GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State will play the third of three consecutive non-GLIAC games on Saturday afternoon at Quincy.  It will be the second-longest road trip of the season (565), behind the 615 miles one-way to Truman State and topping the 457 miles for a week five contest at Northern Michigan.  The Warriors are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2005, when Wayne State started the campaign 0-5.
 

SCOUTING QUINCY
Quincy won each of its first two games on the road before opening its home slate this Saturday against WSU.  The Hawks topped Central State 38-8 and Kentucky Wesleyan 34-16.  Head coach Gary Bass is in third season as the top man on the QU staff and ninth season overall with the program.
 

Quincy was predicted to finish sixth in the GLVC and is led offensively by senior quarterback Andrew Rund, who has thrown for 558 yards and four touchdowns.  Redshirt freshman Jalen Griffin has found the end zone three times on the ground and has accounted for 218 rushing yards.  Sophomore Marlin Washington has eight catches for 115 yards and two scores, while senior Carlton Stamp has 113 yards on seven catches, including a touchdown.
 

Sophomore linebacker Peyten Chappel has a team-best 18 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, while senior linebacker Sam Mock has 15 total tackles with 2.5 of those being for loss.  Sophomore linebacker Marvin Harris and sophomore cornerback Nathaniel Reese both have two interceptions through the first two games.
 

As a team, QU is scoring 36.0 points per game and allowing opponents to put up an average of 12.0 points per contest.

ALL-TIME SERIES
This will be the first-ever meeting between Wayne State and Quincy.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In terms of who Wayne State has played and will play, the Warriors' schedule is tied for the toughest in Division II with Western New Mexico.  Both team's opponents have posted a .789 winning percentage so far in 2019.  The remaining schedule for WSU ranks third nationally (.765).

SEPTEMBER BLUES
Wayne State has lost its last eight games in September (had a 2018 win in August).  The Warriors last victory in the month of September was a 41-31 victory over Saginaw Valley State on Sept. 16, 2017.
 

WSU will try to end a five-game losing streak (last triumph was 55-21 over Northwood on Oct. 20, 2018), as well as a six-game road losing streak (last road victory was 34-27 in overtime at Davenport on Nov. 11, 2017). 
 

LAST TIME OUT
In what was an eerily similar start from the season-opener, Wayne State allowed Truman State to score the first 35 points of the game.  The Warriors finally broke through with a James Hill touchdown late in the third quarter and added another rushing TD from King Sanders near the end of the contest.
 

Dakota Kupp started at quarterback and went 7-for-18 for 41 yards through the air and led the team in rushing yards (103), while Jake AmRhein finished with 100 yards on 8-of-9 passing.  Darece Roberson, Jr, caught seven passes for 83 yards.  Leon Eggelston led the defense with 11 total tackles, including two for a loss.
 

LONG SCORING DRIVES
Wayne State had a 92-yard touchdown drive at Truman State.  It was the longest TD drive since an 11-play, 94-yard touchdown drive at Michigan Tech last season.  The following week, WSU had a 14-play, 90-yard TD drive vs. Northwood.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
Wayne State has been outscored 76-14 in the first half, including 24-0 in the opening stanza.  By contrast, WSU has won the second half scoring battle 35-21, including 13-0 in the final period.

FINDING PAYDIRT
James Hill found the end zone on the ground for the seventh straight game last week.  That puts him in elite company with the other great running backs over the last 40 years.

13 - Joique Bell 2008-09
13 - Joique Bell - 2006-07
9 - Romello Brown - 2016
8 - Toney Davis - 2011
7 - James Hill - 2018-present
7 - Demetrius Stinson - 2016
7 - Toney Davis - 2012
7 - Josh Renel - 2010-11
7 - Joique Bell - 2006
7 - Joe Gough - 1993-94
6 - Romello Brown - 2015-16
6 - Josh Renel - 2011
5 - Craig Duppong - 2003
5 - Victor Chenault - 1986

PITTMAN MAKING AN IMPRESSION
One of the leaders of the defense, during his time at Wayne State was linebacker Anthony Pittman.  He made a strong case to earn a roster spot with the Detroit Lions when the team broke camp, but joined the practice squad to begin the season.  In the August 23rd exhibition game, Pittman led all Lions with 48 snaps from scrimmage.  He also saw action on nine special teams plays.  The week before in Houston, Pittman saw action in 60 plays (47 defense, 13 ST) recording three tackles and a quarterback hit.  In Detroit's final pre-season game in which Pittman started and made three tackles, he saw action on 66 plays on defense and 13 on special teams.

A DOZEN DEBUTS
Of the 50 players who saw action for the Warriors vs. 10th-ranked Slippery Rock, 12 were making their collegiate debut (Lukas Cusac, Nolan Kimmey, Daniel Knight, Steven Mason, Niko Mosley, Noah Nicklin, Dalen Peeks, King Sanders, Niccolò Seilo, Ian Sharp, Troy Vinson, and Julius Wilkerson).  Cusac, Peeks, Seilo and Vinson are true freshmen.  Two others made their WSU debut -- Charles Ellington (Malone) and Landin Mitchell (Davenport).  Two more Warriors made their collegiate debut in the Truman State contest - true freshman wide receiver Trevonte Davis and true freshman cornerback Koriante Moore.  Both Davis and Moore prepped at Flint Hamady High School.

