WAYNE STATE WEEKLY RELEASE

PITTSBURG STATE STORYLINES

    The 33rd-ranked Wayne State University football team (12-3) continued an unprecedented road streak with its fourth consecutive road playoff win last Saturday, 21-14, at previously unbeaten Winston-Salem State.

    This week the Warriors travel to Florence, Ala., to face the Gorillas of Pittsburg State in the 39th annual NCAA Division II National Championship game.  This Saturday's contest will start at 11 a.m. (Eastern) and is available on ESPN2.

    WSU has won six straight road games and has been victorious in nine of its last 10 contests away from Detroit with the only setback coming on a last second field goal at Ashland on Oct. 15.  Wayne State is 21-5 in its last 26 contests and has a 12-2 mark in its last 14 road games. After recording their best start (6-0) since 1974, the Warriors are 6-3 in their last nine games.

    Wayne State is just the second unranked team (AFCA Top 25) to ever reach the Division II Championship Game.  Delta State was the first in 2010.  The only previous sixth seed to reach the game championship game was the 2005 Northwest Missouri State squad.

    This will be the fourth time in 39 Division II Football Championships that a three-loss team has reached the title game.  Northern Colorado was 11-3 entering the 1996 game and won.  Northwest Missouri State was 11-3 entering 2005 game and lost.  Delta State was 11-3 last season and lost to Minnesota-Duluth.

    The Warriors have recorded 4,588 round trip charter airplane miles through the first four rounds of the NCAA Playoffs flying from Detroit Metro to Minneapolis (then bussing to St. Cloud), to Grand Island, Neb. (then bussing to Kearney), to Duluth, Minn., and to Winston-Salem, N.C.  Once you add in the 1,130 miles for the trip to the national championship game, WSU would have flown 5,718 miles during the playoffs.

WINSTON-SALEM STATE RECAP

    Wayne State stretched its road winning streak in the playoffs to four games by recording a 21-14 at Winston-Salem State (13-1 overall) last Saturday.

    The Warriors struck quickly scoring just 76 seconds into the contest.  Senior Jon Robinson returned a short kickoff 17 yards to the WSU 46.  Senior Josh Renel had runs of 7 and 22 yards, and following an incomplete pass, Renel took a screen pass from junior quarterback Mickey Mohner 25 yards down the left side into the end zone.

    The next three drives ended in punts until a Wayne State interception gave the Rams the ball at the WSU 40.  However the WSSU drive ended on a fourth down incompletion.

    The Warriors then drove 80 yards in 12 plays with Mohner scoring on a one-yard keeper on fourth down.  Senior wide receiver Troy Burrell had catches of 15 and 28 yards on the drive.

    Another Ram drive concluded in WSU territory on a fourthdown incompletion.  WSSU finished the game just 1-for-5 on fourth down.

    Winston-Salem went 57 yards in six plays following a WSU punt just before intermission to cut the Wayne State lead to 14-7.  Kameron Smith tossed a 26-yard scoring pass to Jahuann Butler on a third-and-14.

    After allowing the Rams two first downs on the opening drive of the second half, the Warrior defense stepped up and forced a punt.

    On WSSU's ensuing possession, Smith fumbled on a fake handoff and Andrew Matt recovered inside the 10 returning the ball to the WSSU 1-yard line.

    Fullback Chet Privett scored on the very next play pushing the Warrior lead to 21-7.

    The Rams nearly answered back with a first-and-goal from the WSU 2 but Nicholas Cooper had back-to-back rushes for minus 4 yards and minus 6 yards.  Junior Aaron Cornett broke up a third-down pass while Smith's fourth down pass to Tehyvn Brantley was dropped near the goal line.

    Wayne State's next possession ended in an interception with Malcolm Rowe returning it 45 yards to the WSU 5.  Cooper scored on a one-yard plunge on fourth down making it a seven-point contest at 21-14 with 10:34 left (although the clock did not run following the WSSU Timeout).

    After three consecutive punts (two by WSU and one by Winston-Salem), the host Rams had the ball at their own six yard-line with no timeouts and 2:04 on the clock.

    WSSU drove just into Warrior territory but freshman cornerback Gerren DuHart batted down a fourth-down pass sending the Warrior sideline into a frenzy.

    Wayne State finished the contest with 13 tackles for loss including five sacks.

ON THE HEADSET

    Head coach Paul Winters, the reigning AFCA Region Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season at the helm of the Wayne State football program and guided the Warriors to their first NCAA Division II playoff appearance and victories in school history. Winters (48-42) passed Joseph G. Gembis (1932-45) for first on the WSU career wins all-time list with the Oct. 22 victory over Hillsdale.

JONES BREAKS TWO SCHOOL RECORDS

    Jeremy Jones' three interceptions and 144 return yards at Nebraska Kearney nearly equaled two NCAA Division II playoff records.  Vince Buck of Central State had four picks vs. Towson on Nov. 28, 1986, while William Felton of Albany State (GA) garnered 154 interception return yards on Nov. 20, 2004, vs. Arkansas Tech.

    The 144 interception return yards was a school record and increased his career total to an all-time best of 406 yards.