Football | 11/3/2016 9:55:00 AM

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University football program (7-2, 7-2 GLIAC) has it sights set on its second-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs but to accomplish that feat the Warriors will likely need to win its final two games.  The first hurdle will be a road game at Ohio Dominican (6-3. 6-3 GLIAC) on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for noon.

GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State will look to bounce back from last week's loss at #22nd-ranked Ferris State with another tough road contest at Ohio Dominican on Saturday.  WSU and ODU have not met since 2011 when the Warriors topped the Panthers 31-24.  WSU will likely to need to win its final two games to feel comfortable on Selection Sunday (Nov. 13th at 5 p.m.).

With the top seven teams in the region advancing to postseason play (not including the eighth-place earned access squad), Wayne State was ranked 10th this week by the NCAA Regional Ranking Committee after being sixth prior to the loss at Ferris State.

LAST TIME OUT
The 19th-ranked Wayne State football team had its six-game winning streak come to an end with a 42-20 setback at 22nd-ranked Ferris State on Oct. 29th.
  
The first three drives of the game, two for WSU and one for FSU, ended in punts.  Bulldog signal caller Reggie Bell scampered 65 yards on the first play of Ferris State's second drive giving the hosts a 7-0 advantage.
 
On the ensuing drive, receiver Jamel Hicks notched his 100th career reception hauling in a 28-yard pass from Donovan Zezula.  Two plays later Zezula was intercepted by David Churchwell.
 
After Churchwell's 47-yard return, the Bulldogs used three plays to cover the final 12 yards with Jajuan Pollock catching a six-yard touchdown pass from Bell.
 
Both teams punted on their next two possessions with WSU driving into the red zone.  Zezula appeared to score on a 14-yard jaunt on a third-and-eight but the Warriors were whistled for an illegal formation penalty.  After an incompletion, Zezula was sacked on fourth down.
 
Ferris State increased its lead to 21-0 on the ensuing drive as Bell tossed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Shakur Sanders.
 
After going 0-for-5 on third down, the WSU offense converted two such opportunities on the following drive as Romello Brown gained three yards on a third-and-one and Zezula raced 23 yards up the middle for his first rushing touchdown of the contest on a third-and-two.
 
FSU answered back with Bell scoring on a 37-yard keeper with 4:11 remaining in the first half.
 
Wayne State responded with a 12-play, 78-yard drive just before intermission.  Zezula raced 21 yards on a fourth-and-one to pull the Warriors within 28-13.
 
Ferris State's Jahaan Brown had two touchdown runs in the third period, while Brown tallied the lone touchdown of the fourth quarter.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Ohio Dominican is two years removed from an 11-2 season and a trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs where the Panthers advanced to the quarterfinals.    ODU is 6-3 this season and led by first-year head coach and former defensive coordinator Kelly Cummings.  

Junior quarterback  Grant Russell powers ODU's offensive attack throwing for 2,288 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.  A pair of running backs (EJ Colson, Justin Davis) have combined for 546 yards and seven scores.  Another weapon to keep an eye on for the Panthers is sophomore wideout Cory Contini who has caught 61 passes for 865 yards and seven TDs.  Redshirt sophomore Dar Stanford cannot be ignored on the other side pulling down 46 balls for 524 yards and two touchdowns.  David Turner is one of the more dangerous return men in the league averaging 27.5 yards per kickoff return, including a 100-yard TD.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Ross Thompson tops the defense with 69 total tackles, while redshirt junior Demetrius Farmer has tallied 13.5 tackles for loss, including eight sacks.  Junior linebacker Tre McIntyre and fifth-year senior cornerback Billy Eakins both have three interceptions to their credit.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State has won the only two meetings against Ohio Dominican.  WSU won the 2011 matchup, 31-24, at ODU and the 2010 contest at Tom Adams Field by a 17-7 score.

THE EFFICIENT (AND EXPLOSIVE) ROMELLO BROWN
Romello Brown's 6.32 yards per carry for a career is the third-highest by any WSU player with at least 75 rushing attempts behind Gary Baillargeon, who averaged 7.29 (166-1,210) in 1951-52 and Vic Zucco (6.41 / 165-1,057) in 1953-54.  In addition, he is gaining 7.8 yards per carry this season, which ranks third all-time (min. 40 attempts).

