2021 NCAA Division II Championship Semifinal - Shepherd (WV) vs Ferris State (MI)

you're watching the division two semi-finals on espn plus top-ranked ferris state is playing host to the shepherd university rams we're hoping to continue what has been a magical ride which is prolonged by this 42-yard connection a week ago between tyson bagent and alex wetzel as time expired to be cut down now the bulldogs and the rams are hoping to punch a ticket to the national title game you can see the drama there this week the setup is the winner of this one will go on to play valdosta state they have punched their ticket to their sixth championship game in program history and with that we welcome you inside of the booth alongside marcus ray i'm jason rosh jr marcus pretty easy to sell this one top two scoring offenses in the country going head-to-head on the shepherd side of things they're high-flying offenses led by the qb tyson bajans everything starts and ends with quarterback tyson bagent two weeks in a row his heroics extended their season you see the numbers almost 70 percent completion rate record-setting season he throws his guys open he's a high confident guy they give him the permission to audible at the line of scrimmage he likes the quick throws and he throws extremely quick to ryan beach 91 receptions the freshman had a record-setting season 1100 plus yards receiving and he likes to run bubble screens he catches the ball well with his hands and he makes a lot of linebackers miss well on the flip side ferris state is likely the toughest defense that shepard has collided with all season liam daly the man in the middle he's a senior he's a leader he's mr energy he makes all the calls i like the way he runs and hits and plays in space he's going to have to chase these receivers around today should be a fun one pumped to have you with us for the semi-finals it has been quite the weather day here in the state of michigan snow were swirling around earlier we had wind gusts as high as 40 miles per hour that's calmed down a bit fortunately snow was definitely lightened up so is the winds shepard will receive the ball to begin this one and then gets set to put out what has been the top ranked offense in the country on the d2 level scoring wise throughout the course of the season [Music] [Applause] [Music] ready to kick it off off we go at top taggart field that'll go out of the end zone and out come the rams here qb tyson who we talked about in the open named the finalist for the harlan hill award which was given out to the best player in d2 football each year he's got some nice targets as well that mark has touched on 30 or 42 a week ago 248 yards and a touchdown pass against cuts down look at those career numbers man 12 000 yards and all those touchdowns this young man is a playmaker wondering how they can throw the ball today into this win first completion is to ryan beach's top target on the season that'll be a pickup of seven one of the things that they like to do at shepherd with beijing is get rid of the football quick and that's why they have a lot of success on first down they used a quick passing game to substitute for a lack of a run game at times [Music] [Applause] you call it a pickup of six short fields is what they want to try to create that one flips out of bounds intended target there was ty hebron marcus some of your impact players when shepard has the ball tahiran intended target there and sam duradat on the fairest side yeah you see they try to get heat on the wall the ball in several ways out the backfield i like how he's a good inside runner and then defense these guys really get after it up front jared is the guy that made a lot of plays he's very disruptive and productive this is the best offense in the country when it comes to third down conversion percentage empty backfield for beijing and pretty good protection flips it underneath and has his target josh gotten tarik who may have been brought down just shy of the yards again we'll see where they marked him josh it is short you would have thought that he would have been able to pick up that first down good catch and run down like but then centel williams the nickelback sprinted to the football and made a big time stop on a for sure first down catch and run he's been really good for them all season long cyntell williams second leading tackler in that secondary so out comes ryan barrett to punt for the first time a quick three and out for shepard [Music] that'll now set up a very well-balanced ferris state offense for the first time today and it is jared bernhardt at qb we was we were wondering what the situation would be at that position malik mitchell warmed up he got to start a week ago bernhardt returns after missing last week with an injury practiced in light fashion throughout the week but obviously ready to go today marcus thousand-yard rusher and passer high completion rate takes care of the football they like to do a lot of quarterback run with bernhardt there's been an option qb throughout his life he'll do a lot of this runs the football very well an explosive one right out of the gates into shepherd territory inside of the 20 and he will be brought down just inside the five so bernhardt returns and returns to the bend that was a quarterback draw by design excellent set up you see set the pass up you see lineman down the field blocking right there in the center of your screen he's not going to throw the football but watch how he makes people miss in space that shepard defense has to find a way to keep him inside and in front we let this man get outside you see he can hit the home run there's there's no secret why he was a thousand yard rusher he's definitely a big play guy and a big weapon there's a 51-yard scamper he'll tuck it and run again up the gut and into the end zone to open up the scoring for ferris state all jared bernhardt two plays two quarterback runs watch the gap scheme blocking up front with those guys blocked down pull a big lineman around saw big seiler getting their 70 to right guard wrapping around getting the lead blocking for a young man who didn't play last week he sure looks like he hasn't missed a beat gliac offensive player of the year first team all-conference and you saw why such an explosive athlete and he opens up the scoring here at top taggart field started with a 51-yard run from bernhardt then he did the rest himself ferris state up 7-0 early [Music] welcome back semi-finals the division ii football championship ferris state off to a seven nothing start in this one against shepard this is the fifth ever national semi-final appearance for the bulldogs last one came in 2019 there was no postseason football on the d2 level last season to play 66 yards and 40 seconds all jared bernhardt quarterback runs but you got to give that offensive line a ton of credit as you see the the wins here gusting knocking that football off the tee and so it's been all day long and there's a look at head coach tony anis and the bulldog fans who have come out in abundance for this one despite the weather hoping open watch their team punch a ticket to the national title game they played in the 2018 national championship against valdosta state that was a shootout memorable 49-47 win for valdosta state so ferris state has revenge on their minds but they still have a long way to go in this one returnable kick here a little space taken out past the 35 and up to the 40 to set ferris up with good field position that time around hayden august shrivkin now back comes tyson agent and this offense that went three and out their first time on the field but look at the numbers all season long three and out is a rarity marcus 46 points a game that's nothing to snooze at 25 first downs and at high clip on third down you know they really had a manageable third four last time out but this offense has been very explosive and productive all season and they're gonna have to get it going against this top ranked defense we've got four receivers in this set for beijing he looks down the seam into one on one and complete oh well they'll say that was incomplete had intentions that time for greg leonard over on the sideline [Music] didn't quite hang on that's a match up that they like in the slot greg 5 8 70 pound speedster on that slot fade you run that route from the hash gives you plenty of room on the sideline but i really like the touch pass from bates so accurate leads the country in total passing yards on the season they go right back to the air beijing over the middle this time on the check down has ryan beach a relatively smaller target of five six 160 but he is tough to handle for the opponent 44 yard line there's bulldog defense one of the things you'll see is they're playing man-to-man here and they have the corners to press on the outside but they're very long physical and fast they can play zone and man and they don't even have to blitz to get pressure on the quarterback they're that good up front so the agent's going to have to read the coverages and get rid of that football quickly trying to avoid a second straight three and out the agent steps up and he'll take it himself dives for the yards again looks like he may have gotten there [Applause] they will move the chains so shepard picks up their first first down of the game by way of beijing's legs and i think he's going to have to do more of that if the bulldogs only rush forward but but sooner or later rams are going to have to keep this defense honest and run the football and show that they will run it up the middle holly and ronnie brown and those guys brown popped a big one last week big 43 yarder up the middle here they are right on hugh marcus running the football one of the first times we've seen that you and i talked before the game about this ferris state defensive line they have the size advantage the bulk advantage how does shepard kind of offset that today well you have to use misdirection and mix in a little bit of screens and draws anytime defenses get up the field you saw austin simpson 91 right there he just plugs the middle he did that there but that's a good game but i really think it's play calling keeping the defense off guard staying ahead of the sticks that way you won't be as predictable on offense agent receivers going down the field couldn't quite find his intended target there was looking for ronnie brown who leaked out of the backfield from his running back spot it's good coverage though on the back end by the bulldogs but those type of plays i think shepard needs to hit they have to execute those especially when they're there we saw it earlier with greg leonard on a deep ball simpson ronnie brown actually had a step on the defender and this offense needs to flip the field they don't have to score with bears but they have to at least shorten the game and maximize their opportunities [Applause] they converted on third and six we'll see if they can convert on third and seven here the agent flips it off to his tight end alex wetzel who caught the game-winning touchdown pass as time expired a week ago only picks up a couple yards there fourth down coming up that's another big time stop by the nickelback williams he's a hybrid player he can play corner safety nickelback he's fast and physical that's another great tackle on third down and it's no surprise that the rims are going for it early decision here for shepard head coach ernie mccook they have to keep the offense on the field on fourth and four looking for a hard count here you see agents scanning the sideline getting the play ronnie brown is the back again here's a quick throw to josh gontaric and that's knocked in and out of his hands there there's your guy marcus sintel williams right on cue centel williams playing championship football he actually was beat on that slant route that was a good throw should have caught that football well a big stop on fourth down for ferris state after their touchdown in the opening offensive possession we'll step aside a 7-0 lead for the bulldogs on their home turf [Music] espn's coverage of the division 2 national championship takes place next saturday at 9 00 pm eastern on espnu for more information go to ncaa.com the official online home for all 90 ncaa championships again valdosta state has advanced past colorado school of mines to reach their sixth national championship appearance in program history one of these two teams hoping to join them again that's next saturday at nine eastern on espnu back with you alongside marcus ray i'm jason ross jr we weren't sure if jared bernhardt would get the start today he has for ferris state hands it off for the first time today to tyler miner the back from flint michigan opening possession for the bulldogs was two plays 66 yards thanks all to the legs of jared bernhardt coming up on the tackle there was chris lane another guy who you really liked marcus one of the linebackers in the heart of this shepherd defense yeah he put on some weight he's gonna have to put in some work too this afternoon he had a big game last week fumble recovery big return hand it off once again here ball came out towards the tail end of that run the shepard players are indicating that they have it they do with the bottom of the pile emilio pena antonio fox has it and we'll see if they opt to review this here's a look at it you'll see right there way to take on the block young fella chris lane that's that's no easy task got those big bodies coming out there but the ball comes out looks like pena forced it exactly had a chance to recover at the center but he couldn't get it see right there the ball comes out in the middle of your screen right on the logo right between the legs fox was johnny on the spot big turnover they said they wanted to win the turnover battle a week ago ferris state was on the flip side of that equation they forced three fumbles it was in their 41-20 win over northwest missouri state in the super regional final that's your guy right there ronnie brown i think he has to have a day both catching the football pass protection and running the football inside between the tackles look for that one-on-one matchup to the top of the screen plenty of time for beijing now the pocket collapses and he just has to throw it away [Applause] there's a look at tony and ease in his ninth season at the helm for the bulldogs going for win number 100 today [Music] since he's taken over i mean he's turned this program into a powerhouse you see his record 99-16 winning at a high percentage he knows how to recruit created a brotherhood and family type environment here at fair state treats his transfers well like brothers and and they truly promote love in this program agent goes to the air again as beech spun out of the initial tackle a burst of speed and a first down that's what orion beach can do he's a slippery guy at five six one sixty gain of 12 there for shepard well that's his favorite target and this is their favorite route and the only way to really stop it is to get him on the ground in space saw caleb smith miss the tackle there but that's a good catch and run and you don't want to let mr beach have a fun and sunny day out here in this weather but he catches the ball well and you see makes people miss but if you can get them on the ground you can keep them out of get first downs in manageable situations