GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State will be looking to bounce back after a 2-9 campaign in 2021. The Warriors collected victories over Davenport and Northwood last season. WSU will travel to No. 23-ranked Slippery Rock for the season opener on Sept. 3rd.
Saturday's game at Slippery Rock will be the first game in Pennsylvania for the WSU football team since the Warriors traveled to Mercyhurst on September 15, 2007. The host Lakers won that contest 58-50 in triple overtime despite Joique Bell scoring five touchdowns. He rushed for 227 yards and four scores, and also caught a five-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in regulation. The subsequent two-point conversion pass from Mickey Berce to Chris Alsina tied the game at 36.
The last time Wayne State opened a football season in Pennsylvania was 1999. WSU lost 49-35 at Mercyhurst.
This will be the fourth time that WSU and the Rock have played each other to start the season. In 1981, the Tartars won 14-13 at Michigan Stadium, while SRU won twice in Detroit in 2019 and 2021.
SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
The Rock had a strong 2021 season, going 9-3 and earning a bid to the Division II playoffs. Head coach Shawn Lutz will begin his seventh season (48-14) at the helm after winning PSAC West Division Coach of the Year honors in 2018 and 2019.
Tim Smith returns after leading Slippery Rock on the ground last year (672 yards), and Noah Grover will look to command the huddle at quarterback. Grover played in eight games last season, throwing for 1,760 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
At receiver, The Rock will be banking on younger guys to take steps forward, as last season's top three receivers are gone. On defense, SRU will have some experience, with two of the team's three leading tacklers (Selvin Haynes and Isaiah Manning) from last season returning.
ALL-TIME SERIES
After a victory in last season's game, Slippery Rock has a 3-2 advantage in the series. The 2021 match-up came down to the wire, but The Rock was able to get a fourth-down stop with under a minute to play, securing a 24-21 win. The first-ever contest between the two programs took place at The Big House (Michigan Stadium) in 1981 in front of 34,876 fans. WSU won that contest 14-13.
OPENING THE SEASON
Since Paul Winters took over prior to the 2004 season, Wayne State is 8-9 in season openers. This will be the first road opener for WSU since the Warriors traveled to Walsh in 2017. The Warriors are 3-4 in season-opening road games under Winters, but the Green and Gold have won the last two road openers (2016 at Northwood and 2017 at Walsh).
GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Ferris State (35 points, five first-place votes)
2. Grand Valley State (32 points, two first-place votes)
3. Michigan Tech (24 points)
4. Saginaw Valley State (22 points)
5. Northern Michigan (14 points)
6. Wayne State (12 points)
7. Davenport (8 points)
EARLY SEASON SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2008 season, WSU has a 33-23 record for games played in August and September. The Warriors are 30-28 in October during that same time period, 15-15 in November, and 2-1 in December.
HIGHEST SCORING SEASON OPENERS
99 points - #10-Slippery Rock 62, at Wayne State 37, Sept. 5, 2019
93 points - at #21-Wayne State 69, Urbana 24, Sept. 3, 2011
84 points - at Mercyhurst 49, Wayne State 35, Sept. 4, 1999
83 points - Indianapolis 43, at Wayne State 40, Sept. 1, 1990
83 points - at #17-Carson Newman 55, Wayne State 28, Sept. 5, 2013
HBCU VISITORS
The Shaw Bears visit Tom Adams Field on Sept. 10 for the first-ever football meeting between the schools. Shaw went 6-4 in 2021, including two three-game win streaks. The Bears allowed more than 14 points in a game just twice during the 2021 campaign. Shaw's trip to Detroit will mark the first visit by an HBCU school to Midtown Detroit since Central State traveled to the 313 in 1985.
PLAYING RANKED OPPONENTS
Wayne State is 12-35 against teams ranked inside the top 25 under Coach Winters (does not include forfeit by SVSU in 2005). The Warriors topped two ranked teams in 2019 - SVSU (#25) and GVSU (#19) - and also beat Ashland, who was ranked 27th when the teams met on Oct. 19, 2019. Prior to the 24-20 win over SVSU in 2019, WSU's last victory came on Sept. 13, 2014, against 13th-ranked Carson Newman at Tom Adams Field.
The Warriors will have plenty of chances in 2022 to gain some national attention, as they will play four teams that appeared in last season's Division II playoffs. WSU will square off against Slippery Rock to open the season before meeting Grand Valley State for a pair of games in September and November. The Green and Gold then conclude the regular season with a game against the defending National Champion Ferris State Bulldogs. Only three teams in the nation are playing more playoff teams this season.
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Though the overall record may indicate a lack of success, the Warriors displayed a potent offensive attack, which was on display in a 56-21 victory over Northwood on Oct. 30, 2021.
Then redshirt freshman running back Myren Harris etched his name in the WSU record book, toting the rock for an impressive 327 yards and four touchdowns on just 20 carries. The previous record was held by Toney Davis, who ran for 326 yards on Nov. 19, 2011, in an NCAA playoff victory at St. Cloud State. Harris is one of four players in Wayne State history to surpass 300 rushing yards in a game (Davis, Joique Bell and Randy Holmes).
KEY RETURNERS
Though the Warriors lose some talent from the 2021 squad, the Green and Gold aren't lacking playmakers for 2022. Myren Harris returns at running back after rushing for over 1,000 yards last season. Under center, WSU will return Josh Kulka, who threw for more than 500 yards and three touchdowns in just six quarters before a season-ending injury.
Defensively, four of the team's five leading tacklers from a season ago will again be on the field for Wayne State. Additionally, all four of the team's sack leaders return for another season. Led by star linebacker Julius Wilkerson (104 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss), the Warriors could see a drastic improvement in 2022.
WINTERS NAMES CAPTAINS
Head coach Paul Winters named the team's four captains prior to the team's scrimmage on August 20. Graduate student offensive lineman Cooper Kukal, redshirt-fifth year defensive lineman Sean Banaszak, redshirt senior linebacker Julius Wilkerson and redshirt junior cornerback Drake Reid were selected.
DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION
There are several ways fans 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. Veteran Detroit broadcaster Sean Baligian returns for his 14th season calling Warrior football. Former Warrior tailback and kick returner Josh Renel will again be joining Baligian in the booth. Renel provided color commentary for one game in 2012 and nearly every game for seven seasons (2013-21). In addition, former WSU defensive end Brady Beedon will fill-in for Renel on selected broadcasts and will also handle the Locker Room Report and Senior Spotlight features for WDTK.
The radio pre-game show will start 15 minutes before a road contest and 30 minutes prior to a home game.
The first two home games can be seen live on Comcast CN900 in the state of Michigan. Check your local listings for replay times. Joe Abramson returns for his 15th year on the Comcast broadcast and sixth as play-by-play announcer. Rod Beard enters his 11th year as a member of the WSU broadcast crew, while WWJ Afternoon Co-Anchor Tony Ortiz is starting his sixth year as a member of the broadcast crew. Kevin Brechmacher, who has served as the radio voice of Wayne State basketball the last seven seasons, will fill-in on the crew for selected games.
In addition, every home contest will be streamed via WSU All-Access at WSUAthletics.com. A 24-hour pass to watch home events is available for $5.95, a monthly pass will cost $9.95, and the yearly pass is being sold for $69.95.