OPTIONS IN THE BACKFIELD
Coach Winters has to be happy when he looks into the running back room and sees three running backs in their final year of eligibility led by James Hill, DeOntay Moffett and Deiontae Nicholas.  The trio enter week three with 2,589 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns along with a 6.25 yards per carry average.  In addition, the three seniors have a joint 870 receiving yards giving the contingent 3,459 yards from scrimmage in their collegiate careers prior to the Quincy contest. 

GOOD TO MEET YOU
The WSU and Slippery Rock game was the first meeting of those two programs since 1986.  Last week saw the Warriors first trip to Kirksville, Mo., since Oct. 11, 1975, when the Tartars posted a 41-7 triumph.  This week's match-up with Quincy will be the first football meeting between the schools.
 

Wayne University has played only one opponent whose name began with a Q in the first 101 years of football.  WU lost 7-0 at Quantico Marines (Quantico, Va.) in 1948, followed by a 33-14 setback at home the following year.

WSU IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Warriors rank in the top 50 nationally in several statistical categories.  Wayne State fifth in blocked kicks (2), 32nd in fewest penalties per game (5.50), 34th in both punt return average (13.50) and fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (4.50), and 41st in rushing offense (206.5 yards per game).
 

Kyle Lewis lead the GLIAC and ranks 18th nationally with 176 kickoff return yards and.  His 25.1 yards per kickoff return ranks 38th.  James Hill is tied for the league scoring lead and is seventh in DII at 12.0 PPG.  He also ranks second in the country with four rushing touchdowns and is fifth with four total TDs.  Darece Roberson, Jr. ranks 43rd nationally in  receiving yards (181) and yards per game (90.5).

A MATURING OFFENSIVE LINE
No matter the number of starters returning or the student-athletes graduating and participating in professional training camps, the WSU offensive line continues to be a strength of the program.  The Warriors returned two veteran starters in junior guard Lane Potter (24 starts) and senior center Charlie Younger (17 starts).  Other returnees on the O-Line include center Reid Thompson (seven starts) and guard Adam McJunkin (five starts).  In addition, tackle Landin Mitchell has started the first two games of 2019 after making nine starts on the offensive line in 2017 for Davenport.

CONSISTENT LEADER
Paul Winters became the longest tenured football coach in program history in 2018 and is in his 16th season at the helm of the Warriors in 2019.  Winters surpassed Hall of Fame coach Joseph Gembis, who held the post for 14 seasons (1932-45).  Winters is tied-for-30th among all active DII football head coaches with 83 wins.  He is tied with Arne Ferguson (Western Oregon) and Victor Santa Cruz (Azusa Pacific).
 

WINNING WHEN EXECUTING
Wayne State has won 23 of its last 30 games when rushing for over 200 yards, including the 2018 season-opener over Walsh, where the Warriors totaled 237 yards on the ground and vs. Northwood when WSU rushed for 399 yards.  The first three setbacks when accomplishing the feat came in 2016 -- at Ashland, where the Warriors ran for exactly 200 yards in a losing effort; at Ferris State and at Ohio Dominican when WSU ran for 242 yards.
 

WSU ran for 248 yards in the 2019 season-opening loss to Slippery Rock.  During the last eight-plus seasons (2011-19), Wayne State is 33-11 when rushing for 200 yards, including a 13-8 mark on the road.  Under Coach Winters, the Green & Gold are 52-20 under those parameters, including a 33-6 mark at home. 

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
The 509 yards of total offense by the Warriors against Slippery Rock were the most since the October 1, 2016, Homecoming contest vs. Hillsdale when WSU totaled 514 yards (250 rushing, 264 passing).
 

The 99 points scored by the two teams combined were the most involving the Warriors since WSU posted a 56-54 triumph over Lake Erie on November 7, 2015.
 

Both teams garnered over 500 yards of total offense, marking the first such game since the aforementioned 56-54 contest, when WSU totaled 593 yards and the Storm had 509 yards of total offense.
 

900TH GAME
Wayne State played its 900th football game on Oct 13, 2018.  The first contest was a 41-0 win on October 6, 1918, at Assumption (Ont.) College (became Assumption University in 1956).  The record by school names is Detroit Junior College (24-12-6), College of the City of Detroit (24-57-5). Wayne University (70-86-11) and WSU (261-342-7).
 

PLAYING RANKED OPPONENTS
Wayne State is 9-31 against teams ranked inside the top 25 under Coach Winters (does not include forfeit by SVSU in 2005).  WSU's last victory came on Sept. 13, 2014, against 13th-ranked Carson Newman at Tom Adams Field.
 

DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION
There are several ways you can watch or listen to Wayne State Football this season.  Every contest can be heard live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM) or online at PatriotDetroit.com.  Every home game can be seen live on Comcast CN900 in the state of Michigan.  In addition, every home clash will be streamed via pay-per-view on WSU All-Access at WSUAthletics.com.  CN900 will show replays of the SRU contest on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. and Thursday at 8:00 a.m.