BIG RAPIDS — GLIAC member Ferris State has advanced to this weekend’s NCAA Division II national championship football game after defeating Slippery Rock (Pennsylvania) 48-38 in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (13-1) play Valdosta State (Georgia) in the finals at 2 p.m. EST Saturday in McKinney, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Valdosta defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 35-21 in Saturday’s other semifinal.

Against Slippery Rock, FSU trailed 38-27 at halftime before mounting a big comeback. The Bulldogs took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard touchdown run by tailback Kannon Katzer.

FSU finished with 513 yards offense while its defense forced four turnovers. Valdosta did nearly as well with its offense, totaling 453 yards, but only 55 yards were on the ground.

Ferris and Valdosta will meet for the third time in the national championship game as the Bulldogs seek their third national title in the last four years after back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.