ASHLAND — The road doesn’t get any easier for the Eagles.
A week after dropping a 19-10 heart-breaker to Indiana University Pennsylvania, a team receiving votes in the weekly Division II poll, Ashland hits the road for a showdown with No. 7 Ferris State.
Kickoff in Big Rapids, Michigan, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Bulldogs (1-1) dropped their opener to No. 4 Pittsburgh State (Kansas) before thumping Lake Erie 56-3 last week. Ferris won Division II national championships in 2021 and 2022, and fell to Grand Valley in the opening round last year.
“Ferris State will be, physically, the best-looking team on our schedule,” AU coach Doug Geiser said. “That’s always the case. They’ll look like a (Mid-American Conference)-level team.”
Ferris quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 16-of-22 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Lake Erie. The junior also ran for a pair of scores behind a powerful offensive line.
“Offensively, you’ve got to be able to stop the quarterback, the quarterback will run the ball,” Geiser said. “They’re big and physical on the offensive line.”
Ashland (0-1) was its own worst enemy in last week’s loss. A botched punt snap midway through the first quarter set IUP up at the AU 11 yard line. The Crimson Hawks turned the miscue into a touchdown on the very next play.
“We made too many mistakes to win the game, against a good and experienced team,” Doug Geiser said afterward. “We pride ourselves on winning games with special teams, yet we gave up 10 points on special teams. We can’t do that.”
Quarterback Trevor Bycznski completed 23-of-35 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. Jent Joseph caught three passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Tyler Davis had six catches for 51 yards.
Ashland was held to held to minus-1 yard rushing on 25 attempts. Redshirt sophomore tailback Ty’aris Stevenson led the way with 25 rushing yards on nine carries.
Ashland’s two-deep roster includes 14 freshmen and 10 sophomores.
“Those are the best players right now, and have won those jobs in camp,” Geiser said. “We’re going to play the best.”