This Saturday, Ferris State will step on the field at McKinney ISD Stadium with one goal in mind: earning a fourth national championship in five seasons. The Bulldogs will square off against the Harding University Bisons, who hail from Searcy, Arkansas. This game will feature the last two national champions, preseason top-2 ranked squads, top-five offensive and defensive units, and a combined 30 wins and zero losses.

Here’s some things to note ahead of Saturday’s showdown:

 

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Ferris State is looking to be the second team ever to win four titles in five years. The first team who accomplished this was their bitter rival Grand Valley State, who won four titles between 2002 and 2006 under head coaches Brian Kelly (2002, 2003) and Chuck Martin (2005, 2006). The Bulldogs will make their fifth national championship game appearance on Saturday, which ranks fourth amongst all current Division II programs historically (Northwest Missouri State leads with 10).

The Bulldogs won their first title in 2021, earning a 58-17 revenge win against the team that beat them in their first national championship game appearance in 2018: Valdosta State. Ferris State secured back-to-back titles in 2022 with a 41-14 win over Colorado School of Mines. They went on to win their third title last year, beating Valdosta State for a second time by a score of 49-14.

Harding will be playing in their second ever national championship game in school history. The Bisons first reached the big dance in 2023, where they knocked off Colorado School of Mines 38-7. Prior to 2023, they had reached the national semifinal game once in 2017, where they lost to eventual national champion Texas A&M-Commerce 31-17.

 

THE BULLDOGS BY THE NUMBERS

Offensively, Ferris State leads the country in points per game (53.5), yards per game (515.5), first downs (382). The team also ranks in the top-five in Division II for third down conversion percentage, fourth down conversion percentage, and rushing offense. Coach Annese’s squad utilizes three different quarterbacks and many other athletes in a read-option, balanced spread attack that utilizes motion to create big plays both on the ground and through the air.

On the other side of the ball, the ‘Dawgs boast a strong defense. Ferris State ranks top 20 in the nation in many categories, notably first in turnovers gained (40), first in passes intercepted (30), and fourth in defensive touchdowns (5). A strong offensive front is complimented by an elite secondary unit that can turnover teams and even take it to the house if opponents aren’t careful.

 

THE BISONS BY THE NUMBERS

Harding’s elite rushing attack leads Division II in yards (446.4), third down conversion percentage (58.0), fourth down conversion percentage (86.7), and believe it or not, passing yards per completion (19.0). The Bisons are looking to become the first team in college football history to reach 7,000 yards rushing, in which they will need 141 yards on Saturday. While they have only attempted 59 passes all season, their flexbone-option rushing attack makes keying difficult defensively and racks up time of possession.

Defensively, the Bisons are ranked third in the country for defensive yards allowed (262.8), first in points allowed (10.8), and second in passing yards allowed (149.7). Harding is noted for getting key third stops as well and not committing many penalties, as they did in their previous title run with 2025 FootballScoop defensive coordinator of the year, Roddy Mote.

 

THE COACHES

Tony Annese has been at Ferris State since the 2012 season. As a three time recipient of the D2Football Head Coach of the Year award (2021, 2022, 2024), Annese has an all-time record of 152-21 with the Bulldogs. He has reached the playoffs every year as the head coach and has won eight GLIAC titles. He previously served as the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College as well as stints at Muskegon and Jenison High School.

Paul Simmons enters his eighth year as the head coach at Harding. He was named the 2025 AVCA DII Head Coach of the Year for getting the Bisons back to the national championship game. He played as a defensive end during his playing days at Harding, and has coached in various roles at the institution since 2006. He holds a 92-15 record all-time with the school.

 

FERRIS STATE KEY PLAYERS

For the Bulldogs, defensive back Justin Payoutte leads the nation with nine interceptions this year. The AVCA first-team All-America selection had four tackles and two picks in the win against Newberry in the national semifinals.

On the line, right tackle Tim Anderson has been a force in run blocking and pass protection. The well-experienced senior earned first team all-American honors, GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, and the prestigious Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year award for Division II.

Brady Rose has played in all three national championship victories for the Bulldogs. As a versatile slot back and senior captain, Rose earned All-GLIAC second team honors this year and has 883 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

HARDING KEY PLAYERS

For Harding, Andrew Miller is the go-to offensive threat out of the backfield. He has tallied over 1,900 rushing yards on the season and is in the running for Harlon Hill trophy, awarded to the best Division II player in the country.

Linebacker Clark Griffin is the NCAA DII leader in tackles with 156 on the campaign thus far. He was recently named the GAC Defensive Player of the Year and leads the NCAA in career tackles with 436.

The third player to watch is offensive lineman Jake Mitchell. The senior has been a pivotal part of the Bisons’ deadly rushing attack and finished second in voting for the Gene Upshaw award as Division II’s top lineman, only trailing Ferris State’s Tim Anderson.

 

FERRIS STATE COACH & PLAYER QUOTES

“As I come back here, I think to myself it was a dream to come here once,” Head Coach Tony Annese said. “To be here now five times, it's just unbelievable. (It’s) a testament to the staff and players who are so committed to pursue the best every day.”

“This has been our goal since day one,” Senior slot back Brady Rose said. “This is the last goal that we have and we're hoping to knock it off the list on Saturday.”

“These are two really good teams,” Sophomore defensive back Ahlston Ware said. “You really gotta be tuned in because Harding doesn’t run too many plays, so (look for) big hits in that nature. “Hopefully, we can make them turn the ball over at a high clip and win the game.”

 

GAME INFORMATION

Saturday’s game will kickoff at 3 p.m. CST (4 p.m. EST) from McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. This will be the sixth year the game is held at the facility. Last time the Bisons played in the National Championship game in 2023, the highest championship game attendance at McKinney ISD was set at 12,552. The previous high was the year prior at 6,333 when Ferris State beat Colorado School of Mines.

The game will be aired on ESPN2. Radio coverage can be heard on 97.3 FM and online via FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Live stats and scoring updates can be found here: https://www.ncaa.com/game/6529843.