GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University football squad will begin its 2024 campaign with a Thursday (Sept. 5) contest at Tiffin University. This year's match-up will be the 12th all-time meeting between the Warriors and the Dragons, and the first since 2018.
The Warriors will be looking to improve upon last season's 3-8 record under second-year head coach
Tyrone Wheatley. WSU's three wins in 2023 came against Missouri S&T, Michigan Tech, and Northern Michigan.
The road game at Tiffin marks the third consecutive year WSU has started the season on the road after having played at Slippery Rock in both 2022 and 2023.
SCOUTING TIFFIN
The Dragons had another successful 2023 campaign, posting an impressive 11-1 record with their only loss coming in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs to Slippery Rock. Last season was the eighth straight year in which TU finished above .500 (63-21 from 2016-2023).
Tiffin is led by first-year head coach Brett Ekkens. Prior to his arrival at TU, Ekkens served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Saginaw Valley State.
After splitting time with graduate senior and First Team ALL-G-MAC selection Kason Martin, redshirt junior signal caller Keegan Ray is looking to step into the full-time starter role. In 2023, Ray saw action in eight games, including the team's 45-35 loss to Slippery Rock in the second round of the NCAA post-season. Against The Rock, Ray completed 26-of-39 for 333 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. On the season, Ray threw for 1,064 yards going 76-of-115 (66%) with eight scores to only two picks.
Ronald Blackman will be returning for his junior season after an impressive 2023 campaign in which he rushed for 790 yards and seven touchdowns. The junior also caught 10 passes for 125 yards and one score. Blackman was voted First Team All-G-MAC for his success in 2023.
Senior receiver Jalen Thomas is back for the Dragons after another strong year. Thomas has racked up 1,390 receiving yards in his career thus far and is poised to be another reliable target in 2024.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State holds a 7-4 lead in the all-time series, but Tiffin has claimed the past two match-ups and four of the last five meetings. In the most recent meeting in 2018, Tiffin came out on top 27-13. The Warriors prevailed in the first meeting, defeating the Dragons 41-6 in 1986.
WSU has a 3-2 all-time mark at Tiffin having won the first three meetings - 23-2 in 1987, 38-8 in 2009 and 63014 in 2010. TU has claimed the last two contests in Ohio - 31-7 in 2015, and 41-21 in 2017.
WSU has lost its last four season-openers since a 31-0 triumph over visiting Walsh on August 30, 2018.
EARLY SEASON SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2008 season, WSU has a 35-30 record for games played in August and September. The Warriors are 32-34 in October during that same time period, 15-19 in November and 2-1 in December.
GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Ferris State (46 points, four first-place votes)
2. Grand Valley State (44 points, three first-place vote)
3. Davenport (38 points, one first-place vote)
4. Saginaw Valley State (30 points)
5. Michigan Tech (26 points)
6. Wayne State (20 points)
7. Northern Michigan (13 points)
8. Roosevelt (7 Points)
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
VETERAN OFFENSIVE LINE CONTINGENT
Arguably the most experienced position group for the Warriors in 2024 will be the offensive line with two returning starters in redshirt junior
Aidan Tweedy (12 career starts, including the last 11 games at center) and redshirt senior
Charles Wesley (15 career starts from three different spots). Another five student-athletes who have started games also return in redshirt sophomore
Tomi Bisiriyu (two starts at left tackle); redshirt sophomore
Will Edwards (three starts at right guard); redshirt sophomore
Ethan Gates (one start at right tackle); redshirt junior
Owen Salingue (one start at right guard); and redshirt senior
Tyler Schompert (12 career starts).
Tweedy was a Second Team All-GLIAC selection in 2023 and was very durable as he saw action on every offensive play in eight games a season ago. Wesley was named WSU's Offensive Most Valuable Player last fall, while earning Honorable Mention All-GLIAC recognition. He is WSU's nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team (based on community service) this fall.
The five additional offensive linemen that have started boosted the number of career starts for this group to 46. Schompert is the most veteran of this group with action in 19 contests and starting at both left tackle (nine times) and left guard (three). Salingue enters his fourth year in the program, while Bisiriyu, Edwards and Gates all begin their third year with the Warriors.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
After a 2023 season that saw Wayne State play the toughest schedule in Division II, according to the NCAA, the Warriors will face another challenging task in 2024. Of the 11 teams that the Warriors will compete against this fall, 10 finished the 2023 season at or above .500. In all, WSU's opponents had a combined record of 80-41 (.661).
Wayne state will cross paths with three teams that appear on the preseason top 25 poll, those being Ferris State (No. 3), Grand Valley State (No. 4), and Indianapolis (No. 16). The Warriors will also face three teams that have been pegged to win their conferences, the aforementioned Indianapolis and Ferris State of the GLVC and GLIAC respectively, along with Findlay representing the G-MAC.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
WSU currently has three sets of brothers:
Plus there are four younger brothers of former Warriors in
Ben Griskie (older brother Jackson was a kicker),
Aaron Mass (older brother Jacob was also a defensive end),
Gabe Mendoza (older brother Manny was a wide receiver), and
Mekhi Battle (older brother Tiroca was also on the defensive line).
Jeremiah Sterling and
Jordan Bell are cousins as Jordan's dad Joique and Jeremiah's mother Ambie are brother-sister.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver
Tyler Swick is the younger brother of defensive graduate assistant coach
Trey Swick.
PUNTING AWAY
Graduate student punter
Jeremy Taras is currently fifth in program history in punting average (38.02 / min. 26 punts) after a solid 2023 campaign in which he averaged 38.1 yards per punt on 47 attempts. He had five punts over 50 yards and eight Inside the 20 with 11 being fair caught.
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING
Wayne State has just 30 returning letterwinners from 2023 (including 2022 if missed all of last year due to injury). As mentioned previously, place-kicker
Griffin Milovanski is the lone three-year WSU letterwinner on the squad. There are nine two-year letterwinners and 20 student-athletes with one letter for the Warriors.
WARRIORS BY THE NUMBERS
Of the 115 players currently on the roster, 86 came directly from high school, 17 played at another four-year college, 10 played at a junior college, and two attended another four-year school but did not see any playing time.
Football student-athletes represent 12 states with a majority (88) coming from Michigan. The other states include Ohio (7), Illinois (5), California (3), Virginia (3), New York (2), and Pennsylvania (2), along with one each from Indiana, New Jersey, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
With only 15 players in their final year (six graduate students, seven redshirt seniors, and two seniors), the Wayne State roster is loaded with inexperience. There are 20 redshirt juniors, four juniors, 15 redshirt sophomores, four sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 32 true freshmen on the squad.
DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION
For the 23rd 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 16th season calling Warrior football. Former Warrior defensive end Brady Beedon will serve as the color analyst for seven games and will handle play-by-play duties in three contests. He will also conduct the weekly 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 the road game at Michigan Tech. Warrior basketball broadcaster Kevin Brechmacher will serve as the color analyst for the road contest at Truman State. In addition, Tony Ortiz will serve as the Sideline Reporter for all six home games.
The radio pre-game show will start 15 minutes before a road contest and 30 minutes prior to a home game. Beedon will also host the Weekly With Wheatley show every Wednesday prior to a home a game. The show will take place at Woodbridge Pub starting at 5:30 p.m. The first show of 2024 will be held on September 11th.
All six home games, plus the road GLIAC contests will be streamed on FloSports. The home games will be via The PreP with the radio announcers broadcast being simulcast on FloSports.
