Football | 11/12/2015 9:04:00 AM

DETROIT -- After securing its seventh winning year in the last eight campaigns with last Saturday's 56-54 shootout win over Lake Erie, the Wayne State football team will try to finish with a 7-4 mark for the second straight season.  The Warriors are 42-27 over the last six years (2010-2015) and can finish the season with a five-game winning streak with a victory at Hillsdale.  WSU's last five-game winning streak was a six-game streak to start the 2011 campaign.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Hillsdale has won three straight games (38-24 over Tiffin, 26-0 at Saginaw Valley State and 28-14 at Northwood) following a five-game losing skein.  Quarterback Chance Stewart, a transfer from Western Michigan, has passed for 965 yards in five games with eight touchdown passes to four interceptions.  Senior C.J. Mifsud has played in eight contests and completed 56 percent (70-of-126) of his passes for 776 yards.  Redshirt freshman Joe Reverman has rushed for a team-high 887 yards and eight touchdowns.  HC has three receivers with at least 20 receptions each in senior John Haley (28-343, 1 TD), sophomore Brian Newman (25-282, 3 TD) and freshman Trey Brock (22-385, 2 TD).  Junior Steve Mette is 10-of-15 on field goals and is averaging 37.7 yards on 44 punts with 10 inside the 20.  Senior Todd Frickey has 356 kickoff return yards on 15 attempts (23.7 ypr).  Sophomore linebacker Jay Rose has a team-high 82 tackles (42-40) with six pass break-ups and two interceptions.  Junior defensive lineman Drew Mallery leads Hillsdale with 11.5 tackles for loss and is among the GLIAC leaders with 6.5 sacks.  Frickey is tied with Rose for the team lead with two interceptions.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State has won four of the last five meetings but still trail 38-17-1 in the all-time series which began with a 19-0 Charger win on Oct. 30, 1926.  The Warriors are 6-20 all-time at Hillsdale, including a 2-5 mark since 2000.  WSU's last triumph at HC was a 27-24 double overtime victory on Oct. 22, 2011.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State (6-4 overall, 5-4 GLIAC) won its fourth consecutive game, 56-54, in a thrilling shootout against the Lake Erie Storm (2-7 overall, 2-6 GLIAC) last Saturday.  The final home game of the 2015 season was the highest-scoring contest in WSU football history as the teams combined to score 110 points (previous record of 108 occurred in a 58-50 triple-overtime setback at Mercyhurst on Sept. 15, 2007).
 
Wayne State scored on the game's opening drive with Romello Brown scoring on a two-yard plunge.  LEC evened the score on its second possession with a 14-yard run by Anthony Bilal following a 12-yard interception return by the Storm's Tony Andrews.

Andrews recorded his second interception of the period on the ensuing drive and Bilal went 36 yards on the fourth play of the drive to give the visitors a 14-7 lead just past the mid-point of the opening stanza.

Following a Warrior punt, LEC's John Banyasz completed a 22-yard pass to Aaron Lindgren on the first play from scrimmage, but Drew Dowding forced a fumble, which he also recovered at the Storm 43.  Brown then scored his second TD on a 25-yard run to knot the game at 14.

Jamiil Williams intercepted a Banyasz pass on the first play of the second quarter.  WSU drove 42 yards in eight plays with Demetrius Stinson scoring on a one-yard run to give the Warriors a 21-14 advantage.
Five straight punts led to a Wayne State possession just 85 seconds before intermission.  Both Brown and D.J. Zezula had 21-yard rushes, which led to a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Hicks with 10.2 seconds remaining.

At intermission, WSU held a 294-155 margin in total offense with Brown (97 yards, 2 TDs) and Bilal (82 yards, 2 TDs) leading each squad on the ground.

Lake Erie turned a 14-point deficit into a 13-point lead by scoring 27 consecutive points in the first 9:19 of the second half.

Bilal scored on a 74-yard run on the first play scrimmage, and following a WSU punt, the Storm went 47 yards in three plays with Banyasz and Aaron Lindgren combining on a 25-yard TD pass.

LEC took the lead after a bad snap on a Warrior punt that resulted in a 12-yard loss as Paul Graham was tackled in the backfield.  The TD play was a 13-yard pass from Banyasz to Anthony Kukwa.

Lake Erie's Tony Andrews notched his third interception of the game on WSU's third down play and returned it 35 yards to the WSU 11, where Lindgren took an option and scored to give the visitors a 41-28 lead with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter.

