Football | 11/14/2015 3:18:00 PM
Box Score HILLSDALE, Mich. – In the 2015 season finale, the Wayne State University football team (6-5 overall, 5-5 GLIAC) suffered a 31-24 overtime setback at Hillsdale College (5-6 overall, 5-5 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED It took the Chargers just 49 seconds to grab a 7-0 lead as Joe Reverman raced 62 yards on the second play of the game.
A five-minute WSU drive ended with an interception inside the Hillsdale 30.
After garnering one first down, HC increased its lead to 14-0 on a 44-yard pass from Chance Stewart to Trey Brock.
Following a 68-yard punt by sophomore
Paul Graham (Commerce Twp., Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) on the ensuing drive, a fumble by the Chargers on a third down completed pass was recovered by junior linebacker
Anthony DeDamos (Rockford, Mich.)
Four consecutive runs by sophomore
Romello Brown (Westland, Mich. / Livonia Churchill) concluded with an eight-yard jaunt by Brown to pull the Warriors within seven at 14-7 late in the first period.
The WSU defense forced a three-and-out as DeDamos hit Reverman for a one-yard loss on third-and-one from the HC 28.
Freshman
Deiontae Nicholas (Chesterfield, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse North) hauled in a 54-yard reception on the first play and after three rushing attempts by Brown, Graham converted a 24-yard field goal attempt to cut the Warrior deficit to 14-10.
The teams exchanged punts before Hillsdale missed on a 48-yard field goal attempt.
WSU ended the first half on a nine-play, 69-yard drive culminating in a two-yard plunge by Brown which gave the Warriors a 17-14 advantage.
Reverman (12 for 94, 1 TD) and Brown (18 for 68, 2 TDs) led each team in the first half on the ground.
Neither team scored in the third period as WSU was limited to 47 yards on 16 plays, while Hillsdale totaled 82 yards on 13 plays. All three drives for each team ended in punts.
The Chargers knotted the game at 17 on a 25-yard field goal by Steve Mette with 9:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. The 11-play drive gained 44 yards.
Wayne State answered back with a 65-yard drive in four plays that took 1:46 off the clock. Brown started the drive with a 36-yard run, and sophomore
Manny Mendoza (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester) hauled in a 14-yard pass the following play. After a rush by freshman
D.J. Zezula (Clarkston, Mich.) lost a yard, Brown rumbled in from 25 yards out for WSU's final points of the season.
After an exchange of punts, Hillsdale took possession at its own 49 with 2:37 left and no timeouts. After a scramble on first down by Chance Stewart, he completed three straight passes for 34 yards to get inside the red zone. Two consecutive incompletions preceeded a 16-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Joe Srebernak with 81 seconds left in regulation.
WSU was able to get to midfield on the ensuing drive, but not field goal range.
In overtime, Hillsdale's Reverman had four consecutive rushes, that last covering nine yards into the end zone.
Wayne State garnered a first down on a five-yard run by Nicholas and an eight-yard carry by Brown. On an incompletion by Zezula, he was injured and was replaced by senior
Carl Roscoe (Kentwood, Mich. / Kelloggsville). Brown gained two yards on the next play before Roscoe's pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Brown led WSU with 31 carries for 154 yards and three touchdowns, while Reverman totaled a game-high 196 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Zezula completed 14-of-23 passes for 167 yards with one interception. Stewart passed for 254 yards and two scores on 18-of-28 with one interception.
DeDamos led the Wayne State defense with a game-high 18 tackles including 2.5 for loss (1.5 sacks).
Wayne State will open the 2016 campaign with a pair of road contests at Northwood and at Ashland.
