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Wayne State University Athletics

Football vs. Saginaw Valley State Preview Graphic
Will Edwards has started 24 games on the offensive line for WSU.

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

Football To Host Saginaw Valley State Saturday Night

GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University football squad will entertain Saginaw Valley State University this Saturday at 6 PM at Tom Adams Field.  Both squads are 0-2 in the GLIAC this year having faced the upper echelon of the conference.  WSU's two GLIAC opponents are a combined 10-2 overall, while SVSU's two league foes (Davenport and Ferris State) are a combined 12-0.

SCOUTING SAGINAW VALLEY STATE
First-year head coach Michael Engle joined the Cardinals last January after spending the previous four seasons at UIndy.  Engle served as the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons before his promotion to offensive coordinator for the next two years.  He added the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2025 campaign.

Graduate student running back Devin Miles, who played at Western Michigan in 2025, has rushed for a team-high 329 yards and three touchdowns.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Wolf has passed for 13 touchdowns and 1,425 yards on 73-of-121 (60.3 %) with only three interceptions.  Back-up Jayden Whitaker, who started three games for Wofford a season ago, has completed 13-of-27 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

Leading receiver JT Webber ran track at Michigan State before joining SVSU prior to the 2025 season.  He has 18 receptions for a team-best 480 yards and two touchdowns.  Redshirt junior Braden Hill has six touchdown receptions among his 16 catches in 2026.

Sophomore linebacker Jalen Edwards, a transfer from Siena Heights, leads the Cardinals with 43 tackles (21-22).  He is one of three SVSU players with 3.5 tackles for loss, along with redshirt junior defensive back Sean Hodges, and redshirt senior defensive lineman Adom LeDuc.  Hodges also leads the squad with three interceptions (returning one for a touchdown) and three pass break-ups.

Hill is averaging nearly 13 yards per punt return, which includes one return for 58 yards and a touchdown.  Miles leads the team with a 22.6 kickoff return average (5-for-113 yards).

Teagen Lenderink is among the GLIAC leaders averaging 42.5 yards per punt with seven over 50 yards.  Lenderink is 20-of-22 on extra points and 1-of-3 on field goals, connecting from 31 yards vs. Kentucky State.

ALL-TIME SERIES
This Saturday's match-up will be the 48th all-time meeting between the Warriors and the Cardinals in a series that began in 1976.  SVSU has won the last six meetings since a 24-20 WSU victory in Detroit on September 28, 2019.  Wayne State is 5-19 at Tom Adams Field against Saginaw Valley State.   The Warriors went 5-0-1 in the first six match-ups (1976-1981).  WSU's last overtime game was a 17-10 setback at SVSU on October 21, 2023, in the second overtime meeting between the schools (first was a 35-29 SVSU win in University Center on September 22, 2018).

GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Ferris State (49 points, seven first-place votes)
2. Grand Valley State (43 points, one first-place vote)
3. Michigan Tech (34 points) 
4. Davenport (31 points)
5. Saginaw Valley State (28 points)
6. Northern Michigan (18 points)
7. Roosevelt (11 points)
8. Wayne State (10 points)

BENTLEY SELECTED GLIAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
D' Vaun Bentley (Detroit, Mich. / Loyola [Lawrence Tech]) was selected GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week on September 28th after rushing for 182 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries in the loss at Quincy.

It was the first 100-yard rushing effort by a WSU running back since XaVior Tyus gained 116 yards on 14 carries vs. Northern Michigan on Nov. 16, 2024.  The 182 rushing yards were the most by a Warrior since Myren Harris rushed for 295 yards on 36 attempts at Michigan Tech on Oct. 8, 2022, while the four rushing touchdowns were the most since Myren Harris had four rushing scores vs. Northwood on Oct. 30, 2021.  

Bentley was never stopped behind the line of scrimmage by the Hawks and also contributed two receptions for 50 yards, including a 41-yard catch from deep in Warrior territory to just over midfield, to finish with 232 all-purpose yards.

