WSU FOOTBALL WEEKLY GAME NOTES
MALONE STORYLINES
Wayne State University begins a stretch of three road games in four contests with a Saturday evening tilt at Malone University. The game will be played at Fawcett Stadium, home of the annual NFL Hall of Fame contest.
The Warriors are 12-4 in their last 16 games on the road.
WSU is in a four-way tie in the GLIAC standings (one game behind the leaders) heading into the final cross-over (North vs. South) weekend. The final seven weeks of the season will see North vs. North and South vs. South games. The North is currently 11-5 against the South.
LAKE ERIE RECAP
The 19th-ranked Wayne State Warriors rallied from an 18-point fourth quarter deficit for a dramatic 35-31 comeback win over visiting Lake Erie College last Saturday at a sun-drenched Adams Field. It was WSU's largest comeback victory since trailing 21-3 early in the third quarter against Ferris State on Sept. 28, 2002, in Big Rapids. The Warriors rattled off 33 consecutive second-half points for a 36-21 win against the Bulldogs.
Jordan Forbes blocked a WSU punt on the game's opening drive setting up a 15-yard scoring drive for the Storm.
Wayne State knotted the score at seven with a four-play, 75-yard drive culminating in one-yard
Toney Davis touchdown run with 7:37 remaining in the first period. Lake Erie regained the lead on a 40-yard Sam Marcotte field goal. The next five drives of the game all ended in punts. The Storm increased their lead to 17-7 on a four-yard keeper by Patrick Nicely with 8:39 left before intermission.
Following Wayne State's fifth punt of the first half, LEC went 86 yards in 10 plays with Anthony Bilal scoring with 1:57 remaining in the second stanza. Bilal had 115 rushing yards in the first half on 14 carries.
On Lake Erie's first possession of the second half, Nicely was sacked on third down by
Nick Thomas, with
Zach Houghton recovering the fumble and returning it to the LEC nine.
Stefan Terleckyj made a 22-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 24-10, then added a 25-yard field goal, his 25th career three-pointer, making it a 24-13 contest. The Storm drove 45 yards on the following series but Marcotte's 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Houghton.
Mickey Mohner was intercepted on the following drive, and Lake Erie capitalized with an 18-yard scoring drive. Bilal had his second touchdown run of the game on the fourth play of the drive increasing LEC's lead to 31-13.
On Wayne State's next possession, Mohner engineered a seven-play, 76-yard touchdown drive completing a 20-yard swing pass to Davis on third-and-11 for the score. Mohner's two-point conversion pass to
James Jackson made the score 31-21.
During LEC's ensuing drive, Nicely was sacked on third down by
Ed Viverette with Houghton recovering his second fumble of the game. On WSU's first play, Davis rambled 10 yards to a touchdown, which came with 8:43 remaining. Terleckyj's PAT cut the Warrior deficit to three at 31-28.
Lake Erie garnered two first downs but was forced to punt after gaining only 25 yards. Wayne State had the ball at its seven-yard line with 4:02 remaining, when Mohner drove the Warriors 93 yards in nine plays picking up six first downs along the way for the game-winning touchdown.
Junior wide receiver
Dominique Maybanks, who finished with a career-high eight receptions for 125 yards, had three receptions for 28 yards on the first eight plays, then finished of the drive with an 18-yard catch in the back of the end zone with 45.4 seconds left. Terleckyj's PAT made it a four-point game.
Nicely scrambled on the first play after the kickoff and was called for intentional grounding. He picked up nine yards on a scramble on second down, threw an incomplete pass on third down and was sacked by
Aaron Cornett on fourth down at the LEC two yard line.
IN THE POLLS
Wayne State is 21st in this week's AFCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Warriors were picked to finish second in the GLIAC North Division behind Grand Valley, while Malone was tabbed for eighth in the eight-team South Division.
The Warriors are ranked No. 21 in the nation according to this week's Massey Ratings (masseyratings.com) Poll.