Jordan Billingslea took the ensuing kickoff back a WSU season-best 61 yards.  After three runs by Stinson netted 23 yards, Zezula had a 12-yard completion to Ethan Walsh, which preceded a three-yard run by Brown to make it 41-35.

The WSU defense allowed two first downs before forcing a punt late in the third stanza.  Lake Erie held a 198-65 edge in total offense during the third period.

Facing a second-and-eight from its own three, Zezula's play action froze the entire Storm defense allowing junior fullback Garrett Wiska to sneak out of the backfield and haul in a WSU record 97-yard scoring pass.  Wiska received downfield blocking help from Trent Brodbeck and Hicks to complete the longest offensive play in Wayne State history.  Graham's PAT gave WSU a 42-41 lead since LEC's B.J. Rhodes had missed his PAT attempt after the Storm's last TD.

Lake Erie answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive in 3:20 with Bilal scoring his fourth touchdown of the game on a 35-yard jaunt.

It took Wayne State just five plays to regain the lead (49-48).  After Brown's eight-yard run on first down, Hicks caught a 50-yard pass and Brown followed with three runs totaling 20 yards for his fourth score of the contest.

The Warrior defense recorded a three-and-out on Lake Erie's ensuing drive, and WSU responded with an eight-play, 58-yard drive with Brown covering the final five yards for his fifth rushing touchdown of the game.

The Storm began its final possession at its own 16 following the kickoff.  LEC garnered five first downs and on the first third-down play of the drive, Banyasz tossed a five-yard scoring pass to Lindgren for his second TD reception of the contest with 14.0 seconds remaining in the fourth period.

Trailing by two, Lake Erie was forced to go for a two-point conversion and Banyasz pass to Lindgren was broken up by Zak Bielecki.  Brodbeck recovered the onside kick and two rushes by Brown ran out the clock.
 
WARRIOR PLAYER TIDBITS
Brown's five rushing touchdowns in a game is tied for second-most in Wayne State history with Joique Bell in 2009 vs. Ashland, and Toney Davis in 2011 at St. Cloud State.  The record of six was set by Joique Bell against Ferris State in 2009.
 
Wiska's 97-yard touchdown catch was his first career reception and touchdown, and was the longest offensive play ever recorded in the history of WSU football.
 
Hicks had a career-best 145 receiving yards, which was his third career game of at least 100 yards (two of which have been against  Lake Erie).
 
Zezula finished 10-of-22 passing for a career-high 284 yards and two scores (previous high was 253 vs. Malone earlier this year).
 
Graham's eight made extra points is tied-for-third most in a single game in Warrior history.
 
Billingslea tied a pair of school records with seven kickoff returns and 191 kickoff return yards.
 
Brown, Stinson, Zezula and Deiontae Nicholas combined for 309 net rushing yards and six touchdowns on 56 total attempts.
 
Bielecki led the Warrior defense with a team-best 13 total tackles (7-6) plus a pass break-up (not including the two-point conversion pass break-up).

WARRIOR TEAM TIDBITS
The 593 yards of total offense by the Warriors were the eighth-most in school history (record of 638 was set against LEC on Oct. 8, 2011).
 
The 7.60 yards per play by the WSU offense was the sixth highest in program history (the all-time record of 10.29 was set on Oct. 8, 2011 vs. Lake Erie with 638 yards on 62 plays).
 The 56 points scored by WSU is tied for seventh most in Warrior annals.
 
Wayne State set a school record with 787 all-purpose yards eclipsing the previous mark of 782 set at Northern Michigan on Oct. 6, 2001.
 
THE FINAL STATISTICS 
Wayne State ran 78 plays for 593 yards and led in both rushing yards (309-302) and passing yards (284-207).
 
The Warriors won the game despite losing the turnover battle, 3-2.
 
WSU held a 35:10 to 24:50 edge in time of possession.
  
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
With last Saturday's victory, Wayne State had a 5-1 home record in 2015 marking the third time in the last eight years WSU went 5-1 in Motown.  Since the start of the 2008 campaign, the Warriors are 33-13 at Adams Field.

HICKS HAULING IT IN
Jamel Hicks was WSU's leading receiver against LEC with five catches for a career-high 145 yards.  He has been WSU's top receiver in nine of the 10 contests and has moved into 18th place with 926 career receiving yards.

WIN STREAK NUMBERS
Over the last four games, Wayne State has rushed 1,048 yards and 16 touchdowns on 208 carries, while Zezula has passed for 697 yards and four scores on 40-of-78.  WSU has controlled the ball for 138:05 compared to 101:55 for its opponents.

