PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie football team opened up their 2025 season with a matchup against the 2024 NCAA DII champions, #1 Ferris State. The Storm gave the Bulldogs a scare early in the game but would fall 63-6.

Game Recap

The Storm received the ball to begin the game and had a quick three-and-out. After a punt return of 20 yards and an additional 20 yard gain on a personal foul by the Storm, Ferris State began their first offensive series at the LEC 33.

The Bulldogs ran seven plays and reached the LEC 4, threatening to score quickly. On the next play, Ferris State QB Wyatt Bower fumbled the snap and madness ensued. Brian Mitchell would be the one to recover the ball and he took it all the way to the house for a 85 yard scoop-and-score, giving Lake Erie an early 6-0 lead after their extra point attempt was blocked.

Ferris State did not let that get to them, though, and they took a 7-6 lead on their next series. The following three combined drives resulted in punts, but on the Bulldogs next possession, they scored a touchdown just before the quarter ended to extend their lead to 14-6. After a rough start against Ferris State last season when they fell behind 35-3 by the end of the first quarter, the Storm proved this season that they were coming in as a much-improved team.

The Bulldogs offense started to find more consistency in the second quarter, putting up 28 points and taking a 42-6 lead into the locker room at the half. Although the Storm defense tightened up in the second half, the offense was not able to get going and the game would conclude with the Storm suffering a tough loss to begin the season.

Nick Mosley led the Storm rushing attack with 46 yards on the ground, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. On the defensive side, DeJuan Harris led the way with a team-high five tackles and one tackle for loss.

Punter William Batton IV impressed on special teams, totaling 358 yards on eight punt attempts for an average of 44.8. He also recorded three of them inside the 20 and had one punt that traveled 75 yards.

Looking Ahead

The Storm will be back at home next week to host the Wheeling University Cardinals on Saturday, September 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.