just under nine to play in the opening quarter agent down the seam has josh don tarek inside the 5. [Applause] that all started with the play action fake watch the fake in the backfield but the receiver comes wide open down the field starts with the fake and he's the slot receiver safety didn't get a chance but that was actually the corner mcleod he didn't get a chance to get over the top but that play fake took the safety out of the route and that's what a decent run game will do is open up the middle of the field when they line up in trips that's one of tripp's three receivers to one side that's that's a route that tyson page can make throw and complete touchdown saving tackle from cindy mccloud now shepard is set up nicely here [Applause] agent scans the field there's a flag that goes flying the receiver in the vicinity there was jonathan moss and he was brought down looks like that might have been alex thomas alex thomas took down jonathan moss but they're discussing it moss one of the favorite targets 52 catches on the year that penalty will be assessed half this is to the goal automatic first down so referee michael livingston does charge alex thomas for the holding there thomas oh that's a tough one i'm a former defensive back and i'll tell you it looked like moss was going to fall on his own and thomas didn't have any reason he had great coverage he didn't have any reason to tackle the receiver that's a good call we'll reset it first and goal this time to the end zone gone taric holds it in able to muscle that one down and shepard has a chance to tie the game with the extra point josh who else to finish the drive after the big catch down the middle they found a match-up they like they have the quarterback basin to throw it look at the accuracy and the touch pass defensive back didn't have a chance that's mccloud that's a tough route to defend the fade route in the goal line area it's a little bigger there than five cent 185 didn't he yeah he played game [Applause] kick is hopping good we're expecting a fun one it's off to a pretty exciting start not it up still early stages first quarter from top tiger field welcome back 7-7 now after the connection between tyson baijin and josh ganterrick ernie mccook mentioned in his fourth season as the shepherd head coach he and his group you could consider them to be the underdogs today but they have had such a stellar season 13-1 6-1 in the pennsylvania state athletic conference undefeated on the road this year 7-0 away from home so a group that does not get intimidated easily last two weeks for them have come down to the final 10 seconds a week ago it was the hail mary as time expired 42-yard connection between tyson bagen and alex wetzel a week prior to that it was uh pitched to gantarek with less than 10 seconds left against notre dame college here's a little squibber that's going to set up ferris state with pretty good field position as marcus taylor took it out near the 40 and all the way up near the 50 for the bulldogs well going back to coach mccook he believes in making the ordinary play extraordinary and they did that in that last drive defense came up big around the same area on the field to create a scoring opportunity but he really wants his team to make plays at the bottom line for shepard regardless if it's a busted play a hitch route that goes five yards take it 60. he wants his team to make plays the ferris state offense back out on the field bernhard slips through the first tackle this is what he does so well just move in the pile at 6-1-195 the qb with a lacrosse background was at maryland the previous four years where he played lacrosse all four years did not play football and here's a look at the lacrosse kind of the texture of his game playing in here you see the lower body leg strength there fighting for extra yards in between defenders the ground they go now and they can mix it up you never really know what's coming at you because bernhard will drop back but is he gonna run is he gonna pass then they can go to the ground game very capable back there in jeremy burrell interesting offense to try to defend the 34 yard line bernhardt right back up the gut again straight ahead he played lacrosse in maryland as a grad transfer after four seasons there came to ferris state last summer but then the season was cancelled through the covet so he went back to maryland for another season of lacrosse there's a triple option qb at lake brantley high school in florida prior to that really an intriguing story that's he's hoping will culminate in the national championship they're moving a little quicker now next time on the sidelines sai barnett that three catches 29 yards a week ago makes the grab this offense is definitely in rhythm and mixing it up with quarterback run inside run with morrell and the short pass outside to barnett this defense is going to have to start walking up a little bit more to take away the short passes because you you want bernhard to have to earn every yard have been a bit of a miscommunication there bernhardt slips up [Music] they told us they want to try to work in short fields and this drive started just inside their own territory moving pretty quickly now this will be the first third down of the drive third and four coming up [Applause] it's a big third down i think it's a four down situation don't be surprised if they run the football or try to throw it short bernhardt keeps it lucia's first step is just so explosive he's able to pick up the first down there gain of eight number five rams gonna have to load that box a little bit more so whenever the quarterback's running the football you'll see a nice tackle by fox on the open field which is no easy task got to put your face on the football there but you're gonna have to scoot those guys up and possibly go zero coverage with no free safety just to get another hat and extra man assigned to the quarterback in the run game you have four receivers in the set here but bernhard keeps it has room on the edge cuts it up looking for the end zone may have came up just shy at the one and i think at this point we can make note this offensive line just watch how they're recreating things opening up running lanes for bernhardt to do his thing in the open field but this offensive line is huge i mean they go 300 plus across the board and and they have an advantage against this undersized defensive lineman they open up the hole for bernhardt there who's already over 100 yards rushing on the day that's his second rushing scamper and florida state beggar barton ferris state back up 13-7 you see right there they just outnumber you outnumber the rams at the point of attacking and they want to run the football in between the tackles regardless it's the quarterback running back earnhardt showing you why he's the player of the year thousand yard pass or 1200 yards plus but he can run that football and they want to ground and pound and win the battle of attrition against the rams [Applause] attack on the extra point seven point edge for ferris state already a couple of rushing touchdowns for bernhardt mentioned he didn't play a week ago prior week at 117 117 yards rushing against grand valley state two touchdowns on the ground this is such a balanced offense here's another look at it and just watching the middle sciler boom strumming those guys are pushing this defensive line two and three yards back bernhard is not even getting touched before he's picking up three four five yards but big hogs up front man i mean they're rough they've been doing it all year average about 250 on the ground 250 in the air so they're balanced but they really want to run the football and they believe they have an advantage up front and the rams are going to have to create double teams and get those linebackers we saw shale miss a tackle earlier on bernhardt but they're going to have to get more guys closer to the line of scrimmage and force the bulldogs to put it in the air shepard's last two opponents have ran the ball for at least 150 yards that trends continuing today perhaps to take it out here questionable decision and he's gonna get brought down back at the five so that'll flip the field once again in ferris state's favor as zane lewis took it out and marcus i don't know what you think about that decision there yeah i don't know about that one i mean they lost at least 15 yards of field position once he dropped it right there in the end zone i think you just take the knee blocker stop blocking these guys are running down field you got a 60 yard head start by the defense now you put your by the kickoff team now you got your your great quarterback agent starting on his own six yard line but that's a very unfortunate position to start when they could have had the ball out beyond the 25-yard line hands it off here and his running back tied hebron gets some of that yardage back and more all the way up to the 45 is where they'll mark them a big gain there on first down to make that up well regardless what happened on that kickoff return our impact player ty hebron he ran that inside zone play starts to his right cuts back nice job by that offensive line got those linebackers out of their run gaps and right there you see a big run out of 510 180 pound junior out of rockville maryland it's a good run get this offense going gain a 41 there they go right back to him that was the kind of plays that you need in a semi-final and you make mistakes obviously can't let that get to you and marcus you've played in games like this at a high level in college football what should the mentality be after a mistake inevitably happens well you got to have a short memory number one and you have to continue to make plays and execute and and understand this team has have been they have been the cardiac kids the last two weeks the way they've won so they believe as long as they keep it close they've always got a chance to win and they're always one play away from flipping the field or at least scoring a touchdown agent to the air this time receiver in the vicinity there is ej morgan brings up third and six [Applause] i think on second down you're going to start to see some of those intermediate routes look for ryan beach the speedy slot receiver to get a little more action because this offense is a lot better on third and short than they are third medium but that young man right there his completion percentage and his ability to extend plays stay in his progressions look for short crossing routes here with that bunch formation of tight receivers agent dumps it off as ryan beech we'll see if he has enough here they are going to move the chains wow that's a great effort there by beech he started off really tight blocked for a half a second as you'll see thousand one thousand two blocked the defensive end inside kai thomas take his eyes off of him for one second when he gets that football he will turn that corner on you look at the extra effort on third and six picks up seven and now shepard after what was a disastrous start to this drive all of a sudden is in plus territory but they might have a penalty coming up here [Applause] [Music] yeah that's a legal substitution looked like that 12 men on the field they didn't break the huddle with 12. you see coach mccook doesn't like that for teams that don't huddle you know you rarely see illegal participation legal substitution i'm sorry it's legal participation when it's on the defense but they lose five on that player [Applause] and you'll see here when they are on second and long their offensive play calls a little different as you see the snow flurries coming down we'll see if that has any effect on tyson's agent his ability to locate his receivers and his grip on the football [Applause] this is more of what it looks like earlier the wind has been owling all day around these parts gusts up to as much as 40 miles per hour in the morning and second and 14 gets flushed has to step up and dump it off dangerously into traffic that'll bring up third and 14. [Applause] williams has been all over the field sintel williams who almost picked off that pass looks like ronnie brown thirty man got away with a little bit of extra curriculum you see williams oh right there and all you young fellas at home you don't want to catch the ball with your elbows bent you want to extend it turn your palms to the football index fingers or index fingers make a little hole but if you try to dive and catch it with those alligator arms you won't come up with it but see right there ronnie brown didn't like something he's looking for a flag to come up but it didn't so still third and 14. this ferris state crowd getting into it and bajan is brought down in the backfield it was caleb murphy their leader in sacks who came up to make the play young man could have easily been we could have highlighted him at the beginning of the show as well with came in the game with 10 sacks gliac defensive lineman of the year first team all-conference young man is 6-4 245 he's hard to block been a great addition sac leader big on third down right there and now the punt is dropped in the backfield and recovered by ferris state they wanted to set themselves up with short fields and they did just that we're covered by connor near and the bulldogs have a chance to close out this quarter on high note just an unfortunate turn of events you see the weather could have a factor just dropped it was a good good snap eric just dropped it in this inclement weather and i think it's instead of trying to pick it up you just kick the ball and you try to get get it out of there but what a turn of events there for the bulldogs defense came up big and then they lined up and recovered a muff pump [Laughter] now a little trickery here they try to set up blocks on the edge for marcus taylor [Applause] a little trickeration as they say nowadays good tackle by kendall duckworth staying at home and chasing that football down young man out of orlando taylor right there has had a great season 61 catches 848 yards and six touchdowns they like to give him the ball in various ways he lines up in the slot most of the time but you get a running quarterback that's a good call by the offense get all the attention on bernhardt and run the end around told us they want to put their players in one-on-one situations as much as possible and they love for bernard to do that as much as possible as well picks up another first down there and the bulldogs are in the red zone the quarterback run has been at a premium here in this offense so far in this first quarter they've monopolized time of possession and running the football but bernhard's earning his his money today it's the same it's the national semifinal and you have to 60 seconds left in the opening quarter tyler miner down the sideline and knocked out of bounds at the 5. good size kid six foot 215 pounds you saw the speed they're getting around the end and when they run that outside zone play they'll they'll leave the defensive end unblocked as you saw there because they believe his speed is enough to turn that corner they say he's a big play guy and you saw it right there bernhardt keeps it once again bouncing off of tacklers still moving the pile this has been the trends we'll see where they mark it [Applause] official came over to mark it down just shy and maybe the half yard mark with