HOUGHTON, Mich. -- The Wayne State University football team (1-5 overall, 0-2 GLIAC) suffered a heart-wrenching 35-34 defeat at Michigan Tech (2-4 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon after leading nearly the entire second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Huskies struck first as Braxton Blackwell had a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown on the third play of scrimmage in the game giving MTU a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the contest.

The Warriors answered back with an eight-play drive covering 76 yards in 2:39 as sophomore running back Myren Harris (Clinton Twp., Mich. / Chippewa Valley) scored on a seven-yard scamper up the middle.  Sophomore quarterback Josh Kulka (Clinton Twp., Mich. / Chippewa Valley) and junior Kendall Williams (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Farmington) teamed up for an 11-yard completion on third-and-nine, and then Harris rambled 34 yards on the next play.  Williams had a 13-yard reception later in the drive.  The PAT by sophomore Griffin Milovanski (Saugatuck, Mich.) knotted the game at 7-7 with 11:15 remaining in the opening stanza.

Michigan Tech mishandled the ensuing kickoff with the Warriors recovering at the Huskie 30.  Freshman wideout Dion Brown, Jr. (Davison, Mich.) had a 17-yard catch, but an unnecessary roughness penalty on WSU led to a 24-yard field goal by Milovanski.

Each team punted on their next possession.

Second Quarter
MTU regained the lead with a nine-play, 65-yard drive which culminated in a five-yard touchdown pass from Will Ark to Luke Terrian on the second play of the second period.

After each team punted on their next possessions, the WSU offense was stopped on fourth-and-one at the Huskie 44, but on the very next play, sophomore linebacker Michael Smith (Lansing, Ill. / Thornton Fractional South) forced a fumble, which was recovered by junior defensive tackle Damond Duncan (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / Lakeview).

Wayne State took advantage of the outstanding field position, and tallied the go-ahead touchdown in six plays as Myren Harris went nine yards for the score.  Brown had a 10-yard reception on third-and-seven, and Harris went for 16 yards on the very next play.

WSU led 17-14 at intermission.

Third Quarter
Michigan Tech took the second half kickoff and drove to the WSU eight-yard line before a fumble was recovered by graduate student Matt Buschman (Brighton, Mich.).

It took Wayne State just 2:11 to go 85 yards in five plays.  Harris had runs of 18 and 43 yards, while Williams finished the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run.  Milovanski's PAT increased the Warrior lead to 24-14.

The Huskies responded with a three-play 63-yard touchdown drive as Ark found Brandon Michalak behind the Warrior secondary for a 59-yard touchdown pass with 6:27 remaining in the third period.

WSU drove into the red zone thanks to a 33-yard run by Williams, but Kulka was intercepted at the Huskie five.

Fourth Quarter
Following a Michigan Tech punt on the second play of the final period, Wayne State went 70 yards in six plays to take a 31-21 lead.  Big plays on the drive were a 17-yard run by Williams, a 10-yard scramble by Kulka, and Williams going the final 48 yards on fourth-and-three.

The Huskies wasted little time in cutting into the Warrior lead, as Ark found Darius Willis in the left flat and he proceeded to out-run the WSU defense for a 79-yard touchdown pass play.

Wayne State extended its lead to 34-28 on the ensuing drive.  Myren Harris began the possession with a 43-yard run to the MTU 12.  Three more Harris carries netted five yards total, leading to a 24-yard field goal by Milovanski.

Michigan Tech drove to its own 45 but a fourth-down pass was broken up by junior Drake Reid (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester).

However, the Warrior offense garnered nine yards in three plays leading to a fourth-and-one decision with around 2:30 remaining.  Myren Harris was stopped for no gain giving MTU the ball at its own 36 with 2:22 left.

After an incompletion, Ark and Willis combined for a 13-yard pass.  On third-and-one from the WSU 42, William Marano gained one yard before the Ark-Willis tandem had a 10-yard pass play.  On second-and-10, Marano caught an Ark pass and went for 14 yards to the WSU 17 with 47 seconds left.  Ark then scrambled to the WSU one-yard line, where he scored on a keeper on the next play with 27 seconds remaining.

Myren Harris had a solid kickoff return to the WSU 43, then caught a nine-yard pass from Kulka.  Kulka was tackled near the line of scrimmage on the next play and WSU was unable to get another play.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State had a 504-410 advantage in total offense, which included 414 yards on the ground, which is tied for sixth most rushing yards in a game in school history.  The Huskies had a 340-90 edge in passing yards.  Each team had three turnovers in the contest.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Myren Harris rushed for 295 yards on 36 carries with two touchdowns.  The rushing yard total was the sixth-highest in program history.  Williams contributed 121 rushing yards on 11 attempts.  Kulka was 9-of-16 for 90 yards with two interceptions.

LEADING THE HUSKIES
Marano rushed for 31 yards, while Ark added 30 yards on the ground.  Ark was 22-of-31 for 340 yards and three touchdowns.  Willis had nine receptions for 183 yards and a score.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will play at Davenport next Saturday (Oct. 15) with a noon kickoff.