NOTES FROM THE ROOSEVELT CONTEST 
The 96-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter was WSU's longest drive since the 2023 squad recorded two scoring drives of at least 90 yards:
    1) Sept. 2, 2023, at #15-Slippery Rock (7 plays, 91 yards, 2:42) - Manny Harris with a 25-yard run;
    2) Sept. 16, 2023, at #18-UIndy (8 plays, 95 yards, 3:47) - Eli McLean with a 13-yard run.

WSU rushed for 160 yards and one touchdown in the first three games combined, but has rushed for 573 yards and six touchdowns over the last three contests.

The Warriors posted a season-high 160 passing yards vs. the Lakers.

For the second straight game, Wayne State had a kicker connect on a 47-yard field goal.  Griffin Nowak made a career-long 47-yard attempt at Grand Valley, and junior college transfer Ryan Rodas drilled a 47-yard field goal vs. RU.

The Warriors had four different starting quarterbacks in the first five games this year (Ethan Lane-Northwood, Carson Creehan-Hillsdale, Nikkos Davis-Wisconsin-La Crosse & Quincy, and Brody Thompson-GVSU).  Lane made his second start in the Roosevelt contest.

Seven different quarterbacks (including Eric Franklin and Dale Johnson) have attempted passes this year, along with wide receiver Drew Hickmott and running back D'Vaun Bentley giving WSU nine players listed in the passing stats category.

NOTES FROM THE QUINCY CONTEST 
The WSU offensive line allowed just one sack at Quincy despite the fact that four quarterbacks (all true freshmen) took snaps vs. the Hawks.

Kristian Kilpatrick caught a touchdown pass for the second consecutive game in the Quincy contest.  He is the first Warrior with a touchdown reception in back-to-back games since Myles McKatherine in 2024 (Sept. 5 at Tiffin and Sept. 14 at home vs. Findlay).

After not forcing a turnover in the first three contests, the Warrior defense forced two fumbles at Quincy, and turned those two miscues into 14 points.

Luke Johnson forced both fumbles at Quincy becoming the first Warrior with two forced fumbles in a game since Logan McGraw had two in the 2025 season opener (Sept. 4 vs. Tiffin).

Wayne State was outscored 21-6 in the fourth quarter through the first three games, but turned the tables at Quincy, outscoring the host Hawks 21-0 over the final 15 minutes.  In the loss last week to Roosevelt, WSU tallied 18 of the 27 fourth quarter points.  This season, fourth quarter scoring is nearly even with the opponents holding a slim 51-48 advantage.

WARRIORS BY THE NUMBERS
The 2026 Wayne State football roster features 116 student-athletes from 13 states and one Canadian province, with the majority of football student-athletes coming from Michigan (78).  Ohio (10), Texas (9), California (5), Florida (3), Minnesota (2) and Ontario (2) all have multiple student-athletes, while Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington each have one. 

Twenty-one (21) of the 24 returning letterwinners saw action vs. Northwood, while another 21 players who previously donned the Green and Gold (but had not lettered) played against the Timberwolves.  

Nine players (Emmanuel Ajayi, Samuel Arrey, Jesse Brown, Dereon Foster, Ethan Lane, Chase Lawrence, Jonathon Melendez, Ka'Vion Smith, and Nic Sturgill) made their Wayne State debut against Northwood after previously playing at a different institution.  

Two more (Lance-Matua Kellum and Victor Santana) made their WSU debut at Hillsdale, while Ryan Rodas made his Warrior debut in the Wisconsin-La Crosse contest.  Kymani Fenika and Elijah Hayward both made their WSU debut at Quincy, while Cammern Jordan andDavid Holloman

Fifteen (15) student-athletes made their collegiate debut in the season opener.  They were Elijah Beachum, Mason Conklin, Trent Davis, Deavante Deleon, Malachi Evans, Gary Jefferson, Jr., Derek Johnson, Joseph Lattimore, Abram Marcial, Dominic Melaragni, Andrew Pazuchowski, Caiden Pfeiffer, George Sanchez-Murillo, Torrence Searcy and Brody Videto.

Two others (Nikkos Davis and Brody Stack) made their collegiate debut at Hillsdale, with Karter Freeman, KJ McKenzie and Jordan Stewart making their collegiate debuts vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse.  In addition, five others (Brandon Bartolucci, Dale Johnson, Brody Thompson, Dante' Toliver and Nic Wells) made their collegiate debut at Quincy with Malik Shephard making his debut at Grand Valley State.