RARE AIR FOR BRODBECK
Trent Brodbeck enters Saturday's game at Ohio Dominican, second in WSU history in receptions by a tight end with 60.  Joe Benke (1987-88) is the all-time leader among tight ends with 67 catches.  Additionally, Brodbeck was selected to the Allstate AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Good Works Team®, which recognizes football student-athletes for their community service efforts.  He is only the second player in school history (Alan Guy, 2007) to receive the honor.  He is featured in a two-page spread in the Oct. 3rd edition of ESPN The Magazine.  Also, Brodbeck was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's William Campbell Trophy.

QUARTERBACK WIN TOTALS
In baseball, the starting pitcher gets a win for going at least five innings so we thought we would take a look at the best win totals for WSU starting quarterbacks since 1972 (except 1980-83).  The same rules from baseball apply here -- the QB that was in when the winning points were scored received the decision.

1.  Mickey Mohner (2009-12), 30-15-0, .667
2.  Ed Skowneski (1972-75), 20-12-0, .625
3.  Jim Gendron (1976-78), 15-7-0, .682
4.  Donovan Zezula (2015-16), 13-6-0, .684
5.  Mark Friday (1991-93), 13-13-0, .500
6.  Richard Popp (1983-86), 8-15-1, .354
      Trent Pohl (2006-07), 8-10-0, .444
8.  Kevin Smith (2008), 7-2-0, .778
      Carl Roscoe (2012-15), 7-7-0, .500
      Anthony Frederick (1992, 94-95), 7-12-0, .368
      Michael Gluski (1994-95, 97-98), 7-16-0, .304

WINNING WHEN EXECUTING
Wayne State has won 15 of its last 17 games when rushing for over 200 yards.  The only setbacks when accomplishing the feat came at Ashland, where the Warriors ran for exactly 200 yards in a losing effort and last Saturday at Ferris State.  During the past four-plus seasons (2012-16), Wayne State is 25-6 when rushing for 200 yards including a 10-3 mark on the road.  Under Coach Winters, the Green & Gold are 44-15 under those parameters, including a 26-6 mark at home.

TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Since the start of the 2008 season, here are the most successful teams in the GLIAC in terms of conference victories:
Grand Valley State - 70
Ashland - 65
Ferris State - 55
Michigan Tech - 54
WAYNE STATE - 53
Saginaw Valley State - 50
Ohio Dominican - 45

WORTH NOTING
Wayne State had five rushing plays of at least 86 yards in the first 98 years of football, but the Warriors have two (both 86-yard touchdown runs) in the last seven games.  Romello Brown scampered 86 yards against Lake Erie, and Deiontae Nicholas' TD run against Findlay put WSU ahead 27-14.
Brown's 1,000-yard rushing season makes him the third running back in the Paul Winters' era to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons joining Joique Bell (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009) and Josh Renel (2010 and 2011).  WSU has had 11 1,000-yard rushers in the last 12 seasons (only 2012 and 2013 without a 1,000-yard rusher, but the Warriors had two in 2011).

Brown surpassed Hall of Famer Joe Gough (1991-94) for fourth place on the all-time rushing touchdowns chart with his score at FSU.  Brown has rushed for at least 145 yards in 10 of the last 14 games, including the final five contests of the 2015 campaign.

Jamel Hicks became the seventh player in school history with at least 100 career receptions with his first catch at Ferris State.

STREAKING WARRIORS
In eight of the last nine seasons (2008-16), WSU has had at least a four-game winning streak.  This year's Warriors had a six-game winning streak prior to last week.  Northwest Missouri State currently holds the longest winning streak at 24 games.

The six-game winning streak for the Warriors was the longest in program history since the 2010 and 2011 squads combined for 10 consecutive victories from October 23, 2010, through October 8, 2011.  The Tartars produced two seven-game winning streaks from Sept. 23, 1967, through Nov. 4, 1967, and Oct. 25, 1975, through Sept. 25, 1976.  The first six-game winning streak in program history was accomplished by the 1951-52 squads from Oct. 20, 1951, through Sept. 20, 1952.

CONSISTENT LEADER
Paul Winters is the second-longest tenured football coach in program history this fall with 13 seasons.  He passed the founder of WSU athletics David Holmes in 2014 at 11 seasons (1918-28).  Hall of Fame coach Joseph Gembis holds the WSU record with 14 seasons (1932-45).

