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Wayne State University Athletics

Truman State Preview Graphic

Football Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Football To Begin Four-Game Home Stand As Truman State Visits Motown

WSU to play its third-straight GLVC opponent this Saturday.

GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State fell 28-7 at Indianapolis last Saturday to fall to 1-2 on the season.  The Warriors will play their third and final GLVC opponent this Saturday as Truman State arrives to Detroit for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

WSU will look for some home-cooking in the upcoming month, with this weekend's contest being the first of four straight games at Tom Adams Field.  The Green and Gold will also welcome Concordia (Ann-Arbor) along with GLIAC rivals Michigan Tech and Davenport to town during the home stand.

The last time the Warriors won back-to-back home contests was the final two home games of the 2019 season with wins over Ashland (42-41 in 2OT) on October 19 and Michigan Tech (35-14) on November 9.

SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
The Bulldogs notched a 21-7 win over another GLIAC school in Saginaw Valley State on September 16 to improve to 3-0 on the young season.  The contest was the second time in three games that they held an opponent to 10 points or fewer.

Although Truman State ranks seventh in the eight-team GLVC in yards per game, the team still averages over 350 yards of offense.  The attack is led by quarterback Nolan Hair, a senior now in his third season as the starter for TSU.  He has thrown for four touchdowns and has completed 64.4% of his pass attempts (47-of-73).  The Truman State signal caller distributes the ball well, with 11 total receivers having caught a pass from Hair this season.

Hair has thrown his four scores to four different targets, including top wideout Tate Crane and top running back Mason Huskey.  Crane, a junior, caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown vs. the Cardinals.  The junior Huskey can be effective in both rushing and pass-catching, with four touchdowns (three on the ground and one in the air) thus far in 2023.

A few different defenders have made plays for the Bulldogs.  Linebacker Ulysses Ross IV and defensive back Ben Thomas share the team lead in tackles with 21, while also notching four pass break-ups apiece. Senior Isaiah Estes and junior Peyton Carr have the two interceptions for TSU.  Up front, defensive lineman Thomas Spaulding has recorded three tackles for loss, including an eight-yard sack.

TSU plays exceptionally disciplined football.  The team has been called for a penalty just eight times across three games for an average of 2.67 per game, which both rank second in all of Division II.  Their 25 penalty yards per game is third in DII.  Another battle to watch on Saturday will be the kick return game.  Truman State is seventh in the nation in kickoff return defense, allowing just 13.58 yards per kick.  The Warriors perform well on kickoffs, as the team is 40th in the country and second in the GLIAC with 24.67 yards per return.

Truman State received 32 votes in the latest edition of the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll.  The squad is led by Gregg Nesbitt, a veteran in his 14th season as head coach.  The Bulldogs are 83-57 (.593) under Nesbitt, including a 10-win season and two nine-win campaigns in the last four years.  He is the second-winningest coach in program history.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Truman State holds a slim 4-3 lead in the all-time series between the two programs.  The first four meetings were held between 1971 and 1975, when the university was known as Northeast Missouri State.  WSU and TSU split those four games, with the 41-7 win for the Tartars on October 11, 1975, being the last contest between the schools until 2015 (a 21-20 victory for the Warriors on September 12).

The Bulldogs have triumphed in the last two games – 35-12 in Kirksville on September 14, 2019, and 27-9 in Detroit on September 11, 2021, which was the first time the visitors from Kirksville, Mo. played at Adams Field since 2015.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Wayne State ranks third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (one this season for 0.33 per game), 26th in fewest penalties per game (5.67), 32nd in fewest penalties (17), 35th in rushing offense per game (187.7 yards), 40th in kickoff return average (24.67), 42nd in net punting (36.9 yards), 47th in team sacks (2.33 per game), and 52nd in red zone defense (.727).

Individually, Griffin Milovanski ranks 41st in field goal percentage (.667) and 57th in field goals per game (0.67); Manny Harris is 44th in kickoff returns (23.4 yards per return); Jaden Davis ranks 46th in sacks per game (2.5 sacks for 0.83 per game); Jeremy Taras is tied-for-51st in punting (38.8 yards per punt); and Elijah Fowlkes ranks 53rd in solo tackles (5.0 per game).