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT
Both of Wayne State's touchdowns against Wisconsin-La Crosse had heavy contributions from true freshmen.

The 80-yard touchdown pass was from true freshman quarterback Nikkos Davis to sophomore wide receiver Kristian Kilpatrick.  The 80-yard scoring strike is tied-for-11th longest in program history and was Kilpatrick's first touchdown reception of his WSU career.

The Warriors' second touchdown was a 16-yard scamper by true freshman running back Gary Jefferson, Jr.

Jefferson, Jr. leads the squad in all-purpose yards (607) and all-purpose yards per game (101.2).  He has 299 rushing yards, 275 yards on kickoff returns and 33 yards receiving.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
WSU currently has a set of brothers in twins Malachi and Matthew Evans.  Both are redshirt-freshman wide receivers.

Other Warriors with family ties include: Evan Bainbridge (father Matthew was an offensive tackle letterwinner in 1993-94); Jordan Bell (father Joique was a WSU Athletics Hall of Fame running back from 2006 to 2009); Brock Carpenter (father Tim was a four-year letterwinner for the Tartars and was Honorable Mention All-GLIAC as an offensive lineman in 1997, the same year he served as a team captain).

THE BREAKDOWN WITH BRADY BEEDON
Join head coach Terrence Issac and WSU football analyst Brady Beedon each Wednesday prior to a home football game at 5:30 PM at Woodbridge Pub for The Breakdown with Brady Beedon podcast. 
Each week a different assistant coach will join Isaac and Beedon.  In addition, a student-athlete will be interviewed. 

The podcast will be added to the Wayne State athletics website every Friday morning for those unable to be at Woodbridge that week.  The next editions of the Breakdown with Brady Beedon will take place on Wednesday, October 14, and Wednesday, October 28. 

DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION 
The 2026 campaign marks the second season of the Warrior Sports Network (WSN), which provides internet audio coverage of Wayne State football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball.

Veteran Detroit sports broadcaster Sean Baligian is in his 18th season calling Warrior football.  Baligian, who has been on the Detroit airwaves since 1998, will serve as the play-by-play announcer.

Former Warrior defensive end Brady Beedon will serve as the color analyst for selected remaining games.  Beedon will also handle the Locker Room Report and Senior Spotlight features for the WSN.  

Kevin Brechmacher, who will return for his 11th season calling the WSU men's basketball games this winter, will serve as a color analyst for selected games this fall.  He also co-hosts the Warrior Weekly podcast with Brady Beedon that began airing in January of 2026. 

WWJ afternoon anchor Tony Ortiz will serve as the sideline commentator during the six home broadcasts.  Ortiz will also be the color analyst for the road game at Michigan Tech. 

Every Wayne State GLIAC football game will be available on FloCollege with the broadcasts of home games being produced by The PreP for the fourth consecutive year. 
 
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Players Mentioned

XaVior Tyus

#25 XaVior Tyus

RB
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Logan McGraw

#9 Logan McGraw

WLB
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Evan Bainbridge

#61 Evan Bainbridge

OL
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Jordan Bell

#0 Jordan Bell

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
D

#1 D'Vaun Bentley

RB
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Jesse Brown

#64 Jesse Brown

DT
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Brock Carpenter

#48 Brock Carpenter

TE/DE
6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
Mason Conklin

#53 Mason Conklin

DE
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Carson Creehan

#18 Carson Creehan

QB
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Malachi Evans

#88 Malachi Evans

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

XaVior Tyus

#25 XaVior Tyus

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
RB
Logan McGraw

#9 Logan McGraw

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
WLB
Evan Bainbridge

#61 Evan Bainbridge

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
OL
Jordan Bell

#0 Jordan Bell

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
WR
D

#1 D'Vaun Bentley

5' 11"
Graduate Student
RB
Jesse Brown

#64 Jesse Brown

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
DT
Brock Carpenter

#48 Brock Carpenter

6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
TE/DE
Mason Conklin

#53 Mason Conklin

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
DE
Carson Creehan

#18 Carson Creehan

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Malachi Evans

#88 Malachi Evans

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
WR