forward progress [Music] that's a good job body officials blowing that whistle you don't want those offensive linemen doing too much pushing the pile but you'll see this 100 quarterback run and bernhard just keeps his legs moving and fighting big fellas in there big shreve 79 trying to push those guys around 300. pound guys pushing that pile back to the ground and into the end zone once more now a two-possession game as ferris state punches in another to close out the first quarter once again when they get down on that goal line you'll see guards pulling tackles blocking down center blocking back they're just you're gonna have to put more guys up front if you're shepard in the goal line package to stop this offensive attack up front but once again bernhard he earned that money why not let him go ahead and cash that check as well third cash check of the opening quarter for him third rushing touchdown of the first quarter for bernhardt makes it 21-7 in favor of ferris state another pretty high score in the first quarter so far 28 total points 21 of them went to ferris state all three touchdowns on the legs of jared bernhardt exciting back and forth action from top tagger field we'll step aside on espn plus welcome back to top taggart field 21-7 lead for ferris state over shepard in this d2 semifinal both teams open a puncher ticket to the national championship next week to play valdosta state that'll be saturday at nine eastern time on espnu [Music] see the cheerleaders got a lot to cheer about here in that first quarter as the bulldogs ended with a two score lead straight ground and pounding we'll see if shepard can respond [Music] i'll try to return this one here greg leonard brought down just outside of the 20 at the 22. i mentioned valdosta state has already moved on won a thriller earlier today against colorado school of mines 34-31 [Music] it's a tough one valdosta had their hands full colorado school of mines came to play and they were down early 10-0 next thing you know 17-17 but in the national semifinal anything's possible we'll see if the rams can put up a fight here and cut into this lead [Applause] qb tyson agent and drop back dumps it off to the running back ty hebron and he's wrapped up properly in the backfield and linebacker john higgins came over to make the play it's a good tackle by higgins i mean hebron easily could have picked up eight yards but tackling has to be at a premium of top priority for both of these defenses inclement weather big play guys on both sides that's a good play higgins is a hybrid defensive end but he can play in space you saw it right there now on second and 11 they go to the ground with hebron he's brought down after a minimal gain there higgins was in the mix again you mentioned the versatility of john higgins he's a former high school quarterback as well in wisconsin was a pretty good one who knows both sides of the equation when it comes to having a linebacker flying at you it's always good to see former quarterbacks play defense in college it just shows you how athletic and tough they are and versatile see third down conversions shepard 55.8 leads division two today they're right at 50 percent thing is they've been in these kind of third and long scenarios today the third and seven once again here agent going down the field and they convert on third down alex wetzel the tight end a big gain there and shepard will set up inside of plus territory you'll see the savvy and the and just being able to recognize the one-on-one match-up by tyson got his big tight end wetzel matched up on major deadman 18 the outside linebacker and he got caught with his eyes in the backfield and let's ran right past him but they need more plays like that the middle of the field is is open at times especially when they go four receivers and spread you out gain of 36 to keep the drive alive on third and seven there back to the air out of the reach of the intended target gone territory he was hauled in the lone touchdown reception of the day for shepard rams like their their matchups on on the outside with their receivers versus these two corners thomas and mccloud you know what jason the sun is out though and it's snowing out here i don't know what's going on up here but that's okay we'll take it a little heat with your snow right [Applause] [Music] windy snowy day in big rapids michigan the second quarter of this d2 semi-final to the ground they go once again with hebron [Applause] we work with ronnie brown and ty hebron at the running back spot the shepherd and it just kind of depends on who has the hot hand well i'll tell you who has a hot hand right now is that man number five we talked about him at the top of the show he's got this defense playing and staying out of third and short got some help though from some guys up front liam daly forced a loss of one there their leader in tackles on the season so again third and long see if shepard has another trick in their bag here agent down the field looking for his target and may have just found ryan beach so third and seven and now third and 11 conversions on this drive another great touch pass in the snow i like the effort by ryan beach the reason the rams like their match up on the outside these two corners sydney mcleod one alex thomas zero they they're back in the lineup but they've been injured so they've rotated a lot of guys in that secondary but look at the skid mark from the effort it tells you what the type of weather they're playing in right now the effort gave him a gain of 30 there set up inside the red zone [Applause] first and goal from the 10 for beijing looking for don tarek he won that battle in the first quarter couldn't quite haul it down there going up against alex thomas sydney mccloud was in the mix as well she right in the slot good patience though by thomas playing the eyes and hands of the receiver ontario that's what you do as a defensive back if especially down in that goal line end zone area you don't want to look back that receiver will tell you when the ball is on its way and that's a good job getting that hand in the catching radius kind of thing you appreciate as a former db definitely this times irani brown on the ground into the interior of a very tough fairer state defensive line top ranked defense left in the division 2 championship just a gain of 2 there a lot of bodies in there that time was nowhere for brown to run that football but i think you have to do it just to keep the defense honest and show them that you can't just tee off on the outside on these pass plays trying to get to tyson beijing now third and goal for bajan and an empty backfield with a whistle prior to the snap [Applause] we'll step aside with ferris state 21-7 is their edge but shepard is knocking on the door a big third and goal when we come back [Music] look at ferris state head coach tony in east hoping his undefeated bulldogs can make a big red zone stop here third and goal for shepard looking for his 100th win today they can pull it off [Applause] he was the head coach at pioneer high school in ann arbor back when i played in michigan back in 95 and 96. been knowing him a long time empty backfield for bagent and he is swallowed up in the backfield austin simpson came up to make the play defensive coordinator ryan hodges told us earlier this week it's always a good day when you see austin simpson but not a good day for the offense definitely not i mean he's a big man 6-2 290 pounds out of livonia michigan plugs that middle first team all conference just watch him up the middle stand after you don't really see big interior guys pushing the pocket and getting the sack you see a lot of defensive ends and outside linebackers making those plays i think the rams need to knock this in and the second time we've seen them in a special team situation have trouble with handling the ball previously was on a punt now on a field goal attempt so ferris state will take back over one of the things coach mccook told us he wanted him to be able to communicate special teams were going to play a huge role and just mishandled the snap there for the second time that was garrett hutchinson holder now big drive coming up for the shepard defense i think they have to get a stop here and find a way to stop ferris state from going up three scores and gaining even more momentum running that football have 150 yards in the ground today trying to add to that whole total hero of cj jefferson who is moving his way up the sideline into shepard's territory gotta block and that will set up the bulldogs inside of the red zone [Applause] that time the defense was possibly looking for bernhardt to keep that football but they got some great blocking on that left side pasquale shreve running that jet sweep catching the defense off guard [Applause] moving quickly again here more blocks on the edge next time it was jeremy burrell cj jefferson who had the 62-yard run there's a guy who they told us it's kind of difficult to label one particular position because they use them in all sorts of different ways running behind a pretty hefty offensive line as well he's most improved on his football team according to the coaches he's reliable that's jeremy verrell i'm talking about he he's definitely been an asset and a weapon for this offense he faked the handoff to jefferson bernhard kept it rushing touchdown number four of the day for jared bernhardt barnhart looks healthy looks confident when they get down inside they expect to run the football up the middle they came into this game expecting to win the battle at the line of scrimmage it was imperative that they were able to run the ball he didn't know that young man was going to play but you see the numbers 12 rushes 128 averaging 10 and a half almost 11 yards a pop four touchdowns 20 minutes into this game [Applause] oh it's a three-score lead now for the bulldogs of ferris state jared bernhardt and this offense running wild at home [Music] [Music] it's v week at espn in our partnership with the v foundation highlights the urgent need for cancer research and the elimination of racial disparities and cancer outcomes you can learn more and help support by visiting v.org donate don't forget 100 of your donation goes directly to cancer research i'm happy to have you back with us here top tiger field ferris state has won each of their last six games by at least 20 points at an excellent closing to the season that has bled into the playoffs this program has not won a national title in football they are knocking on the door of a national championship appearance their last game in 2018 against valdosta state and they're hoping to book a rematch for valdosta state after they advanced past colorado school of mines earlier today we saw the scoring drive there just took three plays 54 seconds these people are running the ball efficiently effectively saw the end around finishing off by earnhardt with another touchdown [Applause] you mentioned the last couple of opponents against shepard had iran for at least 150 yards now their offense tries to come out to answer back with still plenty of time left here in the second quarter well there's no need to panic but you definitely have to find a way to move the football chew up a little bit of clock and hopefully play to your defense and get a short field but they're going to need some big plays and they're going to have to live up to that high percentage on third down conversions last drive ended in a mishandled snap on a field goal attempts this one begins with agent looking down field and down the scene for ryan beach but coming over to make a beautiful play was alex thomas in coverage thomas has been getting a lot of work for better or worse that's a good play right there he came over the top look at the speed be able to make up the ground and get fingertips on the football not sure if beach would have been able to haul that one in but he found a way to get behind the defense that was a late read too by beijing which tells you he's going through his progressions he looked to his left bulldogs took away his short pass initially and he came back down the middle and almost made a big play sacked a couple of times today but he's had a pretty good amount of time to work with throughout this afternoon and go right back to the air we'll tuck it and then dump it off to ronnie brown looks like he's able to pick up enough there to move the chains i like how beijing stays alive and when he drops back he feels the pressure from the outside and he'll step up to run but not necessarily scramble he's not a scrambler he didn't he has 83 yards one total rushing in the season so he kind of extends to play back up the field so he can throw it i noticed that on film two so poised as ronnie brown keeps it and he'll pick up a very good chunk here on first see where they mark him with forward progress might give him another first down they do one of the first things that shepard head coach ernie mccook told us is that one of the reasons they've advanced to where they are is because their qb is so calm in the big moments as he was the last couple of weeks two games that ended in the final 10 seconds thanks to go ahead shepard touchdowns against notre dame college in kutztown hoping for some more magic in this second quarter offensively agent pumps again plenty of time found his option and it's josh gonterick that was incomplete mention how wild of a ride it's been for shepard to the first round all of these one score games the game-winning touchdowns on the final plays each of the last two weeks marcus how i guess emotionally challenging is it to respond to a game like that even if it's in your favor maybe emotionally draining i should say oh it definitely is and you just never know but after you do it once you believe you can do it twice and that's exactly what they did and if you're going to do it again here they're going to have to cut into this league ryan beach who's been a big target today for tyson beijing he's able to squeak past the first tackle as he usually does his redshirt freshman season has been very impressive 1100 yards receiving they'll need to be a big piece if shepard does come back in this one well when you watch the first half of last week's game against kutztown it's one of those things where they were up 21-0 so when you look at this offense in the last four quarters three-quarters at least they haven't been as explosive and they found themselves down in that game late and had to come back to win they were down 28 to 24 and they scored but they didn't play their kind of football in that second half and it's kind of carrying over into this half first half of this ball game the clock was winding down beijing again extending the play dangerously thrown there on the coverage was alex thomas the senior corner from fort lauderdale florida [Applause] alex thomas 6-1 185 state of florida saw there he went for that pick six and if he would have caught that football he'd still be running he would hit his head on the goal post fourth and four here and shepard gonna go for it on their side of the 50. now you'll see basically look to the sideline to get the call expect something right to the left of your screen josh john tarrick on maybe a slant route oh pooch puck [Music] [Applause] [Music] that'll roll down and at least put the shepherd defense in good field