WHEATLEY'S FIRST WSU CAPTAINS
Prior to the season opener at SRU, coach Wheatley named his first captains' group as Wayne State head coach.  The two defensive captains are graduate student Drake Reid (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and redshirt senior Dalen Peeks (Akron, Ohio).  Offensive captains are graduate students Noah Nicklin (Davisburg, Mich.) and Chrishoun Roberts (Garfield Heights, Ohio), while redshirt junior Griffin Milovanski (Saugatuck, Mich.) represents the special teams unit.

THE CHALLENGING FUTURE
According to the NCAA, WSU is slated to play the third-toughest schedule the rest of the year in Division II as the future opponents have a combined 13-6 record (.684 winning percentage).  West Virginia State (.737) and Limestone (.696) have the two toughest schedules based on this metric.  WSU has the second most-difficult schedule, behind Chowan, based on cumulative opposition records (16-8, .667 winning percentage)

Wayne State's 11 opponents this year had an overall mark of 86-41 (.677) in 2022.  The Warriors played the toughest regular-season schedule in 2022 (.692 winning percentage with a 74-33 combined record).

Coach Wheatley and the Warriors have three more opponents nationally ranked via the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll in No. 1-Ferris State, No. 6-Grand Valley State, and No. 21-Davenport, while also battling a team that has received votes all season in Saginaw Valley State.

NEWCOMERS MAKING THEIR DEBUTS
Between the first three games of 2023, a total of 15 Warriors have made their collegiate debut, with another five making their WSU debuts.  The 15 were Tomi Bisiriyu, Devon Brown, Joe Clark, Jr., Nico Davis, Will Edwards, Dahmir Farnum, Ke'Waun Farnum, Maxx Fisher, Ethan Gates, Colby Horn, Brayden McKenna, Eli McLean, Nick Ostas, Quincy Salter, and Anthony Walk, Jr., with Buford, Davis, the Farnum brothers, and Walk, Jr. being true freshmen.  The five transfers to see action were Jaden Davis (Ellsworth C.C.), Gamon Howard, Jr. (Lincoln, Calif.), Jace Parrish (Northwood), Jayden Waddell (Davidson), and Carl Ware (Madonna).

McLEAN'S DUAL THREAT ABILITY
Graduate student quarterback Eli McLean has shown an ability to use both his arms and legs to support the Wayne State offense.  McLean led the team with 123 yards of total offense in the game at Indianapolis on a team-best 52 rushing yards along with 71 passing yards (8-of-15). 

He also threw his first career touchdown pass in the win over Missouri S&T on September 9, finding junior tight end Kaveon Ross open down the middle for a 32-yard touchdown strike.  The score was also the first career touchdown for Ross.  McLean has rushed for 70 yards and thrown for an additional 185 yards on 15-of-26 passing in his first three games of action for the Warriors.

WARREN'S BIG DAY
Junior receiver Te'Avion Warren notched his first career touchdown and 100-yard receiving effort in the win over Missouri S&T on September 9.  His first reception went for 36 yards on a third-and-five, which set up WSU's first TD of the game.  Warren's second catch went for 12 yards and led to the touchdown that snapped a 17-17 deadlock early in the fourth quarter.

On the first play after Darien Tipps-Clemons forced a fumble that was recovered by Donte Reed, graduate student Jayden Waddell found Warren again, this time behind the MST secondary for a 57-yard touchdown pass.  It was Warren's first career score and the play stood as the game-winning points after a Miners' late TD of their own.

Warren's 100-plus yard receiving effort (105 total) not only led the team but was also the first such performance by a Warrior since Trevonte Davis (244 yards) and Jesse Prewitt (135) each eclipsed the century mark in the 51-45 overtime setback at Missouri S&T on September 18, 2021.

RUNNING BACKS MAKING NOISE
The Warrior running back duo of redshirt sophomore D'Marco Singleton and redshirt senior Kendall Williams have each had success to begin the new campaign.

Singleton shined bright in the triumph vs. Missouri S&T on September 9, scoring on a 68-yard jaunt down the sideline for his first career touchdown just before intermission.  The rush was the longest play of the day for either side and helped Singleton post a game-best 98 yards on the ground.  He also leads the team with 145 rushing yards through two games.

