WSU Football Game One Notes
Carson-Newman Storylines
The Wayne State football team begins its 96th year of collegiate football Thursday at Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tenn. The Warriors are 4-1 in their last five season openers and 6-4 in the last 10 openers. WSU's last road victory to start the season was a 36-14 triumph at Michigan Tech on Sept. 2, 2006.
Wayne State has met Carson-Newman twice before Thursday's contest. The Warriors opened the 1994 and 1995 seasons with the Eagles, dropping both contests. WSU fell 18-13 in a game played in Detroit in 1994 and were shutout 21-0 the following year in Tennessee.
Warriors Name Captains For 2013 Season
Wayne State has named its season-long captains for the upcoming season. Leading the Warriors as captains are senior fullback Chet Privett, senior wide receiver Dominique Maybanks, senior linebacker Ed Viverette, senior defensive end Andrew Matt and junior center Thom Box. As a group, the five Warrior captains have combined to start 101 games and play in 148 games overall.
Privett is a three-year starter and has made starts in 33 of the 34 games he has played. Maybanks is the Warriors' leading receiver from a season ago, making 36 catches for 411 yards and one touchdown. He started all 10 games in 2012 and has played in 29 career games. Box made eight starts at center as a sophomore after making 10 starts for Wayne State during its national championship run in 2011. Viverette led the WSU defense with 100 tackles last season and has started every game the past two seasons. Matt started all 10 games for Wayne State one year ago and has played in 29 career contests. He led the team with three forced fumbles and tied for the team lead with three fumble recoveries last year.
Scouting Carson-Newman
The Eagles reached the Division II quarterfinals last season, losing to eventual champion Valdosta State. Carson-Newman's 378.5 rushing yards per game was tops in Division II and was second in the nation, regardless of division. Running back Brandon Baker returns after rushing for 1,468 years and 14 touchdowns a season ago. Also returning in the backfield is Tyron Douglas, who scored 10 times and ran for over 800 yards in 2012. Senior right tackle Alex Taylor has made 35 consecutive starts for C-N on the offensive line, which returns three starters.
Carson-Newman was 14th in the country in scoring offense (39.5) and 15th in total offense (473.17 ypg) in 2012.
Linebackers Jonathan Sites (89 tackles) and Greg Beauduy (77 tackles) led the team in tackles a year ago and return for the Eagles in 2013. Other returners include Jamar Neal and Michael Surgbally on the defensive line.
All-league kicker Curt Duncan also returns after connecting on 21 field goals in 2012.
The Series
Carson-Newman leads the all-time series, which began in 1994, 2-0. The Eagles defeated Wayne State 21-0 in their last meeting on Aug. 31, 1995, in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Milestone Watch
Stefan Terleckyj needs one field goal to become Wayne State's all-time leader in field goals made (34).
Terleckyj needs 105 yards to move into eighth place all-time in punt yards (4,332).
Toney Davis needs 26 yards to move into eighth place all-time in all-purpose yards (3,353).
Quick Hits
The Warriors are 6-4 in their last 10 season openers. WSU's last road victory to open the season was on Sept. 2, 2006, in a 36-14 win over Michigan Tech. Wayne State fell 7-0 at Ashland in the 2012 season opener.
WSU was selected to finish sixth in the GLIAC North Division preseason poll, voted on by the league's coaches. Wayne State received 48 votes, while five GLIAC North teams earned first place votes. Wayne State finished the 2012 season in sixth place in the division with a 5-5 record while four teams tied for first at 7-3.
The Warriors will have a new starter under center for the first time since 2009. Mickey Mohner made 44 straight starts for Wayne State from 2009-12. No current WSU quarterback has made any starts at the position.
Wayne State led the nation in 2012 in fewest turnovers. The Warriors committed just 10 turnovers overall and also had a +9 turnover margin during the campaign.
In The Polls
Carson-Newman is ranked No. 17 in the preseason AFCA Coaches Poll, while the Warriors are receiving one vote in the first poll, which was released on Aug. 19. Four of Wayne State's 2013 opponents are ranked inside the top 25 as Ashland (No. 9), Grand Valley State (No. 14) and Saginaw Valley State (No. 22) also appear in the poll.
Other GLIAC teams to receive votes in the preseason poll are Michigan Tech, Ferris State, Hillsdale and Ohio Dominican.
On The Headset
Paul Winters enters his 10th season as the head coach of the Warriors. He has a 53-48 record at Wayne State and equaled the all-time program mark in games coached (101) in the 2012 season finale.
Ken Sparks is in his 34th year at the helm of Carson-Newman. In 2012, Sparks became the 11th man in college football history to record 300 career victories. Overall, he has a record of 308-83-2 in his coaching career.
Night Game
Wayne State's first home game of the season on Sept. 14 will also be its first collegiate home night game in Adams Field history. The Warriors' 6 p.m. contest against Ashland University will be played under the lights at Tom Adams Field. The lights were added to the football stadium in August of 2012.
All Five Home Games Televised
All five of Wayne State's home games will be broadcast on Comcast Xfinity Channel 900. The broadcast team of Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will have the call from Tom Adams Field.
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 running back Josh Renel will handle the call in the booth, while Lisa Seymour will handle the sideline reporting for each contest.
Terleckyj Receives Preseason Honors
Senior placekicker/punter Stefan Terleckyj earned a preseason accolade prior to the start of the 2013 season as he was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List for the third consecutive season. The Fred Mitchell Award highlights excellence on the football field and in the community.
The Watch List for the Fred Mitchell Award includes 34 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) collegiate place-kickers that were nominated by their colleges for excellence on the football field and in the community. He is one of 12 Division II kickers to receive the honor.