position not a bad punt from the qb tyson beijing we didn't know they had that arsenal 7 49 to go in this second quarter jared bernhardt has four russian touchdowns today all began with this lengthy stamper on ferris's first offensive play of the game that got them down inside the 10. earnhardt punched it in with his own legs story has been pretty much the same since then and he knows exactly where to run the football he trusts his blockers you can tell they rep it in practice and that nine on seven drill the big thick fellas up front recreating the line of scrimmage giving him all types of run lanes next time cj jefferson had a big run in their previous drive shedding tacklers just past the 30-yard line [Music] shout out to our director kevin shane who mentioned that uh the offensive line for ferris state has on average about a 45 pound average uh i should say advantage on shepard when it comes to these offensive lines and defensive lines up front they've really been moving the pile earlier and they definitely have an advantage on the outside you look at number nine the league holloway is only 210 pounds kyle smith 210. i mean those guys are productive and they're in the lineup it's really tough to go up against 300 pounders every play they keep it again kevin ching has been excellent as usual he also pointed out this ferris state offense is so balanced they averaged 252 yards rushing and 250 yards passing today it's been the ground game though as you can see there that they've just been so comfy with 253 now and they don't really even want to run they don't want to pass the football they don't have to those big beefy guys up front but cj jefferson is keeping them honest with that jet sweep you never know if bernhard is going to keep it or give it they give it here jeremy burrell gets gobbled up just past in there to make the hit along with chris lane number two was the ram there to bring it down third expect bernhardt here won that football [Applause] i guess i should say down in yardage really throughout the entire half here for ferris state they haven't been in many third and long scenarios and obviously third and long they can just do that well they have a lot of mouths to feed they got explosive guys you see burrell we've got miner getting the ball to jefferson bernhard's having a day we've yet to see malik mitchell he also can light it up marcus taylor they want to get him in one-on-one scenarios hits the sideline and picks up a first down taylor has four 100 yard games this season off to another good start here another jet sweep boy is taylor fast out of orlando he timed it up well look at the blocking on the perimeter get a cut block for morel in the backfield jefferson on the outside and then taylor turns that corner he almost hit the home run he ran track and field at oak ridge high school in florida play basketball as well he was on the 2018 team that reached the national title game bernhardt patiently running here look at that cup bernhard able to pick up a first down another beauty and they'll move to james we call that a dipsy do good fake devil right here he's going to turn the corner when he hesitates he's trying to set his blocks up gets his foot in the ground john chaney had a chance young corner 23 but oh that was a good cut they keep it on the ground here tyler miner takes it jared bernhardt has thrown the ball once for six yards he's ran it 14 times for 148 and four touchdowns yeah there's no need to even throw the ball if you don't have to he might let one go here pretty soon he's one for one on that six yard pass too and i was on the outside but 14 rushes he averaging 10.8 pop this play was blown dead prior to the snap not everyone was set prior to the snap false start five yard penalty still second down referee michael livingston calls a rare infraction in the form of a false start on ferris state haven't been penalized often today and haven't been penalized often throughout the season very well coach disciplined senior leading team don't beat themselves if you want to beat them you're gonna have to earn it bernhardt keeps it and then it will get hit another flag goes flying here pena made the tackle chris lane mentions how clean and crisp their season has been overall noted they've won their last six games by at least 20 points their closest game on the year was a 47-45 overtime win against saginaw valley state but otherwise it's been smooth sailing to this point now 28-7 demanding three-score lead with just under five to play in the second quarter oh there's a reason they entered this playoff as the number one team in the country they've earned it they've had the schedule the results we'll see if they can get up out of this one rare pass from bernhardt scooped up there by marcus taylor he will scoot his way just inside the 25. to bring up third and long here that's a good stop by the rams because second down is a big screen draw down bernhard sold the bubble screen the bubble pass to the wide side of the field but that defense maintained her eye discipline and rally to the football [Music] i haven't seen this scenario out here third and long for ferris state shepherd needs a stop bernhardt looking at the air just his third throw of the game is a completion able to find psy barnett a market short two yards short [Applause] it's good pass protection there he just looked down the field barnett got in between those linebackers [Music] for a decent game to make it fourth and manageable i don't expect to see field goal with 10-tier the way they've been running the football look for a hard count possibly some type of run play quarterback offensive coordinator stephen east the son of head coach tony and east keeps his group out on the field here now we get a whistle and a timeout call 2 45 to go in the second uh fourth and three coming up for ferris state as the first half winds down [Music] three score lead for the ferris state bulldogs at home in our d2 semi-final second one of the day valdosta state has already advanced past colorado school of mines to punch their ticket to the national title game next saturday at 9 eastern time on espnu some of the young fair state fans a couple of future bulldogs there climbing on top of the snow that was even higher yesterday when it was really coming down luckily that's lightened up a bit as you see the bracket on your screen there yeah we've seen drizzles in and out before the game during the game sun was out for a brief minute [Applause] afternoon turning the evening here big fourth down coming up for the shepherd defense they still have time if their offense were to get it back got the big package in extra tight ends they're already intimidating enough aren't they they put in some extra tight ends and they go with that 10-man box on offense here getting the call from the sideline look for a pulling guard backside [Music] bernhard keeps it has a gaping hole jared bernhardt rushing touchdown number five [Applause] they just outnumbered him at the point of attack [Applause] loaded up that box and the rams really didn't have a chance they didn't have the guys in the box plus one bernhardt he's been a one-man wrecking crew but look at all those bodies inside good block by miner number seven leading the way [Music] ferris state is averaging 45.7 points per game on the season they already have 35 and we're not yet done with the opening couple of quarters thanks to that man right there's fifth rushing touchdown today all five touchdowns belong to that young man jared bernhardt the senior didn't play last week rested up got back in the lineup but he's running behind one of the best offensive line combinations in all of division two and you see it anytime your quarterback can run the ball effectively even when you're running on the outside with jet sweeps and getting it to your backs miner and bereal you want to celebrate the big beef up front those guys are pushing people around left and right and they're having a good time doing it the number one ranked team in division two football 84-9 over the past seven seasons mention tony and east going for win number 100 in his tenure as head coach of the bulldogs today they've been ridiculously good on this home field just such a intimidating environment to come into when you look at the numbers they've won 49 of their last 55 games at home just a stable of consistency denise mentioned us earlier this week the standard for excellence is just so high year in and year out comes back on the field for shepard jackson what were the three things he wanted to do three boxes he wanted to check after he watched the game and he said win win win and he's built a winning culture in big rapids and these young men believe they remember that game a few years ago when they came up short they want to get back there [Applause] nearly intercepted that sign beijing's throw alex thomas who's been in the mix quite a bit today on the defensive backside for shepard we talked to their defensive coordinator josh klein and you asked him what are the three keys and he said stop the run put them in long down in distance said let's handle adjustments and then not making mistakes but today you've seen a couple of turnovers in special teams and obviously have not been able to stop the run so the storyline's kind of playing out in favor of ferris state [Applause] and they're in that long yard as defense where they'll rush three see the corner roll up to the bottom here try to slow down that release of the receiver agent flushed he's extended plays well throughout this first half but that pass intended for don tarrick [Music] tough to throw that football with eight guys back there and they jam those receivers and play a trail technique and run up underneath them wasn't anything there for paige and he almost made a play but don tarek was too far away but those safeties are not letting anything get behind him right now [Applause] [Music] [Applause] top third down team in the country on the d2 level this season the offensive shepherd [Applause] hoping to keep something going here with two and a half to play in the second quarter good coverage downfield pocket is collapsing beijing looking for something it's ronnie brown couldn't quite find him the late flag came in we'll see what this is for sydney mccloud was in on the coverage there along with a couple others your guys cynthia williams is in the mix it's gonna be interesting to see i mean they call past interference looks like i believe it was it was a lead flag michael livingston set to make the call [Applause] we'll see here ball sails in the air right there in the middle it's liam daly at the linebacker dropping back in coverage ronnie brown almost still should have caught that football it's tough because there's no face guarding in college football but at the same time there was a little bit of contact when that ball was in the air but it was enough for you to throw the flag and daley isn't new to dropping back in coverage it's something he does pretty frequently out of his linebacker spot nonetheless gives shepard a fresh set of downs bit of a miscommunication there that pass sails out of bounds see coach a cook a fine job in his fourth year 13-1 winner of 10 straight last two are holding your chest on those last two this program has won at least 10 games five out of the past six seasons [Applause] [Music] agent dumps it off incomplete had intentions for ronnie brown daley was there once again as those two got entangled with one another [Applause] get a little wrestling action going on though running around we need to check and see if he's got some high school wrestling he's tossing people around right right here so you see them daily then a little action here look watch the just nice little one hand over swing round's a tough football player though very competitive you know you should have caught that pass so linebackers and running back going at it here maybe a little frustration with how this first half is gone agent steps up he's running out of time ball came out has to pounce on it [Applause] way behind the sticks with under two minutes to go in the opening half yeah he didn't have anywhere to go with that football and there goes that man again caleb murphy it's almost unblockable i mean he uses his hands extremely well his first step is explosive the longer you hold that ball the longer number 12 has a chance to get to you and that's a great play i've got some issues on special teams today another punt that wasn't exactly the best but it's nearly bobbled there by marcus taylor who's able to pick it up off that slick surface and brought down back at his own 25 there's a flag down back at the shepherd 41. see special teams been real shaky though for the rams bulldogs cashed in on those two mistakes [Music] you find out taylor's you're pretty shifty guy man i mean almost lost that ball himself found a way to retrieve it but his stop and start jump cut was pretty impressive looking yeah just to recover and then think that way here's our call foul saving team number 15 15-yard penalty from the end of the kick it'll be first to attend ferris state fair estate from a penalty standpoint maybe not finishing off this hasst in the cleanest of half in the cleanest of fashions had a couple of false starts and now a face mask there that was called on xavier wade will step back out in the receiver position on offense [Music] this offense i mean from bernhardt's 163 everybody else that's touching the ball is really making some things happen too especially this young man jefferson i mean he was two carries for 83 yards before he touched the football on there on that same jet sweep run down brought down by annelio and they like to get their i should say a multitude of weapons out in space if it's bern hard if it's jefferson the running backs difficult to label some of their players with just one position because of how they like to how they like to use them in the running game and they move those guys around to from slot to wing cinnamon motion this is tyler miner [Music] wrapped up out of bounds under 30 seconds to go in this opening half and any of those guys that touch the ball offense can hit the home run i mean we've seen taylor almost turn the corner we've seen bernhardt get out of there a few times burrell was able to make some plays in space minor and the most impressive thing is everybody blocks for each other it's almost like if you don't block you're not going to get the football they all buy in and that kind of backs up the mentality that their head coach tony and ease mentioned jewish earlier this week said whether it's regular season game number one or national championship we have a focus on playing the same game in the same style with the same effort each and every week he wants to win and he wants it to look good feel good they've been there i mean they've made a home in this semi-final game very often last five years four out of five and and they they want it they know that this game isn't enough they're trying to take that next step a rare punt from their offense gonzales scoops it up slips out of the initial tackle lost his helmet and they'll blow it dead nice job by those officials some happy feet and some nifty sweet moves but when that helmet comes off you see how that happened here could kill the ball initially but right there left hand