LAST 100 GAMES
Wayne State has compiled at least a .500 season in eight of the last nine years (2008-16) combining for a 63-38 mark over the last 101 games.  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.

THE FRONT LINE
The running game has always been a calling card of Wayne State football and 2016 looks to be no different as the strongest units of the team appear to be its running backs and offensive line.  This year, WSU has rushed for 2,576 yards and a GLIAC-best 33 touchdowns.  This year's offensive line contingent has quality, versatility and depth.  The five projected starters have made 136 collegiate starts after the first nine games.  Leading the way are graduate student and captain Nate Theaker, fifth-year seniors Robert Kelly, Andrew Zimmerman and JT Pillars, along with junior Tommy Richardson.  Kelly leads the corps having started 39 times, while both Theaker and Richardson have 31 starts with Zimmerman (19) and Pillars (16) getting most of their starts a year ago and in 2016.

TOP 25 POLLS
Wayne State fell out of the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) top 25 poll and is now ranked 27th.  Three weeks ago, the Warriors were in the poll for the first time since the 2012 campaign (Oct. 8, 2012).  WSU is ranked 19th in the Massey Ratings, which compiles several types of data, including home field advantage, strength of schedule and strength of future schedule.

NCAA RANKINGS
The NCAA released its national statistics on Nov. 1st for Division II Football.  In terms of team rankings, WSU is fourth nationally in rushing offense (286.2).  In addition, the Warriors are also ranked in the top 20 nationally in the following categories:
7th in fourth-down conversion allowed (3-for-16)
11th in fumbles recovered (11)
12th in kickoff return average (24.84)
12th in red zone defense (.630)
14th in fewest passes had intercepted (5)
16th in passing yards per completion (15.15)
17th in kickoff return defense (17.33 yards per return allowed)

Romello Brown is third in both rushing yards (1,241) and rushing yards per game (137.9), fourth in yards per carry (7.81), 13th in rushing touchdowns with 14, and 38th in all-purpose yards per game (139.67).  Demetrius Stinson ranks 21st in rushing touchdowns with 12. Donovan Zezula is 13th in passing yards per completion (15.30), 16th in yards per pass attempt (9.03) and 29th in passing efficiency (151.5).

FIRST HALF DOMINATION
Wayne State has been at its best in the first 30 minutes of the game this season.  The Warriors are outscoring their opponents 107-28 in the first quarter and 199-79 during the first half.  However, on the other side of the coin, WSU is only outscoring its opponents 126-109 in the second half.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
WSU's remaining regular-season schedule is tied-for-ninth toughest in Division II.  The two opponents had a combined 15-3 for an .833 winning percentage.  In total, WSU has played the 16th hardest schedule in the country (.557), when combining past and future opponents.

GOING OUT IN STYLE
This year's senior class has produced three winning seasons and are 20-11 since the start of their redshirt sophomore season.  The 23 wins by this year's senior class is tied-for-ninth all-time with the classes of 1934-37, 1976-79 and 2006-09.  The 2008-11 contingent holds the school record with 35 wins.

TURNOVER MARGIN SUCCESS
Wayne State has improved in several areas from last season but perhaps the most important is in the turnover margin department.  The Warriors are +6 this season (17 takeaways and 11 giveaways) compared to a -9 mark in 2015 (23 giveaways and 14 takeaways).

WARRIORS IN NOVEMBER
The month of November has not been as kind to Wayne State as October.  Over the last eight seasons, the Warriors are 10-9 in the 11th month of the year.  WSU went 3-0 in 2014 and 2-0 in 2010, while compiling a 3-1 mark in 2011 and 1-1 marks in both 2008 and 2015.

A STRONG CONNECTION
QB to WR touchdown totals (Since 1991)
24 - Mickey Mohner to Troy Burrell
22 - Jason Charron to Pierre Brown
18 - Michael Gluski to Jimmy Hill
10 - Carl Roscoe to Michael Johnson
10 - Dan Gray to Pierre Brown
9 - Donovan Zezula to Jamel Hicks
9 - Dan Gray to Brandon Brown
9 - Richard Brown to Elbert Richmond
8 - Anthony Frederick to Nate Bush
7 - Randy Hutchison to Nick Body