DETROIT – The Wayne State University football team (3-4 overall, 2-4 GLIAC) snapped a three-game losing streak in dramatic fashion rallying for 14 consecutive fourth quarter points to upend visiting Northern Michigan University (4-3 overall, 3-3 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon at Adams Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats struck early on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Shaye Brown to Marcus Tucker on the third play of the game completing a 69-yard scoring drive.

Following a WSU punt, senior safety Jamiil Williams (Lima, Ohio / Shawnee) recorded his third career interception on a third-and-20 play for NMU.

Sophomore Demetrius Stinson (Detroit, Mich. / Douglass) scored on a one-yard plunge to cap off a seven-play, 39-yard drive in 3:57 which knotted the game at 7-7.

The next four drives all ended in punts, before Northern Michigan put together an eight-play, 40-yard drive culminating in a 33-yard field goal by Tyler Blackburn.

The Warriors responded with a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore Romello Brown (Westland, Mich. / Livonia Churchill) on the eighth play of a 75-yard drive which gave WSU a 13-10 advantage after the PAT kick failed.

In less than a minute span late in the first half, Blackburn was short on a 49-yard field goal attempt, WSU fumbled away the first play of its possession, and the Wildcats scored on a one-yard run by Edward Christian following a 24-yard pass play from Shaye Brown to Paris Woods.

Northern Michigan held a 222-150 edge in total offense for the first 30 minutes with WSU dominating 113-7 on the ground.

Wayne State took the second half kickoff and marched down the field scoring on a 10-yard rush by Romello Brown finishing off a six-play, 65-yard drive.  Two big pass completions on consecutive plays from freshman quarterback D.J. Zezula (Clarkston, Mich.) to junior Jamel Hicks (East Cleveland, Ohio / Shaw) for 26 yards on a third-and-16, followed by an 11-yard completion to senior Will Wheat (Grand Blanc, Mich.).

WSU's 20-17 lead was short lived as Northern Michigan answered with a five-play, 72-yard drive in 1:32 as Shaye Brown connected with Keyondre Craig on a 58-yard scoring play.

Two WSU punts were sandwiched around a missed 43-yard field goal attempt by Blackburn.  On WSU's first series after the go-ahead touchdown, a marginal holding call was followed by a blatant targeting hit (helmet to helmet) by NMU's L.J. Liston which went uncalled.

The Wildcats increased their lead to 31-20 on a 12-yard TD reception by Woods with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter.

The Warriors ensuing possession lasted 5:36 and resulted in a 35-yard field goal attempt by sophomore Paul Graham (Commerce Twp., Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's).

On the kickoff, Wayne State junior Lairren Johnson (Warren, Mich. / Lincoln) forced a fumble by NMU's Marcus Tucker at the NMU 23, which was recovered back at the NMU 9 by redshirt freshman Drew Dowding (Michigan Center, Mich.).

Graham made a 27-yard field goal attempt on the fourth play of the following series to pull WSU within five at 31-26 with 8:22 remaining.

The next three drives ended in punt with each team only generating one first down.

After a touchback, Wayne State drove 80 yards in eight plays with Wheat hauling in a seven-yard TD reception with 35.8 seconds left.  WSU never had a third down play on the game-winning drive in which Zezula was 4-of-4 for 57 yards and the touchdown while accumulating four first downs by passing and another on an NMU defensive holding penalty.

The Warrior defense then sealed the win by recording two sacks, each after an incompletion.  Junior linebacker Valorian Cunningham (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix) had a seven-yard sack on second down, then teamed with redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Pittman (Beverly Hills, Mich. / Birmingham Groves) for the fourth down sack.

WARRIOR PLAYER TIDBITS
Romello Brown recorded a career-high 157 rushing yards.  It was his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Sophomore Manny Mendoza (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester) had a career-best seven receptions, with five of them going for first downs.

Junior defensive tackle Dalton Binkowski (Washington, Mich. / Romeo) totaled a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss including one sack.

Sophomore place-kicker Paul Graham totaled eight points improving his career total to 99 points making him one point shy of becoming the sixth kicker in school history with 100 points (and the 22nd player in program history).

WARRIOR TEAM TIDBITS
The Wayne State defense limited Northern Michigan to 13 yards on 13 plays in the fourth quarter.

The Warrior defense totaled 10 tackles for loss for minus 36 yards including a season-high four sacks.

THE FINAL STATISTICS
WSU had a 10:34 to 4:26 edge in time of possession in the fourth quarter and a 33:55 to 26:05 margin for the game.

The Warriors held a 191-34 advantage in rushing yards, with Northern Michigan holding a 378-366 total offense.

Wayne State went 6-for-6 in the red zone with four touchdowns and two field goals.
 
UP NEXT
Wayne State will try to snap a three-game road losing skein next Saturday when the Warriors battle Walsh University at Fawcett Stadium (site of the annual NFL Hall of Fame contest in August) in a 6 p.m. start.