ripped off shifty moves though young fella there's some talented players on both sides that we highlighted in the open there have been some fun skill guys to watch in the open field today gontarick is responsible if it alone touchdown catch for shepard that was back in the first quarter since then it's been all ferris state expect these guys to run the clock out just the final 10 seconds well a shepherd rams team that is 13-0 on the season undefeated on the road in uncharted territory trailing 35-7 at the half all business for ferris state on their home turf big fellas taking it to the half i think they earned their money today big bee feeders jay he certainly did we'll step aside you're watching the d2 semi-finals on espn plus back at top taggart field where sansa has gifted ferris state with 35 first half points and a commanding edge over shepard welcome you inside the booth alongside marcus ray i'm jason ross jr marcus 340 total yards for ferris state in that first half 322 of those came on the ground how did shepard find a way to stop this well one of the things they have to do is add more people in the box and they're going to find some find someone to tackle the quarterback i mean this jared bernhardt has been a monster in his first half scoring all five touchdowns and from the very first offensive play he takes the ball and gets out of there makes people miss in space and we could tell right from the very beginning he was going to have a big day and not only did he run it in there he finished it on the second play on offense gosh they've been finishing runs all day long and as you mentioned good credit that offensive line as well they've gotten a really good push defensively what has ferris state done so well against shepparton well they've taken away the big play they haven't let beijing get going and they've created opportunities and they've won the battle on special teams but when this young man bernhardt he stole the show just running up and down the field and those offensive linemen have been opening up run lanes all afternoon and you can see it right here in the stats but those 340 as you mentioned it 322 on the ground but the most impressive thing is 10.3 yards per play that's a first down every time they do something shepard's averaging the best 46 and a half points per game on the season that's number one in the country they were held to seven in the first half so ferris state rolling on both sides of the ball 35-7 after two quarters of play we'll step aside you watch in the national d2 semi-final on espn plus i might go under you welcome back to top tiger field of ferris state university the bulldogs with a 35-7 edge over shepard in this national division two semi-final his team's trying to punch ticket to the national title game which is next week at nine eastern time on espnu you can see valdosta state the colorado school of mines earlier today in a thriller three-point win ferris state is trying to create what would be a rematch of the 2018 national championship game valdosta state won that matchup 49-47 in a shootout really marcus says we welcome you back in jason ross jr alongside marcus ray the first half played out in a fashion that i guess the story lines would tell you ferris state ran the ball as they like to do and defensively they were able to bottle up the top scoring offense in the country yeah one of the things they've been able to do is keep sheppard off the field as well when you run the football effectively they had an advantage up front a weight advantage a size advantage they really utilized that but they also played well on special teams they created two missed opportunities to punt the ball off to punt the ball and then a field goal that was mishandled by shepard so they've been capitalizing in all three phases and they're playing like the number one team in division two football right now well because their rank and enter in this one number one team in the d2 poll they have looked just like it jared bernhard is a big part of that five rushing touchdowns in the opening half didn't play a week ago we didn't know if we if we'd see him this week and came out with a bang with a 61-yard run on ferris state's first offensive play the game to begin this one they have really really ran wild see the numbers there 15 rushes 163 yards five touchdowns three for three passing to him he's just a great athlete he's explosive and you mentioned earlier jason about him playing lacrosse yeah such an interesting story played the last four years at maryland lacrosse did not play football but attempted to transfer into the ferris state program to play football prior to the 2019-2020 season but the kovit cancelled the 2020 season i should say and then he opted to go back to maryland then came back to play football this year you can see the maryland lacrosse numbers he didn't just play lacrosse there he was an extremely good lacrosse player all-american 290 career points maryland record i mean just imagine lacrosse a record-setting lacrosse player goes ahead and says he wants to go back to his roots from down in florida and run that football and comes a fair stake gliac offensive player of the year just a great athlete he's tough he's gritty throws a good ball too just a good all-around athlete now we'll have a quick chat with ferris state head coach tony annise coach you told us earlier this week that the standard of excellence has been so high at your program each and every year what do you attest to the excellent start that your team has gotten off to today well you know we're we keep on saying all uh all playoff run we got to be locked in and so you know there's uh no opportunity for not being locked in if you want to make it uh you know run in the division two playoffs coach marcus right here you've ran the ball effectively defense is playing lights out special teams created some opportunities how would you assess your football team in the first first half very pleased but one more half to go and you know we got to stay stay disciplined and focus on the task at hand uh very pleased with where we're at but a lot a lot more work to do here in the second half thanks coach really appreciate your time thank you all right [Music] you heard it right there jason i mean he's he's locked in he's not happy i mean he's he's not satisfied he understands his team is ahead anything's possible but i think the way they're playing and running the football and this young man bernhard has taken command of the offense but that young man there can light it up in a heartbeat tyson beijing just hadn't had a chance to really get those short throws secondary the bulldogs taken away some of the things he likes but he has hit a couple of big ones down the field though we saw from tarik he's been able to stretch the defense just not enough and not consistent consistently they haven't been able to run the ball besides the one good run by ty hebron when he got him on a bad field position it's an offense that'll need to produce some magic in the second half if they have any shot at coming back in this one and obviously a tall task for the shepard defense as well as their head coach ernie mccook tracks out onto the field again his group 7-0 on the road this season but in uncharted territory trailing 35-7 at the half averaging 46 points per game on the season top scoring offense in the country limited to just seven through the first two quarters both teams just about ready to get underway here [Applause] this program has been so consistent two ten win seasons and five out of the last six years shepard's going to keep competing i mean i mean they're not going to fold the tent here still play off football but i think they got to take some more chances on defense and try to load that box easier said than done you almost have to pick your poison when you're playing against ferris state as balance as they are offensively about 250 yards through the air and by land they have the type of offensive line though that can protect them in the run game and the pass game but when you get a running quarterback at some point you're gonna have to add one more guy from that secondary and take him out of coverage and essentially add him to the run game and leave your corners on an island or you got to blitz a little bit more too but with these home run hitters it's it's like pick your poison it's going to be feast or famine tyler miner set to receive here for ferris state rams received it to begin the first half so they'll kick off to begin the second [Music] miner has a little trouble with it wiggles out of the initial traffic but then brought down good kickoff promptly by the rams that's what happens on those squib kicks they're tough to return and you get down the field a lot quicker it's hard for your blockers to get set up as well seventh consecutive trip to the ncaa d2 playoffs for ferris state first number one ranked team in the lands they have looked like it today [Music] a pass just underneath intended that time for marcus taylor bernard's pass incomplete intended for marcus taylor surprisingly enough they came out throwing the football they ran it so effectively bernhard's done everything right today he can try to skip one off the ground i mean off the play action look it's good defense though by rams taking away his initial read was the backside h-back trying to get underneath those linebackers and and also when you have a lead like this and you've ran the ball effectively you want to get some other stuff on film be it albeit they win this game they need to work on some things like passing situations there's still some situational football that they haven't been tested in this game yet so it doesn't surprise me to at least try to come out and run a play that you haven't ran yet just to see what it would look like on film bernhardt no longer perfect by the way now three of four on the day through the air spotless in just about every other category for ferris state good job by that defense staying home they were expecting fernhardt to keep the ball more so than handing it off on the jet sweep you see he's out see the rush is there 32-16 versus the passes been pretty lopsided in the play selection category for what's usually a relatively balanced offense again they average 252 through the air 250 on the ground but if it's working why go away from it a rare punt here pretty good one that'll back up josh gonzarick look for room to try to return this brought down at about the 26 yard line touchdown reception in the opening quarter for shepard it's been all ferris state since then back comes out tyson badgen the nation's leading passer on the d2 level named a finalist for the harlan hill award which is given to the best d2 player each year 16 grad students on this shepard roster several seniors as well hoping to continue their careers another week but have a high hurdle decline to begin this second half hebron one of the upperclassmen a junior takes the handoff there you had that big run earlier sam your offensive line they've held up for the most part i mean second baseman's been able to get the ball off down the field he got attacked a couple of times but they just haven't been able to run the ball consistently enough to keep drives going and keep this ferris state offense off the field [Music] [Applause] vagin lets it go towards the sideline looking that time for jonathan moss no flag in the vicinity that'll be third and long which is kind of the downing yards they've been in throughout this game and that's just good coverage there on defense by alex thomas he actually pressed him to the sideline moss probably could have caught that pass that's that off man build technique it's tough to get behind the guy that's already backpedaling seven eight yards [Applause] yeah how good at the corner has been today for ferris state mentioned alex moss and sydney mccloud they really trust those guys in different scenarios here's a completion on the sideline to josh gontarek who shepard would love to get involved in this second house you have a receiver running a deep route versus a corner that's playing off go ahead and break it off break it off right at the sticks and you'll see right there that something takes a little bit of timing and understanding when the ball is coming but you're not going to run past a guy that's already seven or eight yards off of you go ahead and stop right at the sticks that's a good decision by tyson [Applause] agent back to the air and back to joshua and tarik that was a play they ran earlier in the first half out of three wide receivers and hold that run fake those linebackers too get up get up out of those pass windows and throw it right down the seam in between those hashes of 17 agent now 157 through the air 14 of 31 passing [Applause] looking down the sidelines who got erica again into one on one [Applause] good coverage on the outside there look who it is once again alex thomas yeah he's had a lot of action today you'll see he tries to hide point the football does a great job but don tarek ended up becoming the defensive back on that play as he prevented an interception you always want to high point that football he almost came down with it the ground causing incompletion [Applause] the fair state coaching staff told us they trust their corners in press coverage no matter what the scenario is they'll put them out on the islands with plenty of confidence hebron gets wrestled down there austin simpson who had a sack earlier in the game makes the tackle it's a good run though i think this is a good drive so far they're getting some positive plays they're not behind the sticks that's a player down a bulldog looks like oladipo defensive end la ray oladipo he's a really high energy guy on the defensive line for ferris state we'll take a quick break 35-7 the ferris state lead hello ray oladipo able to walk off on his own wait there looks like a bit of an upper body injury of some sort getting looked at by the training staff key part of the ferris state up defensive line [Applause] i'll head back out onto the field here a third down scenario coming up for shepard [Applause] i think this is four down territory and whenever that's the case you don't need to get all of it on third down but you can get half of it as close as you can and then make a decision from there [Applause] and ryan beach here at the bottom on the slot [Applause] another slippery target at 5-6 160. legion hops to drop it off to his running back ronnie brown who attempts to push this pile but gets knocked back may bring decision that mark has talked about here i mentioned this shepard team has only lost once on the season that was a 37-29 defeat to cuts down really an uncharted territory and this was a design screen i mean they really sold it as he looked to his left to freeze the defense but this bulldog defense are athletic and fast to read their keys and what it looked like was going to be a short first down ended up only being a three-yard game winning rally to the football by the bulldogs but that play was actually executed pretty well timeout ferris state first of the half this will be 30 seconds in length timeout called by ferris state just their first of the half bulldogs at 12-0 on the season when 7-0 in gliac play 7-0 on this home turf marcus you've coached in the gliac at ohio dominican you know it's a