line.
McKenzie then sprinted for a 30-yard touchdown run on the very next play and the lead flipped back to the Cardinals, 31-28, with 11:21 left in regulation.
The Bulldogs clapped back with a 52-yard kick return to start their next drive on the SVSU 23. Carter hit Underwood for another touchdown five plays later, and the lead changed for the sixth time, 35-31, with just over 8:30 left on the clock.
Ferris State got the ball back on the SVSU 41 after McKenzie fumbled on a 13-yard run and the Bulldogs recovered. Eight plays later, Eddie Jewett hit a 34-yard field goal to push the lead to 38-31 with 3:45 left to play.
Freshman running back Cornell Beard (Shaker Heights, Ohio / Shaker Heights HS) broke off a 20-yard rush to move the ball into the red zone. McKenzie punctuated the drive with an 18-yard pass to Zarek Zelinski (Waterford, Mich. / Waterford Kettering HS) in the endzone, and the score was tied at 38 with 1:55 to play.
The Bulldogs moved the ball to the SVSU 22 with a deep pass from Carter to Timothy Ormond II, and the Bulldogs called a timeout with one second left on the clock to set up a game-winning field goal attempt.
The Cardinals iced the kicker with a timeout, and the attempt paid off when he pushed the ball left, sending the game to overtime.
Saginaw Valley State won the toss and elected to go on defense first. Ferris State wasted no time and scored on a 25-yard pass from Brady Rose to Tae Boyd, and the Bulldogs jumped ahead 45-38.
On the Cardinals' first overtime possession, Beard rushed twice for five yards and McKenzie ran for three yards to bring up a 4th-and-2 at the FSU 17. McKenzie found Eric Craft (Waterford, Mich. / Waterford Kettering HS) for a six-yard toss and a new set of downs. Israel Bradford (Cincinnati, Ohio / Mt. Healthy HS) then carried for 10 yards to the one-yard line, and McKenzie punched it in for the score, and the game was tied at 45 following the extra point.
The next SVSU drive stalled at the 20, and Lenderink's 38-yard field attempt was no good.
The Bulldogs would take advantage with a 12-yard touchdown run on the next possession and end the game in the second overtime period.
McKenzie finished the game 17-for-30 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He would add 23 rushes for a team-high 85 yards and three scores to his stat line. It is the second time this season he has rushed for three touchdowns in a game.
Beard had 12 carries for 52 yards to lead all running backs in the game. Zelinski and Brown Jr. had four catches and a score. Zelinski totaled 59 yards, while Brown Jr. registered 46.
Bevier was second on the team in tackles with seven. He also forced one fumble. Four Cardinals finished with six tackles: Nathan Kibambe (Charlotte, N.C. / Georgia Military Academy), Ty Robertson (Saginaw, Mich. / Heritage HS), Xavier Chasen (Pontiac, Mich. / Waterford Mott HS), and Corlew. Robertson had two tackles for loss, while Corlew added a pick, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals conclude the regular season on the road with a game against Michigan Tech next Saturday, November 15, at noon (ET).
