WSU Football Weekly Game Notes

Game #5 (HOMECOMING) - Northwood at Wayne State
Date:  Saturday, Oct. 5
Time:  Noon
Location:  Detroit, Mich.
Stadium:  Tom Adams Field (6,439)
Live stats:  livestats.prestosports.com/waynestate
Live video:  wsuathletics.com/showcase
Live audio:  WDTK 1400 AM/92.7 FM (wdtkam.com)
Television:  Comcast Xfinity Channel 900

NORTHWOOD STORYLINES
Wayne State (2-2, 2-1 GLIAC) welcomes Northwood (2-2, 1-1 GLIAC) to Tom Adams Field at today for its 77th Homecoming contest.  The Warriors have won eight straight Homecoming games, including a 38-31 victory over Northern Michigan in the 2012 matchup.
    
WSU's last loss in a Homecoming game was a 28-21 setback to Ashland on Oct. 23, 2004, in coach Paul Winters' first season as head coach.  Overall, the Warriors have a 40-35-1 record in Homecoming contests dating back to 1935.  
    
Wayne State is 3-1 against the Timberwolves in Homecoming games.  The Warriors last faced the Timberwolves in a Homecoming game on Oct. 21, 1989, when WSU pulled out a 34-32 triumph.
    
The Warriors have won both games at home in the 2013 season and are coming off a 38-27 victory over Malone on Sept. 28 in Detroit.  The Warriors are 23-8 at home since the start of 2008.  Overall, Wayne State has had just one losing month (November 2012) in the last 12 over the course of four seasons.
    
WSU is 2-1 in the GLIAC after playing three South Division teams.  Starting with Northwood, Wayne State finishes its season by solely playing North Division teams.

QUICK HITS
Wayne State's 324 rushing yards as a team last week was its most since Nov. 19, 2011, when the Warriors piled up 386 rushing yards (326 yards by Toney Davis) in a 48-38 playoff victory at St. Cloud State.
    
WSU's 2013 home opener attendance of 4,109 was the largest at Tom Adams Field since Nov. 8, 2008, when Wayne State hosted 5,152 for its season finale against #1 Grand Valley.
    
Davis' total of 124 rushing yards against Malone was his 16th career game of 100 rushing yards or more.
    
The Warriors are 30-21 at home in Winters' 10-year WSU coaching career.

ON THE AIR
Sean Baligian (play-by-play), former WSU defensive lineman Leo Wells (color) and Lisa Seymour (sideline) will call the action all season on WDTK The Patriot 1400 AM/92.7 FM Radio.  Fans can also check out the live simulcast on wdtkam.com.

MALONE RECAP
The Warrior defense started the contest strong forcing the Pioneers to a three-and-out, followed by a 15-yard punt giving WSU outstanding field position at the MU 25.  Six consecutive carries by Toney Davis netted 25 yards and Davis' 46th career rushing touchdown.  On the ensuing drive, Malone drove 79 yards in nine plays with Justin Davis garnering the final two yards run to cap the scoring drive.  
    
Wayne State responded with an eight-play drive that covered 49 yards and finished with a 30-yard field goal by Stefan Terleckyj.  On the first play of the second period, MU's Justin Davis scored on a 10-yard scamper but the extra-point kick was wide giving Malone a 13-10 lead.  Following a 48-yard Terleckyj punt, Malone went 71 yards in 12 playing using 6:07 on the clock with Bryce Pratt scoring on a 1-yard jaunt to put the Pioneers in front 20-10 with 6:25 remaining before halftime.  
  
The Warrior offense using three first-time starters (offensive guard Sawyer McFadden, tight end Nathan White and quarterback Sean Guinane) responded with a 15-play, 66-yard drive that used 6:08 on the clock.  After Guinane directed the first three drives, Doug Griffin moved WSU down the field converting three third-down plays with Toney Davis scoring on a one-yard up the middle plunge with just 19 seconds left before intermission.  
    
Wayne State took the second half kickoff and marched 77 yards in 13 plays using 6:39 on the clock to take the lead for good on a 14-yard run around the right end by Desmond Martin.  On Malone's first possession of the third quarter, tight end Ricarlo Bell caught a pass but James Hendrix forced a fumble which was recovered by Valorian Cunningham.  Four plays later, WSU increased its lead to 31-20 as Guinane scored his first collegiate rushing touchdown on a nine-yard scramble.  
    
The Pioneers pulled within four points (31-27) on a five-yard touchdown pass from Will Szpor to Bell with 1:03 remaining in the third period.  On the ensuing possession, the Warrior offense drove 65 yards in six plays with Martin scoring his second rushing touchdown of the contest, a career-best.  The Wayne State defense held on the next possession as Szpor rushed for six yards on a fourth-and-seven near midfield, but the Warriors returned the favor on a fourth-down incomplete pass at the MU 20.  Malone failed to convert on fourth down on its next drive and WSU ran out the clock behind the running of seniors Jay Hayes and Jeff Williams.
    
The Warriors accumulated 324 yards rushing, with running back Toney Davis totaling 125 yards on 24 carries and Martin rushing for 88 yards on 15 attempts.  The rushing effort for Davis was the 16th career 100-yard game in his Warrior career.
    