ON THE HEADSET
Head coach
Paul Winters, the reigning AFCA National Coach of the Year, is in his ninth season at the helm of the Wayne State football program. The Warriors are 36-15 over the last four-plus seasons including a 28-14 GLIAC record in that span.
Malone's Eric Hehman has compiled a 7-16 mark in his third year with the Pioneers.
SCOUTING MALONE
The Pioneers are 0-2, both overall and in the GLIAC, after dropping a 37-14 contest to Saginaw Valley and falling 27-10 at Hillsdale last Saturday. This is Malone's first year in the league.
Steven Niewiedzial leads MU with 89 rushing yards. The Pioneers are yet to have a rushing touchdown in eight quarters.
Quarterback Will Szpor has completed 27-of-47 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Justin McLean is the top receiver with seven catches for 90 yards and one score.
Demarco Donaldson leads the MU defense with 28 tackles (16-12), including two pass break-ups.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH MALONE
This will be the first football meeting between the Warriors and the Pioneers.
WDTK, WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS AND COMCAST/XFINITY
All Wayne State football games can be heard on WDTK Radio (1400 AM). Fans can also listen online at wdtkam.com or watch the home games via Warrior All-Access for a $5.95 fee per game. Sean Baligian and WSU Athletics Hall of Famer Joe Gough will call the action every week, while Lisa Seymour will again handle sideline reporting duties. Fans can ask questions of Joe during each broadcast via twitter at #ASKGOUGH. In addition, every home game will be televised live on Xfinity channel 900.
WINTERS ON WEDNESDAYS
Join head coach
Paul Winters and host Rod Beard every Wednesday from 7-8 pm on 1400 AM for an hour of Warrior football. The radio show will also be streamed online at wdtkam.com
SUMMIT/STARK COUNTY CONNECTIONS TO WAYNE STATE
Wayne State Director of Athletics
Rob Fournier holds three degrees from the University of Akron, while Warrior head coach
Paul Winters graduated from both UA and St. Vincent-St. Mary.
WSU starting middle linebacker
Nick Thomas also graduated from SVSM. WSU head men's basketball coach
David Greer is a 1979 graduate of Canton McKinley.
UPCOMING CAREER MILESTONES
• Davis needs 39 rushing yards to move into fifth place on the all-time list (Ed Skowneski is currently fifth with 2,459 rushing yards), and 133 rushing yards for fourth place (Steve Lee had 2,552 rushing yards).
• Davis needs one rushing touchdown to move into sole possession of third place on the all-time list (he is tied with Joe Gough for third with 33 rushing touchdowns).
• Mohner needs 48 passing attempts to move into first place on the all-time list (Michael Gluski is currently first with 833 passing attempts).
• Mohner needs 12 plays of total offense to move into fifth place on the all-time list (Mark Friday is currently fifth with 896 plays).
• Davis needs nine points to move into fourth place on the all-time list (Gough is currently fourth with 218 points).
• Terleckyj needs one point to move into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list (he is tied with
Josh Renel for seventh at 192 points).
• Junior safety
Antwon Robinson needs 32 interception return yards to move into 10th place on the all-time list (Terry Rusin and Mark Makela are currently tied-for-10th with 168 interception return yards).
• Senior cornerback
Aaron Cornett needs one pass defended (interceptions + break-ups) to move into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list (Mark Makela is currently tied-for-sixth with Cornett with 26 passes defended).
• The 2012 senior class needs one win to move into sole possesson of third place on the all-time list for wins by a class. The 2012 senior class is 28-12 (The 1973-76 and 1975-78 classes both went 28-13).
MOHNER'S FOURTH QUARTER (OT) COMEBACKS
• Trailed 31-13 to Lake Erie (9/15/12) with 11 minutes and won 35-31.
• Trailed 24-21 at Hillsdale (10/22/11) midway through the second overtime and won 27-24.
