HOUGHTON, Mich. -- The Wayne State University football team (0-1 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) began its 2015 campaign with a 20-15 setback at Michigan Tech's Sherman Field on Thursday evening. The Warriors, after trailing 20-2 at halftime, and using a third-string true freshman quarterback (
D.J. Zezula from Clarkston, Mich.), rallied for 13 consecutive points in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED• WSU lost fifth-year senior quarterback Carl Roscoe (Kentwood, Mich. / Kelloggsville) after the first offensive play of the game.• Michigan Tech drove 70 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 47-yard pass from Brandon Cowie to Ian Fischer for the lone score of the first half.• Huskies took a 14-0 lead early in the second period on a six-yard touchdown run by Cowie.• The Warriors scored their second safety in the last three games with 9:05 left in the first half following a 39-yard punt by Rabeah Beydoun, who was punting for the injured Paul Graham and Ethan Walsh.• MTU took a 20-2 lead on 12-yard TD pass from Cowie to David Walter with 10 seconds left before halftime.• Wayne State scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, after a scoreless third period.• WSU's first touchdown of the season was a 22-yard completion from Zezula to Jamel Hicks (East Cleveland, Ohio / Shaw) on a first-and-15.• The final TD of the game was a 9-yard pass from Zezula to Will Wheat (Grand Blanc, Mich.) on a third-and-goal.WARRIOR PLAYER TIDBITS• Fifth-year senior quarterback Carl Roscoe (Kentwood, Mich. / Kelloggsville) made his 16th career start. He was 8-7 as a starter prior to this contest.• Fifth-year senior kicker Majd Khytaz (Grosse Ile, Mich.) recorded his first career point on a PAT with 6:34 remaining in the game.• Junior middle linebacker Anthony DeDamos (Rockford, Mich.) totaled a game-high 15 (7-8) tackles. It was also a career-high in stops for DeDamos and the third consecutive game he had a double-digit tackle total.• Senior safety Zak Bielecki (Macomb, Mich. / Lutheran North) recorded 10 (6-4) tackles. It was his seventh career game with a double-digit tackle total, third against Michigan Tech.
• Eleven (11) Warriors made their collegiate debut against Michigan Tech. The list includes redshirt sophomore Trevor Van Tubbergen, sophomore Demetrius Stinson, and redshirt freshmen Deiontae Nicholas, Logan Smith, Corey Ester, Carterris Carter, Drew Dowding, Randy Garvin, Anthony Pittman, Kolby Nance and Derrick Coleman. In addition, junior defensive end Adam Williams made his WSU debut after playing at Northern Michigan in 2013.• Four true freshmen (D.J. Zezula, Stephen Charron, Greg McDade and Donte Eubanks) made the trip to the U.P. with only Zezula seeing game action.WARRIOR TEAM TIDBITS• The Warriors had their losing skein at Sherman Field extended to three games. WSU won the first five games in the series at MTU (1968-87), but is just 3-6 since 1988.LEADING THE HUSKIES• Cowie was 18-of-23 passing for 178 and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He was also MTU's leading rusher with a game-high 16 carries for a game-best 64 yards.• Fischer had a team-best six receptions for 105 yards and one score.• Cedric Jones led the MTU defense with 11 tackles (6-5).THE FINAL STATISTICS• Wayne State held an 80-78 edge in rushing yards, with sophomore Romello Brown (Westland, Mich. / Livonia Churchill) leading WSU with 44 yards.
• Michigan Tech had a 178-139 advantage in passing yards. Zezula completed 12-of-22 for 128 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• Hicks tied for game-high honors with six receptions along with a team-leading 67 receiving yards.UP NEXT• Wayne State will play its lone non-conference regular-season game on Saturday, Sept. 12 with a noon kickoff at Adams Field against Truman State (previously known as Northeast Missouri State when the schools met in 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1975).
