BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- Reserve quarterback Trevor Bermingham accounted for six touchdowns to lead No. 15 Ferris State to a 65-34 win over 22nd-ranked Midwestern State in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs Saturday at Top Taggart Field.
 
The Bulldogs (10-2) moves on to play host to Colorado Mines, a blowout winner over Southwest Baptist on Saturday, in the next week's second round.
 
MSU rode a quick start to a 20-10 lead less than a minute into the second quarter as senior quarterback Quade Coward connected on touchdown passes to Statron Jones (29) and Breion Evans (27) and rushed in from 10 yards out.
 
The Mustangs seemed to catch another break Ferris State starting quarterback Reggie Bell exited the game with an injury after he was sacked by Dontae Armstrong with 13:22 to play in the first half.
 
Bermingham entered with MSU leading by 10 and made the Mustangs pay by working a short field as MSU punted from deep in its own territory following three straight three-and-outs.
 
Bermingham cashed in with touchdown runs of 1, 12 and 2 yards as Ferris State took a 30-20 lead into half.
 
It was just the start for Bermingham, who finished with 126 yards and five touchdowns while completing 8-of-10 passes for 126 yards with another score.
 
Bermingham capped off an eight-play, 60-yard drive with a 15-yard score to open the second half to extended Ferris State's lead to 37-20 before the Mustangs answered with Coward's third TD toss of the after as he hit DeAndre Black on a 21-yard wide receiver screen to pull MSU back to within 10.
 
Coward left the game with an injury later in the third quarter, but finished with 246 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-32 passing before giving way to Layton Rabb and Javin Kilgo.
 
But Bermingham struck for a 47-yard touchdown strike to Malik Taylor and ran for his fifth touchdown from 2 yards to extend Ferris State's lead to 51-27 heading into the final quarter.
 
The Bulldogs added a pair of defensive scores in the fourth quarter as Tavierre Thomas went 51 yards and Javonte Alexander raced 35 yards to close out scoring for FSU.
 
The Mustangs tacked on a final score as Rabb hit Jerryl Yarbrough for a 7-yard TD with 9 seconds left.
 
Midwestern State loses the season at 8-3.
 
NOTES
* Midwestern State fell to 1-7 all time in the NCAA Division II Playoffs making their seventh postseason appearance.
* The Mustangs are 11-2 in regular season games against teams ranked in the AFCA Top 25 since the start of the 2011 season, but fell to 0-4 in postseason over the same time frame.
* The Mustangs allowed 50 points in a game for the first time since falling 52-33 at Colorado Mines in the opening round of the 2004 NCAA Division II Playoffs.
* The 65 points are the ever allowed by football team in the history of the school.
* Midwestern State posted 458 yards of total offense against Ferris State -- just 30 yards fewer than the Bulldogs.
* MSU allowed a combined 792 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground over the last two games including 430 to Eastern New Mexico and 362 to Ferris State.
* Quade Coward (246), Layton Rabb (70) and Javin Kilgo (24) combined for a team season-high 340 yards and four touchdowns. The most since MSU passed for 357 last season against Tarleton State.
* Senior quarterback Quade Coward fell 16 yards shy of becoming the fifth player in program history with 4,000 career passing yards.
* Senior Breion Evans led the MSU receiving corps with five receptions for 74 yards.
* Sophomore safety Sir'Vell Ford posted his fourth game with 10-or-more tackles this season leading the Mustangs with 11 stops.