This is the final game of the regular season.

Football 11/11/2022 8:45:00 AM Zachary Manning, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Football Concludes Season with Game Against Ferris State

The game kicks off at 1 PM.

GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State will close out its 2022 season with Saturday's home contest against the sixth-ranked and defending national champion Ferris State Bulldogs.

The Warriors have lost seven straight contests, while FSU's lone setback this season was to top-ranked Grand Valley State (22-21 on October 15). WSU has lost four of its last five games by one score.

SCOUTING FERRIS STATE
Ferris State has proven to be one of the premier teams not only in the GLIAC, but in the nation. The Bulldogs average better than 440 yards of offense per game and score 37.3 points per contest.

FSU has used four quarterbacks this year with Evan Cummins and Mylik Mitchell attempting the most passes. Cummins leads in passing yards (704) and passing touchdowns (6), while both signal callers have completed 46 passes. Mitchell has completed a team-best 62 percent of his passes (46-of-74) for 696 yards.

In the running game, signal caller Carson Gulker has rushed for a team-high 549 yards and 19 touchdowns, while playing in all nine games. Marcus Taylor has added 360 yards and a pair of scores.

In the passing game, Tyrese Hunt-Thompson and CJ Jefferson have each surpassed 400 receiving yards this season. Hunt-Thompson has 498 yards and four touchdowns, while Jefferson has contributed 412 yards and two scores.

On defense, Ferris State has perhaps the best defensive player in college football. Caleb Murphy has been a menace on the edge for the Bulldogs, as he has tallied 61 tackles, including 25.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He's also forced two fumbles in nine games this season.

Olalere Oladipo is another solid option up front for the Bulldogs. He has contributed six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks among his 15 stops. In the defensive backfield, Vincent Cooley has three interceptions in just five games played this season. Sidney McCloud has tallied two interceptions and six pass break-ups.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Ferris State holds a 31-22 edge all-time, thanks in large part to a recent stretch of dominance against the Warriors. The Bulldogs have won seven straight games against Wayne State, with the Warriors' last victory being a 45-7 triumph in 2009.

Wayne State is 13-15 at home against FSU, and Paul Winters has collected a 2-9 record against the Bulldogs.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Wayne State's strength of schedule for games played is second nationally at .688 (53-24). The future SOS is tied-for-seventh at .889 (8-1). The season SOS is first at .709 (61-25). The GLIAC has four teams in the top six of NCAA Division 2 in terms of season SOS. Trailing the Warriors are Michigan Tech (No. 2 / .649), Ferris State (No. 3 / .633) and Davenport (No. 6 / .584).

WILKERSON NAMED A FINALIST
Redshirt senior linebacker Julius Wilkerson has been selected as one of 15 national finalists for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy.

The William V. Campbell Trophy is presented annually to the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. Wilkerson is the first WSU football player in 104 years to be honored as a finalist. In addition, he is just the fourth GLIAC football student-athlete to be recognized joining Ferris State's Mike Klobucher (2006), FSU's Jason Vander Laan (2015) and Grand Valley State's Tyler Bradfield (2020).

Wilkerson, who will be completing his bachelor's degree in Psychology in December, hopes to earn a master's degree in Social Work. Each of the 15 finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.

CLOSE BUT NOT ENOUGH
Despite the incredibly tough strength of schedule, Wayne State has remained competitive in many games this season. Of the eight losses this season, five have come by one score. Furthermore, Wayne State has led in each of those five games. In three of the last four games, the opponent has scored with under a minute left to claim the lead and eventually go on to win the game.

OPTIONS IN THE BACKFIELD
Coach Winters has to be happy when he looks into the running back room and sees a pair of consistent performers. Myren Harris and Kendall Williams both rank in the top four in the GLIAC in terms of rushing yards per game. On the season, the duo has combined for 1,267 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 41 catches for 470 yards in the passing game.

Williams and Harris are third and fourth, respectively in rushing yards per game and with six touchdowns apiece, they are tied-for-fifth in the entire league in rushing scores.

BUSCHMAN CREATING HAVOC FOR OPPOSING OFFENSES
Graduate student linebacker Matt Buschman leads the Warriors in sacks (3), quarterback hurries (4), fumble recoveries (4) and forced fumbles (2). He also second on the team in total tackles (54) and tackles for loss (5.5).

Buschman leads the GLIAC and is tied-for-first nationally with four fumble recoveries. His four pass break-ups are the most of any non-defensive back on the roster.

