Ferris State joined an elite group of NCAA Division II football dynasties on Saturday, blasting Valdosta State, 49-14, for its third national championship in four seasons.
Trinidad Chambliss signaled the rout early with a nimble 43-yard run on the Bulldogs’ first play from scrimmage, then finished with 153 yards and three touchdowns passing and 78 yards (on 13 carries) and two touchdowns rushing as Ferris State hoisted the NCAA trophy at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, for the third time, following back-to-back titles in 2021-22.
Tony Annese’s group is just the fifth program (since Division II began in 1973) with at least three titles in four seasons, following Northwest Missouri State (2013, ’15, ’16), Grand Valley State (2002, ’03, ’05, ’06), North Alabama (1993, ’94, ’95) and North Dakota State (1983, ’85, ’86, ’88).
Trophy time for Ferris State
The 2024 title comes after Ferris State lost its season opener, 19-3, to Pittsburg (Kan.) State. Since then, the Bulldogs have won 14 straight games, knocking off Division II's only remaining unbeaten team to get there.
Following chants from his players of “All day!” Annese received the trophy amid a sea of red and yellow confetti.
“This team just keeps on working," Annese said during the trophy presentation ceremony shown online by ESPN. "They’re definitely a team that knows what it takes to be great and pursue greatness every day. We lost our first game, we just kept on pursuing greatness and, at the end, this is what happens.”
Chambliss finished 11-for-20 passing, and his five total TDs gave him 51 on the season — 26 passing, 25 rushing.
"He’s such a great young man, so it’s awesome to coach him," Annese said. "I’m really tough on him. He said after he came off, the last thing was, ‘Man, love you coach, but you’re tough on me.’ So I, uh, expect perfection — he’s never gonna be perfect, but he’s close to it.”
During the trophy presentation, Chambliss shared credit with his teammates.
“Man, this team’s special, man," the Grand Rapids native said. "Ever since summer workouts, in August, and they doubted us. Vs. Pitt State — after Pitt State, everyone doubted us, and this team’s so special, I couldn’t be more proud of ’em.”
Chambliss shared the rushing load Saturday with Kannon Katzer. The former Washington State back rushed 14 times for 97 yards and added a touchdown catch for 30 yards.
“I got trust in these guys, they got trust in me," Chambliss said. "You know, this is the best team in the nation for a reason, they just work so hard in the offseason — any workout, they were there, man, so we just work hard and we’re a great team, so I’m just so proud.”
Plenty of misdirection early
Chambliss, who finished third in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy (D-II’s version of the Heisman Trophy), ignited the Ferris State attack with a 43-yard run up the left sideline after faking a pass to the far right side. The Bulldogs used the threat of the pass frequently to set up the run and had few issues moving the ball on the ground in the first quarter, racking up 86 yards on 10 runs in their first 11 plays.
Then, with a little under four minutes left in the first quarter, Ferris flipped the script. After a pair of RPO handoffs to sprinting slot receiver Emari O’Brien picked up 15 yards, the Bulldogs used their third play of the drive on another wide receiver run, as Chambliss handed off to wideout Brady Rose. Except this time, the former high school quarterback (at Muskegon Mona Shores) ran to the right side, planted his feet and lofted a deep ball that Cam Underwood was able to run underneath and rumble into the end zone for a 61-yard score.
On Ferris’ next drive, the Bulldogs again used the run to set up the pass, as an apparent option run by Chambliss to the left became a short lob pass to running back Kannon Katzer — the lead blocker on the play — for a 30-yard TD to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead with 12:39 left in the first half.Costly penalties
After the Bulldogs grabbed their early lead, the Blazers regrouped with a pair of stops, sandwiched around a touchdown drive aided by an offsides call on Ferris State defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey (formerly of Michigan and Central Michigan) on fourth-and-1.
Valdosta State returned the favor on the final drive of the first half, extending the Bulldogs’ run with an offsides wiping out a punt and then a facemask grab for 15 yards on an apparent third-down stop. Four plays later, on fourth-and-5 with 15 seconds left, Chambliss found O’Brien uncovered on the left side on a crossing route, and the Detroit native went 30 yards untouched to the end zone as time expired, for a 28-7 Ferris lead.
Familiar faces
Saturday’s victory was also Ferris’ second title win against Valdosta State, with the Bulldogs topping the Blazers, 58-17, in the 2021 title game. That followed a 49-47 Valdosta win (featuring a failed 2-point conversion by Ferris State late) in the 2018 championship.
Ferris State has won nine straight postseason games with Annese on the sidelines. The Bulldogs' only NCAA playoff loss in the past four seasons came last year, a first-round defeat at the hands of rival Grand Valley State in which Annese was suspended by the NCAA for the Bulldogs' cigar-smoking celebration following their 2022 title game win over Colorado School of Mines in McKinney.
Contact Ryan Ford atrford@freepress.com. Follow him on X at@theford or on Bluesky at @theford.bsky.social .
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