Make it four.
Ferris State had explosive starts to both halves on offense and went on to wallop Harding, 42-21, to win the Division II national championship Saturday at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. It was the fourth national championship in five years for Ferris State.
The Bulldogs, led by the nation's top offense, finished the season 16-0 ― setting a program record for victories in a season ― and became just the second team to win four Division national championships during a five-year span, joining rival Grand Valley State, which did it in the early 2000s.
Ferris State's four national championships are tied for second all-time in Division II, with Grand Valley State and Valdosta State. Northwest Missouri State leads the way with six titles. Ferris State head coach Tony Annese's four national championships at Ferris State join the three state titles he won at Muskegon, and two national JUCO national championships he won at Grand Rapids Community College.
Ferris State will enter the 2026 season on a 30-game winning streak. The Bulldogs haven't lost since the 2024 season opener. Harding (15-1) won its only national championship in 2023.
"We all played great today. As a group, we play very versatile. We all can play," said redshirt freshman Wyatt Bower, one of several quarterbacks Ferris State deploys. "This team is so connected and I love them so much.
"We just play our hearts out every game."
Ferris State took a 14-0 lead in the first half, but Harding cut it to 21-14 just before halftime on a wild tipped touchdown reception by senior Christian Franklin.
Annese called that a "heartbreaking" development before halftime.
The sting, though, didn't last very long.
Ferris State scored quickly in the second half, on a 64-yard touchdown run by sophomore Chase Carter. Harding answered on the very next play, when G'Kyson Wright returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD. But three plays later, Ferris State scored again, on a 3-yard touchdown run by Bower (Corunna).
The teams combined for three second-half touchdowns before two minutes had elapsed.
That made it 35-21, and after Ferris State's defense got a stop, the Bulldogs quickly scored again, on a 14-yard TD pass from Bower to junior Carson Gulker (Zeeland), and the rout was officially on.
Bower finished with five touchdowns, three rushing and two passing.
"I got the shots," Bower said, "and I took them and it worked out pretty well."
No kidding.
Ferris State scored touchdowns on six of its first seven possessions against Arkansas-based Harding, which boasted the nation's leading defense.
Before Saturday, Harding hadn't allowed more than 28 points in a game. Harding had four shutouts during the regular season. But Ferris State kept on rolling, with an offense that averaged 52.8 points this postseason, and finished with 844 points for the season, a Division II record.
The Bulldogs had 585 yards of total offense Saturday. Carter rushed for 111, and Bower threw for 177. Gulker had 140 all-purpose yards, passing, receiving and rushing. And Ferris State did all that despite major losses on offense this season, before the season with eight players moving on to Football Bowl Subdivision schools ― including quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who led Ole Miss to a first-round victory in the College Football Playoff on Saturday. Ferris State also suffered major losses on offense to injury early in the season, but its reloaded offensive line more than made up for the players the Bulldogs were missing.
On defense, meanwhile, Ferris State recovered two fumbles against Harding, including one by senior back Jalen Jones, who had six takeaways in five games during this postseason. Harding had 326 yards of total offense.
"It's an amazing achievement," Annese said in the moments after the game, drenched from the celebratory Gatorade bath. "Our guys just never stop fighting.
"We people all say complacency is setting in ... our guys never stop fighting."
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