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Ferris State grabs share of NCAA history with 40th straight win
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- Ferris State grabs share of NCAA history with 40th straight win
A share of NCAA football history was carved out in Detroit – or, rather, hammered out.
Top-ranked Ferris State pounded Wayne State, 80-0, at Tom Adams Field on Saturday, Nov. 7. The victory stretched the Bulldogs' winning streak to 40 games, tying the NCAA Division II record previously held alone by Grand Valley State (2005-07).
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Ferris State has gone unbeaten since falling to Pittsburg (Kansas) in its 2024 season opener, on Aug. 31, 2024. The next week, the Bulldogs wiped out Lake Erie, 56-3, to start its record run. The 792-day streak has included 19 GLIAC wins as well as nine NCAA playoff victories, including title game wins over Valdosta State in 2024 and Harding in 2025.
TITLE TIME: Ferris State wins historic Division II football title, 4th in 5 years
The Bulldogs (10-0, 6-0 GLIAC) can take the D-II record for their own with a win next week, when they host Roosevelt at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids at 1 p.m. Nov. 14. After that, Ferris State, which has already clinched the GLIAC title, will be on to the D-II playoffs, where the Bulldogs will go for their fifth national title in six years, as well as attempting to become just the second program with three straight D-II titles (North Alabama, 1993-95).
"I'm proud of our guys for the way they came out and performed today," coach Tony Annese said in a release. "To think about what these guys have accomplished is pretty extraordinary and they are deserving of the recognition. We came out and played dominant football today and it was a great homecoming for many of our guys from the Detroit area."
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The Bulldogs led 42-0 Saturday before Wayne State even recorded its first first down, midway through the second quarter. Ferris State racked up 620 yards while holding WSU to 17 yards – 11 rushing, 6 passing. The Bulldogs had 33 first downs to the Warriors' six, though they narrowly lost the time of possession battle, 30:43-29:17.
LeeShaun Mumpfield catches a pass for Ferris State against Wayne State at Tom Adams Field in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
Freshman quarterback Marcel Jones paced the Ferris rushing attack with 134 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries while also going 6-for-7 passing for 88 yards and another TD. Fellow QB Chase Carter was 12-for-19 for 173 yards, a TD and an interception.
Saturday's victory also moved Ferris State into a tie for the second-longest streak among Division I (FBS- or FCS-level) and Division II programs, matching Washington's 40-game run from 1908-14. Oklahoma, at 47 wins from 1953-57, is the FBS-level record holder, while North Dakota State owns the FCS-level mark at 39 wins from 2017-20. The longest streak in college football, however, belongs to Division III Mount Union, which won 55 straight from 2000-03.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ferris State grabs share of NCAA history with 40th straight win