it's a tough lead team has been so consistent in it for a number of years i mean i think it's one of the most competitive in all of d2 and i mean week and they make a lot of plays too and they just don't beat themselves penalties but if you can run the ball and and you have some guys up front that can protect you in both the run and the pass you got a real shot but that definitely is a very competitive lead of how dominican lost to shepard in week one by five fourth and three they went to ryan beach alex thomas in coverage nothing doing there and the ferris state offense takes right back over i think everyone know in the stadium number nine beach was going to be the target but thomas has seen plenty of action today that was good coverage he was expecting that slot fade that's a tough ball to complete he just couldn't get any separation [Applause] back comes jared bernhardt wonder if we'll see malik mitchell their backup qb today they typically will use both of them mitchell that i mentioned got the start a week ago was in the win over northwest missouri state 41-20 prior to that here state took down grand valley state in the semifinal 54 to 20. they've really scored a lot of points throughout this postseason there's a look at malik mitchell six foot four qb from cleveland ohio he's another really neat story he went 12 19 155 a week ago transfer from kent stadium missed a couple of years of football through the injuries and then covid you said both guys prep as if they're going to start throughout the week so if malik isn't playing he's the first one to visit jared on the sideline and both are just excellent teammates have a wonderful relationship they take equal reps in practice too versus northwood malik mitchell career highs past yards 508 six touchdowns and bernhard's absence so that young man can put up numbers and get it done too did it last week an impressive win over northwest missouri state very humble too watched his postseason interview and he really loves his offensive line and loves his teammates bernhardt dumps it off here to cj jefferson and who's dragged down after minimal gain chris lane made the play mark as you play defense at a high level when you're in a game like this and the opponent is just dominating time of possession and pounding it away i guess how much physically and mentally does that start to wear you down well you just got to keep competing and trying to make plays regardless of what the scoreboard says you want to line up and play the next play and enjoy your opportunity especially if you're a senior and this is your last football game you want to go out as best as you possibly can [Music] marcus taylor scooting ahead [Applause] and if you notice right now ferris state's not running bernhard as much i think he put in his work now they're mis mixing up their play calling throwing the ball a little bit more and like i said you know they don't want to become too one-dimensional we saw earlier in that first half when they went tempo it did work and got him into a nice rhythm miner will come out after his helmet comes off yeah you want to mix it up still feed everybody but just be smart and trying to short shorts into the game and just run their offense but they had so many big runs and big plays in that first half they just want to run their offense take their time and execute [Applause] bernhard a rare throw and he had a receiver streaking down the sideline in cj jefferson [Music] jefferson has been a big part of this offense i mean three carries 83 yards two catches for 10 yards he's a good slot receiver and i think next week against valdosta state they'll have to probably mix it up a little more than they have today when it comes to the through the air balance and the ground balance maybe they do put in malik mitchell a bit more often well it's tough for any team to prepare for two quarterbacks especially if you don't know who's going to play and i think that's what shepard had to deal with this week [Applause] likely a holding call will bring this back for marcus taylor on the receiving end of what will be a scamper for him into the end zone on the field at least but this one more than likely coming back you see he just loves playing football offense number 70. 10 yard penalty from the previous spot still third down adam seiler tagged with the holding call there michigan and you know what it's probably not even a situation where you blatantly held but when your quarterback starts scrambling it's it's real tough to maintain your blocks and defensive linemen get to getting out of their past rush lanes and it's always hard on those offensive lines same thing on a punt return when a guy gets to dancing and reversing field you know anything can happen but officials made the call and we'll see how they handle it on third down [Applause] third and very long here for bernhardt goes to cj jefferson on the sideline has some blocks set up and he can do a lot after the catch they have picked up 15 there on third and 16. now there's a ferris state lineman down on the field looks like zion big obeded getting some action he got all the way down the field he could move for 300 pounder fourth and two when we come back ferris state pounding it away here at home you're watching the d2 semi-final on espn plus pleasure to have you with us for this one ferris state holding a 35-7 lead over shepard [Applause] after two quarters of play this ferris state team averaging 45 points per game this season the surprising story shepard team that leads the nation in scoring at about 46 points per game held to seven and their offense hasn't really found the groove whatsoever really in this third quarter either bernhardt he's found a groove doing that throughout the afternoon and now into the evening on fourth and two he'll move the chains and pick up a first down [Applause] it's a play that worked for him earlier in the first half but you see the two scoring leaders and the division two playing you score that many points you're gonna make it far and see valdosta fifth down there they've punched their ticket playing the championship game but 46 points 45 respectively and got to tip your cap to that bulldogs defense to hold an offense to seven points at this point in the game it averages that many the ferris state defenses bernhard pitches it here to jefferson limited ties tyson agent to 177 passing yards in the game they were averaging 330 entering today so ferris state really forming well in all facets of the game defensively and offensively but they've stuck with what works what has worked on offense and that's been the ground and pound game and utilizing their quarterbacks legs okay a little triple option look they're well defended by the rams that's all that's what bernhard ran in in high school back in florida the triple option next time he does go to the air goes to the end zone [Applause] couldn't quite find his intended target there xavier wade first time we've really called xavier wade's name today well he gave a double move and he ran a stop-and-go route well defended at first but he still was able to get some separation that ball hit him in a bad spot right in the hands i mean he should have caught that one that was a easy touchdown how about bernhardt putting the ball right on the money i said nixon was in coverage he he didn't fall he didn't fight for the double move wade was still able to get behind him he's normally pretty short-handed with 42 catches coming in this season to this game so tough to bring down bernhard slips past the initial tackle before before being brought down by kendall duckworth and chris lane a couple of the key linebackers for shepard [Music] duckworth is one of the seniors so is chris lane laying a three-year starter it's been a tough day all around for the shepherd rams you made the trip in yesterday from west virginia here's a look at duckworth really provides a senior presence in the locker room and on the field shift before the snap there from shepherd ferris state ops to keep it in the hands of bernhardt and he scoots his way down to the uh 11. they have a lot of confidence in in their third and fourth down situations because on first and second they're actually running some different plays on offense throwing the ball on an option and then when all else fails they'll go to bernhardt on the quarterback run pick up six make it fourth and short and then they go get another first down so they're actually having their way offensively and getting all of their plays on film cj jefferson like to get him out in space when they watch the film play blown dead looks like there is a flag down at the 15. this is on fairest state that's been maybe the one blemish on this performance is the penalties that have leaked in personal foul chop block offense number one and number seven 15-yard penalty from the previous spot still first down chop block and they got the wide receiver for the chop block there he's been good today for them as well six penalties 50 yards coach aneese is going to address that things play out the way they are it's hard to win the championship when you got six pin or seven penalties for 65 yards after that one bernard looking for his first passing touchdown didn't find it there [Applause] you never really know how to label any guys in this offense whether it's jefferson coming in motion or marcus taylor and you got the backs in the passing game bernhardt scrambling away well we'll see see if they play for the first down or or at least try to get into a field goal situation since they've been able to score five touchdowns and not attempt any field goals 25 yards second and 25 we'll see what they come up with earnhardt running again and doing so patiently this ferris state team jumped out with 21 first quarter points all thanks to the legs of jared bernhardt to shepherd seven since then it's been the 14 unanswered by ferris state to make it 35-7 no scoring in this third quarter so far but they're state knocking on the door another prolonged possession here that was a gain of 12. after that gain of 12. that puts bernhardt over 200 yards he's 21 carries 201 yards five touchdowns we're still in the third quarter [Applause] they're hoping to run for 400 today more trickery this time they like to get their guys out in space into the open field tyrese hunt thompson that time taking the handoff touchdown troop second team off conference well-designed play backside lineman portland boomstra when you look at the caravan and blockers out in front of cut thompson the [Music] they have to study it all they don't know what you'll come with and then you still haven't shown anything with malik mitchell either so bulldog put a little bit of everything together shanked up maybe the one mistake so far in addition to the penalties nonetheless ferris state has reached the 40 mark for the third time in this postseason we'll step aside 41-7 the leader espn's coverage of the division ii national championship takes place next saturday at 9 00 pm eastern on espnu for more information go to ncaa.com the official online home for all 90 ncaa championships for tuning in late valdosta state is the fairest state we'll likely meet up with in next week's championship game that'll be a rematch of the 2018 final 41-7 lead now fair state fans are already pumped for next week 15 play 63 yards six and a half minutes they're trying to shorten this game and get out of here in one piece very effective and they had some situational football they got a chance to run some different plays and that young man's had a great season tyson beijing 52 touchdown passes coming in and light it up with the best of them it just wasn't his day today 16 to 35 177 yards and one touchdown the shepherd coaching staff raved about his dedication and the weight room and the film room just constantly working at his crap he's a junior so he'll be back martinsburg virginia native it's a neat story as well jesse carroll the offensive coordinator who you see there was a football player at shepherd at the same time the tyson beijing's dad travis was a baseball player that's shepard and when tyson was playing peewee he's about nine years old and had had 17 touchdowns and no interceptions throughout the course of a season and uh his dad travis told jesse about that and that was when they maybe got the initial flavor of the future of tyson beijing as marcus mentioned it's been a tough day but me and guys like ryan beach who caught the pass there will be excited to get back at it next season and wow as of now never over 41-7 going up against a very tough defense in ferris state the top-ranked defense left in this playoff but the shepherd team has pulled off some magic over the last couple of weeks if you don't know they beat cuts down last week by a 42-yard hail mary as time expired it was bajan connecting with alex wetzel a prior week being notre dame college in the final 10 seconds as well looking for josh gonzalek there who has caught the only touchdown today for shepard alex thomas who's been very consistent throughout this game was in on the coverage the intended receiver just imagine alex thomas throwing 17 touchdowns there's a mini gritter out there winging it because it's hard to play the ball he has a grown man in high school and cause the nfl imagine those young fellas trying to stop him from throwing the deep ball back in the nine and ten year dining tenu football team [Applause] you're coaching the youngsters nowadays [Applause] yeah we mix it up a little bit man we go a lot of jared byrne hardish mixed with a little patient [Applause] you have a josh gonzarrick on your team [Applause] today though he's been getting open he's he's been competing it's been tough because these two corners mcleod and thomas have been all over the place intel williams at nickelback too see what this flag is face mask defense number one 15-yard penalty added to the end of the run first down another unforced error right here to get a little face mask looks like it's on the cloud oh we got a you got to hold right there and after he catches the football you'll see right at the end right there gets that face mask that right hand got away with a little bit of a holding early [Applause] and got hit with the hand to the face face mask call there's eight penalties now for 80 yards against the bulldogs i mentioned that's maybe the one thing that their head coach tony doesn't like about this opening i i should say this semi-final and the open half and the third quarter [Applause] as it rolls along here [Music] with a lone score of this quarter shepard hoping to get something rolling here down the final stages quarter three josh gontaric has been a key target for them along with ryan beach well they're still running their offense and trying to get on the board want to stay competitive you don't want to be sloppy go out here and execute [Applause] [Music] ronnie brown cut down ronnie brown liam daly top linebacker leader in tackles for ferris state able to make the play there another look at that last play [Music] told him about it hey man you can't check me without grabbing my shirt you know when you play a little college ball you hear those things out there jay i'm having a flashback you know i never grabbed anybody but i'll tell you [Applause] you were a pretty good talker out on the field yeah i think charles