WARRIORS MAKING NATIONAL NOISE
Statistically, Wayne State is among the nation's leaders in several areas. With 10 fumble recoveries, the Warriors are second in the GLIAC and 19th nationally in that category.

Individually, Kendall Williams has been making an impact all over the field, as he ranks second in the GLIAC and sixth nationally in all-purpose yards per game (163.00).

Griffin Milovanski has made the longest field goal in the GLIAC this year (48 yards), and is the only place-kicker making 100 percent (23-of-23) of his PAT attempts. His field goal percentage (73% - 8-of-11) ranks second in the conference.

In terms of career rankings, Myren Harris is 12th among active players in Division II (43rd among all three divisions) in rushing yards per game (91.4). Harris is also 33rd in D2 in all-purpose yards per game (106.44), while Williams is 31st (107.47).

Julius Wilkerson is 35th in Division II with 7.20 tackles per game. Milovanski is tied-for-12th in career field goal percentage (.789 / 15- of-19) and 38th in field goals made per game (0.83).

KULKA'S KEEPER
Quarterback Josh Kulka had five rushing attempts versus Grand Valley State (9/24), but his most impressive rush was a 33-yard touchdown scamper midway through the third quarter.

The score was the first rushing touchdown by a Warrior signal caller in over a year. The last rushing score by a quarterback for WSU came from Jake AmRhein on Sept. 11, 2021, against Truman State.

Additionally, the last 30-plus yard rush by a quarterback was in September of 2019, as Dakota Kupp took off for 39 yards at Truman State.

Touchdown wise, Kulka's rushing score was the longest by a Warrior quarterback since Doug Griffin's 54-yard touchdown rush at Northern Michigan on Oct. 26, 2013.

MORE MILOVANSKI
After making 7-of-8 field goal attempts in 2021, sophomore Griffin Milovanski has been a weapon for the Wayne State offense in 2022. He connected on a 36-yard field goal attempt at Slippery Rock and drilled three more against Shaw to earn GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Along with field goals of 27 and 28 yards against the Bears, Milovanski connected on a 48-yard field goal, which is tied for the ninth longest made field goal in Wayne State history.

His third field goal of the night against Shaw marked the first time since November 4, 2017, (Paul Graham vs. Northern Michigan) that a WSU kicker made at least three field goals in a game (Graham made four in a 26-24 triumph over the Wildcats).

Milovanski connected on a 37-yard field goal attempt vs. GVSU, and followed with a 37-yard make against Northern Michigan. The pressure didn't get to Milovanski at Michigan Tech, as the young kicker nailed a pair of field goals to help the Warriors stay in the game against the Huskies. Both of his makes were from 24 yards out. His first field goal gave the Warriors a 10-7 advantage, while his second make of the day extended the Warriors' lead to 34-28 in the fourth quarter.

Milovanski has made 15 career field goals, which puts him in eighth place in school history.

DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION
There are several ways fans can watch or listen to Wayne State Football this Saturday. The FSU contest can be heard live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM) or online at PatriotDetroit.com. Veteran Detroit broadcaster Sean Baligian is in his 14th season calling Warrior football.

WSU Hall of Fame tailback and kick returner Josh Renel will again be joining Baligian in the booth. In addition, former Warrior defensive end Brady Beedon will handle the Locker Room Report and Senior Spotlight features for WDTK.

The radio pre-game show will start 30 minutes prior to Saturday's game.

In addition, Saturday's contest will be streamed via WSU All-Access at WSUAthletics.com. A 24-hour pass to watch the game is available for $5.95.

The All-Access Broadcast crew consists of Joe Abramson, Rod Beard and Tony Ortiz. Abramson is in his 15th year calling WSU games and seventh as play-by-play announcer. Beard is in his 11th year, while WWJ Afternoon Co-Anchor Tony Ortiz is in his sixth year as a member of the broadcast crew.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#7 Myren Harris: RB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

#12 Josh Kulka: QB/H; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

#38 Griffin Milovanski: PK/P; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

#52 Julius Wilkerson: MLB; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#4 Kendall Williams: RB; 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#54 Matt Buschman: OLB; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#7 Myren Harris
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore
: RB

#12 Josh Kulka
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: QB/H

#38 Griffin Milovanski
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: PK/P

#52 Julius Wilkerson
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: MLB

#4 Kendall Williams
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: RB

#54 Matt Buschman
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: OLB