Williams' 22-yard run on the second play from scrimmage against the Miners officially put him over 1,000 rushing yards for his career, a feat done by only 36 others in the 105-year history of WSU football.

MILOVANSKI'S MILESTONES
Kicker Griffin Milovanski has connected on all seven extra point attempts (2-of-2 at Slippery Rock, 4-of-4 vs. Missouri S&T, and 1-of-1 against Indianapolis) to begin the new season.  The successful tries extended his streak to 33 consecutive made PATs, the fourth-longest streak in program history.  The redshirt junior's run of made kicks dates back to the 2021 season finale at Ferris State on November 13. 

By kicking a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter vs. Missouri S&T, Milovanski became the seventh place-kicker in school history (105th season) with 100 career points.

WEEKLY WITH WHEATLEY
Join head football coach Tyrone Wheatley and Brady Beedon each Wednesday at Woodridge Pub prior to a home football Saturday for the Weekly with Wheatley podcast.  The remaining shows will be taped on Sept. 20, Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11, and Nov. 1.  A different assistant coach will join Wheatley and Beedon each week.

The podcast will be added to the Wayne State athletics website every Friday morning for those unable to be at Woodbridge that week.

GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1.  Ferris State (34 points, five first-place votes)
2.  Grand Valley State (31 points, one first-place vote)
3.  Davenport (27 points, one first-place vote)
4.  Saginaw Valley State (21 points)
5.  Michigan Tech (16 points)
6.  Wayne State (10 points)
7.  Northern Michigan (8 points)

DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION
For the 22nd 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 is in his 15th season calling Warrior football.  Former Warrior defensive end Brady Beedon is in for his third season and will serve as the color analyst for nine games and handle the Locker Room Report and Senior Spotlight features for WDTK.  WSU Hall of Fame tailback and kick returner Josh Renel will join Baligian in the booth for a pair of home contests.  Renel provided color commentary for one game in 2012 and nearly every game for nine seasons (2013-22).  In addition, WWJ Afternoon Anchor Tony Ortiz will serve as the sideline commentator during the six home broadcasts.  Ortiz previously served as the sideline reporter for the Comcast CN900 broadcasts of WSU football from 2016 through 2022.
 
The radio pre-game show will start 15 minutes before a road contest and 30 minutes prior to a home game.

New for the 2023 football season, all Wayne State University football games will be streamed via FloSports.  The games will be produced via The PreP in a partnership between the two entities.  The stream will simulcast the radio call of each home football contest.

 
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Players Mentioned

Tomi Bisiriyu

#77 Tomi Bisiriyu

T
6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
Devon Brown

#32 Devon Brown

CB
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
Joe Clark, Jr.

#90 Joe Clark, Jr.

DE
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Will Edwards

#62 Will Edwards

G/C
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Maxx Fisher

#27 Maxx Fisher

H/P/PK
5' 11"
Senior
Elijah Fowlkes

#2 Elijah Fowlkes

CB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Ethan Gates

#76 Ethan Gates

T
6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Manny Harris

#1 Manny Harris

WR
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Colby Horn

#55 Colby Horn

DE
6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Gamon Howard, Jr.

#6 Gamon Howard, Jr.

CB
6' 1"
Redshirt Fifth Year

Players Mentioned

Tomi Bisiriyu

#77 Tomi Bisiriyu

6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
T
Devon Brown

#32 Devon Brown

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
CB
Joe Clark, Jr.

#90 Joe Clark, Jr.

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
DE
Will Edwards

#62 Will Edwards

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
G/C
Maxx Fisher

#27 Maxx Fisher

5' 11"
Senior
H/P/PK
Elijah Fowlkes

#2 Elijah Fowlkes

5' 10"
Sophomore
CB
Ethan Gates

#76 Ethan Gates

6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
T
Manny Harris

#1 Manny Harris

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
WR
Colby Horn

#55 Colby Horn

6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
DE
Gamon Howard, Jr.

#6 Gamon Howard, Jr.

6' 1"
Redshirt Fifth Year
CB