woodson and i used to mix it up a little bit you know you got guys like ryan beach they want to get in your face after the play you know tell you all about it there's nothing like a good defensive back wide receiver match up and you know because you win some and you lose some and it all depends on if that quarterback gets you the ball too but young man right there liam daly he can play in space he can cover he runs and hits with the best of them out of that loom and christy program in jackson michigan it's a great great program [Applause] agent steps up look into the end zone off the hands of moss and that's what beijing does he's not running the scramble he's running to try to get that receiver open trying to get somebody to commit looks like he might have been out of bounds moss might have got forced out of bounds and tried to come back in it's good coverage over there jakarvis alexander on the coverage that time for ferris state starting to go a little deeper into their depth chart as mark has noted getting off the field in one piece is equally as important as this win don't want to lose any key players in a stage like this of the game and you want to get those guys reps right and evaluate those players in case they have to step out and get in there you want them to be ready to play have some experience as we lay a game action here but yeah you want to rotate guys as much as possible [Applause] ernie mccook head coach for shepard on the sideline there hasn't really experienced this kind of deficit throughout the season had the one loss 37-29 to cuts down and he coaches that offensive line he is the offensive line coach and he gets those guys ready to play and to protect tyson baijin and open up some run lanes for ronnie brown and company hasn't happened much today he takes pride in that he told us i'm an o-line guy but he coaches that offensive line and he lets his coordinator carell call that's patient audible at the line of scrimmage and they have a great thing going offensively so they they've been putting up numbers too they've scored as many as 56 59 75 62. i mean this program can light it up offensively [Music] that's been the story all season long aside from today cajun drops back on third and goal looking at the end zone intercepted and roon to rome up the sideline here caleb smith will be dragged down there's a flag down behind the play but ferris state continues to roll yeah we're going to get an unnecessary roughness on austin simpson he had a blind side block [Applause] so you got an error pass by beijing good coverage on the back end good interception by smith but then on the return those defensive linemen started started blindsiding people and they'll negate some of the yardage on that return see the true freshman caleb smith he's fired up going a little deeper in the depth chart and having some fun have an interception last week too they told the secondary couldn't make mistakes today and a little turnover chain action there it is after the interception and during the return personal foul illegal blind side block on the passing team number 79 that penalty will be added to the end of the run it'll be first and ten for ferris state so you'll see here the agent gets flushed out of the pocket throws off his back foot gets hit ball sails on him there's smith with the return he was trying to house it too [Applause] getting some blocks that essentially turns into a punt return big fella cole weaver gives him some credit those these offensive linemen for running down the field having something to do with smith going out of bounds plays never over [Applause] looks like mitchell's going in the game for fair state and we've talked about we wondered if we'd see him at some point and we do here goes right to the air right to the end zone and finds a touchdown one play one pass just quick strike [Applause] and and he's not more run first or past first i mean both of these quarterbacks can't get it done and [Applause] the play calling really doesn't change as much but they really want malik to throw that football one play off the bench cold that sweet left hand he can spin that football that was a great pass good catch hunt thompson gets on the board his second touchdown of the game now mitchell comes on to hold for the p-a-t 48-7 the fairest state advantage now malik mitchell the transfer from kent state such a consummate teammate on the sideline just deserves that you can see his teammates coming over to congratulate him after the touchdown pass i i think you got to get malik some reps going into the national championship game you don't want him to come off the bench and sit out for a couple of weeks or anything like that you got two i think it takes two quarterbacks to win a championship on every level maybe except the pee wee level were beijing thrown on 17 touchdown passes but high school college nfl it takes two quarterbacks i think to win it all just regardless if if you need them or not it's always good to have two jared bernhard and malik mitchell are such good friends off the field bernhardt opened up this game with a two-play scoring drive malik mitchell one play scoring drive in his first of the evening and then a good tackle made in the backfield that time it was jayvon bayless coming up to make the play and some of the fairest state history of late mention seven straight playoff appearances last national title appearance came in 2018 it was a 49-47 loss to valdosta state you're in big rapids michigan it's a windy day weather has calmed down a bit i love their favorite state bulldogs around here just such a consistent program on the field the fans showed up despite the chilly weather showed up and showed out this football team played like the number one team number one ranked team in all of division two in all three phases of the game it's going to be caught on the sideline by godzilla agents caught by number 19. the fair state mentality is that every play can be the difference in victory or defeat and maybe now that mentality starts to kind of translate over to next week's game where you want to roll in there with the momentum as you talked about marcus not have a sloppy finish to this one and hopefully end it without any bodies going down [Applause] nowhere to go that defensive front built the wall rounding brown he tried but offensive line got stood up [Applause] big second down stops five long um big fellas tough to block in there six four two seven five christie program too offensive line defensive line have both been key for ferris state today [Applause] santa has gifted them with what should be a ticket [Music] [Applause] 48-7 the ferris state lead heading to the final quarter of play look at the bracket they're hoping to play valdosta state next week in the championship game nine eastern on espnu and then uh the history books here when it comes to most d2 championships all time it was a big win last week for ferris state taking down northwest missouri state historically the winningest program when it comes to championships see valdosta state ferris state in search of their first [Applause] we've been to five semi-finals but haven't quite gotten over the hurdle of winning the national championship and that'll be their goal next week but right now for the moment taking care of this final quarter play still very key see some of the usual suspects in their grand valley years ago they put me network fair state dominated that rivalry in recent years since coach and niece showed up that was one of the stats he was pretty quick to point out about him grand valley won every game from 1999 to 2012 and since then ferris state has won 10 out of 12 in that rivalry marcus you noted that you know maybe the rivalries this level aren't always as appreciated yeah definitely got a respect i mean that one right there is a huge rivalry in this state in this conference and in the entire d2 people want to know the result of that game but try to delay a game call here five yard penalty missouri state with their six championships ferris state took care of them last week like three touchdowns so it just tells you where the culture and the rise of this program is with coach and niece and things he's been able to do and he feels like in the last few years they've left a lot of meat on the bone so they they they want another crack at it with valdosta steak it was a 34-31 win for valdosta state earlier today over colorado school of mines looks like a little more extracurricular activity after the play here we've seen some guys going back and forth throughout the second half yeah we had a little bit of fisticuffs going on on that return [Applause] [Applause] to have his helmet off [Applause] get the unsportsmanlike conduct call there mentioned ferris state's match up with valdosta state if that is indeed the case which it will likely be next week valdosta state had been rolling into the semis today beat west georgia 66-35 in the second round and knocked off bowie state 41-17 in the quarterfinal so today's 34-31 final was a little different for them but ferris state just continues to roll number one team in the land and they have looks like it throughout the postseason throughout the season they'll move to 13-0 today mitchell's still in there at quarterback [Music] it'll be interesting watch how they use the qb's next week malik mitchell injured towards late stages that third quarter through a touchdown pass on his first pass of the game we'll likely get these fourth quarter reps the lefty flings it out to the flats and another good gain there is getting up getting receivers out in space works for them once again true freshman getting some action in mario bryant on purple yard michigan 165 he showed some speed there but i really like malik mitchell's release it's quick he's accurate he throws a good ball it's a gain of 14 on the connection between mitchell and o'brien see how he takes his time and looks over the defense he knows where he's gonna go with that football kind of the old school in the sense of how ferris state is patient with their offense and obviously how they utilize the ground game in a day and age marcus or maybe as a defense you're seeing a lot of spread offenses run and gun type stuff how tricky is it i guess how unexpected maybe is it to see an offense like fair or state come at you out of nowhere well one of the things they can do is spread you to run or spread to pass and and then basically they're going to take what they want or take what the defense gives them but they impose their will offensively and they do it starting with everything up front and you watch those guys doesn't matter if they're the starters or the backups the expectation is to block and execute recreate the line of scrimmage so we have a running quarterback quarterback who can throw you got weapons you have to defend the perimeter they just make you defend the entire field on every snap and we talked to the coaching staff and they said it's kind of difficult to tag one position on certain players because of how they spread you out like that and they'll use guys in different formations different positions everyone seems to be athletic back up the gut this time carson clark the runner hit by a group of rounds and now starting to work the depth chart a little bit yeah they're trying to shorten the game third and one there get another first down got some reserve lineman in there so carson merley 69 at center carson clark the back in now but they're going to wind that play clock down all the way under five seconds from here on out [Applause] more space out on the edge this time desmond libertas bellafontaine ohio native first time we've called his name today at the 32 yard line of 14 there still some chunks on this drive here and they they move it kind of methodically all of a sudden they racked up 14 then 12 and 10. now they find themselves set up just outside the opponent's 30. that's a tough formation to defend right there where you get an h back offset back two receivers like to throw the ball to the short side but then also run the power game there's that ground game a second effort and a nice one from libertas that's a good tackle by cory shell running to the football because albertans he was getting ready to turn that corner he showed some speed they're just taking their time lining up referrals they're going to wind it down and just try to milk as much as they can better scoring drive it took six and a half minutes before they took bernhard out the game winding it down here going to the ground and up the middle we talked about your coaching nowadays what are you kind of teaching your kids defensively and offensively when it comes to formations we're seeing so much different stuff nowadays you and i have talked about the rpo game in the past anything new uh in your bag of trips lately well defensively you don't want those kids doing too much thinking that's true you get them lined up in one or two calls and it's more about teaching technique and fundamentals and lining up understanding gaps and past drops and then you let them play but offensively i think you have to raise the bar you know you you see so much spread offense and different things and you can simplify it one of the things i do is i don't teach holes i teach colors red and blue is right and left red plus blue is past black and white is the bubble and if anybody's listening you still can't stop it you know what i mean you know you just give a ripping liz call up front teach those guys how to zone block but you know and then i think you prepare them for middle school ball and then high school and they learn new terminology but at least you get them ready to compete and they understand the basics you have to give every child what they need on each level but as you see that young man there he he uh mitchell he he can turn it up and and bernhardt can do the same thing i wouldn't be surprised if they both played next week i mean just to give out dawson some different looks about dawson state that is go back to the ground here i know chad johnson when he was with the bengals used to tell the db is his route before he would run it you kind of did that there a little bit but uh i love the confidence i love it yeah and a lot of times when you scan it from the sideline you're signaling that and most people don't know what you know your signals are so it's a lot of non-verbal language but i think the days of huddling outside of the nfl are about are about over with these are kind of like lengthy 20-second huddle's here just knowing what you're gonna do and pounding it away there are four receivers in this set for mitchell that pass was deflected caught anyway now for a first down mitchell's tall too i mean he can see over that line of scrimmage she has the iso the receiver here just runs that that's i think that's the best playing football is that stop route and on the route tree that that would be considered a zero route five yard stop route i mean it's it's almost unstoppable especially when someone in off coverage and if the timing is there the way mitch will flick that football it's just tough if you miss that tackle it can turn into something real big this is evan cummins and now at qb we were told to prep for three quarterbacks this is the third one we've seen so far he'll talk about it into the end zone evan thomas joins the