Guinane and Griffin combined to go 9-for-12 for 69 yards and no interceptions.  Michael Johnson and Ethan Walsh each had three catches.  Steve O'Shell led the defense with 10 tackles and a sack, while Cunningham and Gerren DuHart each added six tackles for Wayne State.  DuHart also had a forced fumble.

ON THE HEADSET
Paul Winters is in his 10th season as head coach of the Wayne State football program.  He has a 55-50 record in his Warrior tenure, including a 42-21 mark in his last five-plus seasons.  In the 2013 season opener against Carson-Newman, Winters became the all-time leader in Wayne State football history in games coached (102).
    
Northwood's Mike Sullivan is in his fifth season and holds a 23-34 mark in his Timberwolve coaching career.  He led NU to a 5-6 record in 2012.  He has a 10-18 record on the road.

SCOUTING NORTHWOOD
After starting the season 0-2, the Timberwolves have won their last two games with victories at Quincy (42-39) and at home over Tiffin (26-11) on Sept. 28.  NU has scored 29.5 points per game and has found much of its success through the air, averaging 277.8 passing yards per game, which is sixth in the conference.
    
Freshman quarterback Mitch Robinson has thrown for 1,076 yards, while completing 51.6 percent of passes.  He has six touchdowns, but has also thrown eight interceptions.  Junior running back Glenn Winston leads the Timberwolves in rushing with 359 yards and has scored seven touchdowns.
    
Sophomore wide receivers Devonta Elzy and Carrington Thompson each have 19 receptions.  Elzy has 268 yards and two scores and Thompson has posted 330 receiving yards and one touchdown.
    
Sophomore linebacker Mike Keith leads NU with 37 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss.  Senior defensive back Carlos Love is second with 33 stops.  Senior defensive linemen Kyle Fikki and Mike Mann have 4.0 and 3.5 sacks, respectively.

ALL-TIME SERIES WITH NORTHWOOD
Wayne State is 15-18 in the all-time series with the Timberwolves, which dates back to 1975.  WSU has won three of the past four meetings between the two programs, including a 21-11 victory at NU on Sept. 29, 2012.  Prior to that, Northwood had won 11 straight games from 1997-2007.  The Warriors hold a 7-8 mark against Northwood in games played in Detroit.

IN THE POLLS
After Ohio Dominican's upset of then-#9 Grand Valley, the GLIAC has two teams in the top 25 of the AFCA Division 2 Coaches Poll.  The undefeated Panthers earned their first-ever ranking by climbing to No. 23, while the Lakers fell to No. 25.  Ferris State (12 votes), Michigan Tech (4 votes) and Saginaw Valley (3 votes) are the other conference schools receiving votes in the poll.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Warriors are in the top 10 in the nation in fewest penalties per game (3.2) and fewest penalty yards per game (33.7).  WSU is 19th in the country by allowing just 173.5 passing yards per game.
    
Individually, Ed Viverette is tied for first in the country as one of three players that is averaging one forced fumble per game.  He has three forced fumbles in three games.  He is also third in the Division 2 rankings in sacks per game at 1.7.
    
Stefan Terleckyj is 13th in the country in punting average at 43.2.

TERLECKYJ EARNS FRED MITCHELL SEPTEMBER AWARD
Stefan Terleckyj was one of 26 student-athletes recognized Tuesday as the Fred Mitchell Award honored 26 collegiate place-kickers for their excellence on and off the football field during the month of September.
    
Terleckyj was one of 18 seniors selected and just one of seven Division II place-kickers bestowed with the monthly accolade.
    
The annual Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award (also known as the Fred Mitchell Award) is provided to the nation's top collegiate place-kicker among more than 750 FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA football teams. The recipient of the award is chosen based on excellence on the football field and in the community.
    
Terleckyj is second on the team in scoring with 21 points from 2 of 3 field goals and 15 of 15 extra points in 2013. He is a 2012 Fred Mitchell Award Finalist, who owns the school record for the most kicking points (259), which is also third in school history.

VIVERETTE EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Along with being named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Ashland, senior linebacker Ed Viverette was selected as the D2football.com National Defensive Player of the Week.  Viverette totaled nine tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and he returned a fumble 42 yards for WSU's first defensive touchdown of the season.
    
The last Warrior to be honored with a national player of the week accolade was safety Jeremy Jones, who was also selected as the D2football.com National Defensive Player of the Week following a 27-10 win over Michigan Tech on Sept. 17, 2011.
    
Viverette currently is third in the GLIAC in tackles per game at 11.3 and leads the conference with 5.0 sacks in three games.

COMCAST XFINITY
All five of Wayne State's home games will be broadcast on Comcast Xfinity Channel 900.  The broadcast team of Ryan Ermanni (play-by-play), Rod Beard (color) and Joe Abramson (sideline) will have the call from Tom Adams Field.  Each home Saturday telecast will be replayed at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 9 a.m. on Thursday the week following the live broadcast.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
All Wayne State football games can be heard on WDTK Radio (1400 AM/92.7 FM).  Fans can listen to the games online at wdtkam.com or watch the home games via Warrior All-Access for a $5.95 per game fee.  Sean Baligian and former WSU defensive end Leo Wells will handle the call in the booth, while Lisa Seymour will handle the sideline reporting for each contest.  

WINTERS ON WEDNESDAYS
Join Paul Winters and host Rod Beard every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. on WDTK 1400 AM for an hour of Warrior football.  The radio show will also be streamed online at wdtkam.com.