The 19th-ranked Wayne State University football team (5-2 overall, 4-2 GLIAC) suffered a 45-20 loss at Northern Michigan (5-1 overall, 5-1 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon in the Superior Dome in Marquette.

The Warriors were going against a Wildcat defense ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (11.80 points per game) and 20th in rushing defense (92.60 yards per game).  WSU was able to put 20 points on the board and senior Joique Bell (Benton Harbor, Mich.) rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns but it was not enough.

After WSU senior kicker Anthony Morasso (Detroit, Mich./Harper Woods Notre Dame) narrowly missed on a 34-yard field goal attempt on the game's opening drive, NMU went three-and-out but freshman quarterback Mickey Mohner (Painesville, Ohio/Harvey) was sacked on third down with NMU recovering inside the WS 10.  A personal foul on the Wildcats backed them up, but Rockne Belmonte made a 24-yard field goal.

Following a WSU punt, Northern went 54 yards in six plays with Mark Bossuah scoring on a 1-yard run.

Midway through the second period, NMU went 81 yards in four plays with Antonio Wallace scoring on a 55-yard run to make 17-0.

On WSU's first play following the kickoff, Bell rushed left for four yards to suprass the 7,000 all-purpose yard mark.  Later in the drive on a third-and-one from the NMU 4, Bell scored WSU's first TD of the game.

The Wildcats' Zach Nichols caught an eight-yard scoring toss with 10 seconds left before intermission to make it 24-7.

Nichols hauled in a five-yard reception midway through the third period increasing the hosts lead to 31-7.

Late in the third period Bell scored on a one-yard run but the two-point pass was incomplete.

Wayne State returns home to host Ferris State on October 17 at noon.