party and ferris state has reached the 50 mark on the [Music] day one play one touchdown yeah we saw mitchell do it now he saw cummins do it and and he's he's been no stranger to the end zone getting seven coming into the game the wildcat action [Applause] 55-7 now in favor of ferris state he's rolling along into next week's national championship welcome back to the d2 semifinals on espn plus ferris state hoping to keep this ride rolling and they will do just that into the national title game next week against valdosta state fans are still hanging out and loving it nicole weather wanted to watch this finish up 55-7 now alongside marcus ray i'm jason ross jr fun to bring you this one never too cold to celebrate you know the team's winning it's a 35-7 lead at the half for ferris state they've added on 20 points in the second half still 12 to go in the fourth quarter marcus maybe something that's uh as you've been talking you know what we've talked about middle school players high school players something that's maybe a little underrated is playing d2 football or fcs football and just because the b letter isn't in there with fbs it's still high level high caliber ball yeah definitely i mean i coached at the division two level i've coached in the fbs level as well and at the end of the day it's still football and and you see it every year where some of those fcf team fcs teams go in there knock off power five group of five so it all comes down to blocking and tackling and playing and there's not a lot of drop off sometimes and i guarantee this fair and state team can mix it up with half of those teams in the fcs right now you're right about that talked to the north dakota state coaches last week they play on the fcs level and they've been a juggernaut on that level for so long and their staff was telling me we don't really use the terms fcs or fbs it's it's mid-major really good football and that's what they produce and there's no reason why you can't get to the pros from that level either plenty of guys playing at the next level and i tell you i was a i was a grad assistant on that team in 2007 in michigan when appalachian state walked in that stadium and ripped the hearts and soul out of the michigan faithful i was standing there boy cars last season so i mean anything's possible sometimes it just comes down to match-ups did you see them young fellas matching up over here they were matching up by the bales of hay and throwing snowballs at each other gotta love it jonathan moss on the receiving end there yeah in the banks of snow never too cold here yeah from the track hopping fences and all kind of stuff all out snowball fight wasn't expecting that nowhere it's all fun and games that we wanted to hit you in the face and it's like oh no it's over with let's let's end saturday night in a clean fashion here make sure we don't want anybody's going down [Applause] still out there running around trying to make something happen it's good coverage down the field these bulldogs it didn't matter if it's the first unit second unit they've done a good job not giving up that big play and not allowing bayesian to get going in that offensive line not being able to really block them for a long period of time but these bulldogs are much much better than i think people are anticipating and it's going to be interesting to see how this thing plays out in that national championship game yeah i was when i when that play was going on i was thinking even when agent has had time to throw the coverage down field has been so good [Applause] there's no real hole i guess we should say in this fair state defense the line linebacker is the secondary they're so confident in their db's that we've seen today alex thomas sidney mccloud we'll step aside 55-7 the ferris state lead 5 25 to go [Music] [Applause] will make it to their first national championship game since 2018. just taking away the moments until they can celebrate this one and move on to the prep for next week [Music] marcus you won a national championship back in your day was that what i mean as someone who has never done that what's the feeling man it's just it's the ultimate high man it's it's uh it's exciting it's a lifelong dream i mean i just think a championship on any level it's a state championship national championship division two division three fcs it's all the same man it's it's you're the best of the best and you're a champion and everything you work for your whole life or that season and everything you went through it all adds up and and um it's something that you wish everyone could experience but unfortunately somebody has to lose but i tell you when we wanted in 97 at the university of michigan we had a great team 31 pros three hall of famers charles woodson and steve hutchinson soon to be tom brady whenever he stops playing at 60 you know and [Laughter] man how you feeling about your michigan wolverines heading into the orange bowl yeah speaking of playoffs man you know i i'm starting to like their chances a little more i was a little worried about the georgia deal but i think the wolverines man they can ground and pound with the best government and they've been getting better each week so i think they're playing the best football at the right time the same thing ferris state is doing here they're clicking on all cylinders you know if you can put up 55 points in the semi-final game michigan put up 42 on iowa in the big ten championship game there's nothing to snooze at i mean you have to take these teams seriously and uh they're deep you know i think when you can run the ball i mean teams that pass the ball it's cool as long as the weather's good and nobody can stop you but that other team can knuckle up and get you in that phone booth and go toe-to-toe it's a different game so we'll see you know i'm happy for coach harbaugh he's coach of the year you know in year seven he's been through a lot and and you know they stuck with him and and it paid off so far like you noted people don't see the work that starts in the summer time and receivers coming onto campus to get their timing down and spring ball as well before that all that work and ferris state is hoping that it'll culminate in a title what would be their first if they do beat valdosta state that's every team's goal is to just to be the last one standing at the end everybody starts off undefeated in the winter and in the spring and summer and then you go in the fall you have to play the games and it takes a lot of luck too you know you have to be injury free the right teams have to lose and you have to make plays and execute and you think about shepard i mean their season could have been over two weeks ago they found a way to win on the final play of the game the last two weeks to make it this far i like but i actually prefer these playoffs versus the college football playoffs at the fbs level because you just never know there's a team that's probably sitting at 12 that could if they got in they could probably get hot and win it all and it's just you know i'm not sure if we'll ever get to that type of scenario at that level but i i think when you talk about this style of tournament play you you really get the top two teams playing each other that is true it's a debate that will continue to pop up until that expansion happens if it does happen there you go hi mom there we go see the kids today don't remember hi mom back in the day they want a high five and you see that kind of stuff little camera time you know what and it feels good i mean everybody's getting a chance to play and get the talking in the camera right it's a beautiful feeling man knowing you're getting ready to play for a national championship with two and a half minutes left and and they earned it i mean they came in this game ready to go from the first play all the way to the last play and i think once they clean up those penalties something that'll get addressed 9 for 95 i mean that's about the only flaw i really saw today that they have is potentially beating themselves just just by having unforced errors that was maybe the one blemish today the penalties see if they can clean that up as the margin for error gets a little slimmer next week but again a credit to this shepherd team on what's been a really fun magical season as marcus noted the last two weeks went over touchdown a week ago that ended in that 42-yard hail mary pass i mean there's a there's a lot of teams jason that would have liked to win 13 games he's playing the national semifinal and i'm shepard you got to tip your cap coach mccook and his staff and those players and they're still out there playing especially that young man chris lane [Music] but to get held to seven points though you know it's it's a very humbling feeling i mean they they were averaging 46 points and [Applause] you know played against the best of the best like everyone else and they just ran into the number one team in the country but with the highest ranked defense left in the semi-final and they showed it actually part of their defense was this offense they really came to play running that football starting everything off with bernhardt it's nothing like a selfie during the game either james it's not bad it probably feels a little warmer on that sideline up 55-7 and then it went on the opposite side there the celebration is beginning for ferris state [Applause] partying big rapids tonight jay you stay out of there man [Laughter] [Applause] went ahead and extended that first down and advances to their second division two national championship game three years ago they get a rematch both of these teams some of these guys were freshmen left out of there with a bad taste in their mouths they get a chance of seniors and juniors to go back out there and give it another college try tony annise picks up win number 100 at ferris state and it probably feels pretty sweet right now and as you noted marcus would have to think the ferris state players maybe saw the score of that valdosta state game prior to kick off in this one and run it that arena and they'll get it next week [Music] see the bracket now that'll be 9 p.m eastern time on espnu next saturday december 18th booking your calendars well don't go anywhere coming up we'll recap the game and have some live interviews coming your way on espn plus [Music] [Applause] back at top tiger fields after a 55-7 win for ferris state over shepard in the d2 semifinal the ticket to the national championship has been punched they'll play valdosta state next saturday at 9 eastern on espnu see coach annise dressing his national championship caliber football team with a straight face he understands that they can enjoy the moment now [Music] but you're gonna have to put up buddy you you celebrate this one you feel good and then you get ready for all the marbles as marcus mentioned seconds d2 national title appearance will be next week number one ranked team in the e2 football poll now 85 and nine over the past seven seasons and the 100th win under tony and easy 116 the record under their current head coach who's been here since 2011. this is their seventh straight trip to the d2 playoffs [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] second division two national championship game for the bulldogs one three years ago was a barn burner too now i mean they were right there i mean it was a two-point loss those guys understand that it's gonna take three points you gotta be one point better to win that national championship that was a 49-47 loss to valdosta state in 2018 really memorable shootout if you go back and look at the highlights of that one well we'll take another quick breather interviews coming up on the other side of the break 55-7 the win today for ferris state over shepard [Music] the second of our two division two national semifinals just wrapped up 55-7 the fairest state victory today look at head coach tony and east chatting with his team they've had a lengthy chat after this after this game you have to wonder what they're talking about a blend of maybe next week versus how this one just played out how long they celebrate overall very complete performance outside of some self-inflicted mistakes on the penalty side now 13-0 on the season one of the ferris state bulldogs 8-0 at home [Applause] that's got to feel pretty good family and friends on the field as well they ran the ball 56 times for 453 yards ran 72 plays total and at one point they were averaging almost 11 yards per play and finished up around eight as they switched up and substituted some guys in there but coach and niece i'm gary i'm guaranteeing he's telling his king his team to be smart tonight enjoy the win but they still got one more to go see all the parents out there and cell phones out recording the moment and and it's a big deal to be in a national championship game getting ready to ring that victory bill good tradition here they came out meaning business from the first play of the game [Music] joined by ferris state qb jared bernhardt jared this game kicked off offensively for you with a two-play 66-yard drive what was the mentality about setting the stage early in this one yeah we were just trying to come out play fast you know just play but play fair state football not doing anything crazy playing being simple and uh credits all the offensive linemen the the guys on the perimeter blocking they've done it they've done a great job all year long jared marcus ray here we studied you man you had a great lacrosse career how did lacrosse help you become a better athlete and then you went back to your roots what was it that brought you back to football um i've always loved football my dad was a football coach for many years my brothers played football so i would follow it even even at maryland and i was kind of getting the itch you know maybe once i was done there to maybe give it a shot and coach denise gave me the opportunity so i'm really thankful what where are you going to tell that offensive line man they really blocked for you and opened up some good run lanes man what'd you see every time you touched that football yeah i was just trying to find the i was trying to be patient just trying to find a hole they like i said they've done a great job all year long like it's a it's a team game for a reason so you know credit to them what does it mean jared to be playing in the national championship game a week from now what does that mean to you how would you describe the feeling uh it's awesome uh you know we're not we're not finished yet i don't think we're satisfied yet so um you know happy to get the win today but we got one more thanks jared really appreciate your time and congrats on the win thanks guys take care there's a look at the bracket now the national title game is all set ferris state and valdosta state next saturday at 9 00 pm eastern time on espnu thanks for joining us today and thanks to our wonderful crew for all your hard work our director was kevin shank producer brett wolenski my analyst marcus ray i'm jason ross jr hoping you have a wonderful rest of your college football saturday night [Music]

Channel: Wally the Bronco Too

Views: 8,289

Keywords: 2021 NCAA Division II Championship Semifinal, Shepherd (WV), Ferris State (MI)

Id: px8_5tYUv6U

Length: 155min 54sec (9354 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 15 2021