During the winning streak, opponents are just 15-of-53 (28 percent) on third down as Wayne State has recorded 29 tackles for loss.

'MELLO ON A ROLL
For the fourth consecutive game, Romello Brown set a career-high in rushing yards (180).  He also set a career-best with five rushing touchdowns against the Storm.  Brown became the 10th running back in Paul Winters' 12 years at WSU with a 1,000-yard rushing season last week.

FINISHING STRONG
In the final 10 quarters this season, D.J. Zezula is:
- 26-of-40 passing for 577 yards and six TD in 69:33 (team has scored 14 TDs with him at the helm; other eight TD's were rushing).
- He has rushed 13 times for four yards and accounted for 581 yards of total offense.
- WSU has ran 150 plays for 1,019 yards and collected 49 first downs (26 rushing, 18 passing, 5 penalty) and Zezula has accounted for 19 of those first downs (18 passing, 1 rushing). 

FOURTH QUARTER WINNING DRIVES
Trailed 20-7 against Truman, but WSU scored two touchdowns in less than four minutes to earn a 21-20 victory.

Trailed Northern Michigan 31-20 entering the fourth period, but two field goals and a game-winning touchdown pass with 36 seconds left propelled the Warriors to a 34-31 triumph.

A 37-yard TD pass to Corey Ester late in the third quarter snapped a 17-17 draw with Findlay and put WSU ahead for good.  After a UF field goal, the Warriors drove 63 yards for a TD which proved to the game-winning points after the Oilers scored a late touchdown.

Trailing 41-28 late in the third quarter against Lake Erie, Wayne State scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to take a 56-48 lead.  WSU held on for a 56-54 triumph.

WINNING WHEN EXECUTING
Wayne State has won its last 10 games, including four times this year (Sept. 19 vs. Malone, Oct. 24 at Walsh, Oct. 31 vs. Findlay and Nov. 7 vs. Lake Erie), when rushing for over 200 yards.  WSU rushed for 313 yards against the Cavaliers, the most since the Warriors gained 349 yards at Lake Erie on Nov. 8, 2014.  Wayne State had 309 rushing yards last week against the Storm.  During the past four seasons, WSU is 20-4 when rushing for 200 yards including a 9-1 mark on the road.  Under coach Winters, the Green & Gold are 39-13 under those parameters, including a 23-6 mark at home.

TRUE FRESHMAN SIGNAL CALLER
There have been 10 previous true freshman to see significant playing time at quarterback prior to D.J. Zezula.

- Zezula set the record for most passing TD's by a true freshman QB.
- Has the most passing yards with 1,249 (Trent Pohl had 1,233 in 2006).
- Owns the highest passing efficiency rating at 144.3 (2nd is Zack George from 2006 at 141.7).

WINTERS ON WEDNESDAYS
The final Winters on Wednesday's radio show of season No. 4 with head coach Paul Winters joining host Rod Beard and co-host Nicole Stoll will take place on Nov. 18, immediately following the WSU Winter Coaches Series event also at Tony V's.  The Coaches Series event begins at 5:15 PM.  The Winters on Wednesday's radio show airs every Wednesday from 7-8 PM on 1400 AM / 92.7 FM and is simulcast on WDTKAM.com.

JUCO CAPTAINS
The last three Junior College players to be a captain at WSU prior to Ashawn Butler this season were Daunte Akra in 2010 after playing two years at Grand Rapids CC, Andrew Bates in 2008 after also playing two seasons at GRCC and Craig Duppong in 2003 after playing two years at Joliet JC.

STAFF CONTINUITY
The football coaching staff entered the 2015 season with several names that have been with the program for a number of years.  Along with Winters entering his 12th season, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Scott Kazmierski is in his 12th season with the Green & Gold. Linebackers coach Keith McKenzie is in his eighth season, offensive line coach Scott Wooster is in his seventh season, defensive coordinator and secondary coach Brad Wilson is in his fourth season and quarterbacks coach Jeff Reardon is in his third season with the Warriors.  E.J. Henderson returns to the program after serving three years previously (2004-06).

MODEL OF SUCCESS
Wayne State has compiled at least a .500 season in seven of the last eight years (2008-15) combining for a 56-35 mark in that span.  Prior to Coach Winters arrival in 2004, the Tartars/Warriors had 10 consecutive losing seasons on the field and only one winning season on the field in 19 years.