Football || Wayne State University

WAYNE STATE (2-6, 2-5 GLIAC)
at Northwood (4-4, 4-3 GLIAC)
Saturday, Nov. 2 • Midland, Mich.

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE:
Stadium: Hantz Stadium (3,000)
Surface: Natural Grass
Kickoff: Noon
Site: Midland, Mich.
Series Record: Wayne State leads 12-11

THE GAME
The Wayne State University football team will try to snap a five-game losing streak against Northwood this Saturday, Nov. 2 in Midland. Kickoff is slated for noon.

The Timberwolves won last year’s contest, 39-26, in Detroit in the regular-season finale. NU led 25-0 before Jorge Gomez caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Jason Charron just four seconds before halftime. Gomez scored on a two-yard run early in third quarter to make it 25-13. The Timberwolves then scored the next 14 points. Gomez finished with 98 rushing yards on 17 carries, while Charron completed 23 of 44 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

INTERVIEW POLICIES
Media representatives should contact the Sports Information Office for all player and coach interviews. Players and coaches may be interviewed prior to or directly after practice during the season, but requests must be made through the Sports Information Office ahead of time.

THE COACHES
WSU head coach Steve Kazor is in his third season as the Warrior bench boss. He has a 9-19 record at Wayne State with an overall collegiate head coaching mark of 34-36 in his seventh season.

Northwood’s Pat Riepma has compiled a 48-51-2 mark in his 10th season as the Timberwolves head coach. He is also coming up on a two year anniversary as Northwood’s athletic director. Prior to his appointment at NU, Riepma was baseball coach (1985-88) and assistant football coach (1985-92) at Hillsdale, his alma mater.

THE SERIES
Wayne State leads 12-11-0 in the all-time series despite losing the last five meetings. WSU’s last win came in 1996 (24-20) at Northwood. The Warriors have compiled a 6-8 record in games played in Midland. WSU also leads in scoring in the all-time series 472-456.

IN THE POLLS
The Warriors were selected 11th in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) preseason coaches poll. Northwood received 68 points in the preseason GLIAC coaches poll, which placed them seventh.

SCOUTING NORTHWOOD
The Timberwolves (4-4 overall, 4-3 GLIAC) had a three-game winning streak snapped on Oct. 26 at Grand Valley (33-14). Prior to that setback, NU had victories over Ferris State (41-24), Indianapolis (40-38) and Hillsdale (41-34).

Chad Coons (81-604, 6 TD’s), quarterback Jason Martin (136-533, 6 TD’s) and Pernell Jackson (67-465, 3 TD’s) lead a running attack that is averaging 285 yards per game on the ground. Martin has completed 50 of 101 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns.

Martell Foster has a team-high three interceptions, while Chris Wilson leads the squad with 9.5 tackles for loss. Jon Horn has a team-best 63 tackles.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN GAME NOTES
The Warriors had 607 yards of total offense, the most since Oct. 6, 2001, when WSU had 528 yards in a 44-41 win at Northern Michigan. The WSU school record is 644 yards set in 1967 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It was WSU’s first overtime game since a 1999 contest against Indianapolis.

Craig Duppong rushed for a Warrior season-high 170 yards on 20 carries. He also had his two longest runs of the season (55 and 63), with the 63 yard run being WSU’s longest this season.

Both Randy Hutchison and Dan Gray had two touchdown passes as the Warrior passing attack set season-highs in yards (378), yards per pass (8.8), and touchdown passes (4). Hutchison also hooked up with Nate Collins for a 56-yard completion on WSU’s first drive, for the Warriors longest pass play of the campaign.

WSU also had season-highs in yards per rush (6.0), total plays (81), total offense (607), yards per play (7.5), all-purpose yards (718) and points (46).

Collins had his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game after equalling a career-high with six receptions for 149 yards (a career-high) and two touchdowns. The second straight game with two TD receptions.

With 30 all-purpose yards against Northern Michigan, senior Thabiti Williamson moved closer to the all-time school record of 4,536 set by Joe Gough (1991-94). Williamson has 403 carries for 2,135 yards; 68 kickoff
returns for 1,538 yards; three punt returns for 16 yards; and 55 receptions for 378 yards for a total of 4,067 yards.

Punter Adam Nemer-Kaiser averaged 39.8 yards on five kicks including two that were inside the 20.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN 49, AT WAYNE STATE 46 (OT)
The Warriors lost their annual homecoming contest, 49-46 in overtime, to Northern Michigan before a crowd of 4,269.

The Warriors trailed 43-36 following an NMU touchdown with 87 seconds left in the fourth quarter but went 54 yards in 10 plays for the tying touchdown and PAT kick. Nate Collins hauled in a two-yard pass from Randy Hutchison with just five seconds left. Stephen Wayne’s point after touchdown kick tied the game.

In overtime, WSU recorded a first down but had to settle for Wayne’s 33-yard field goal. NMU’s Kyle Swenor connected with Brandon Munson on third down in the end zone for the winning score. It was a see-saw game that had both teams leading by at least 10 points during the contest (Wayne State 10-0, and Northern Michigan 21-10). NMU led 21-16 at intermission but the Warriors scored the only points of the third quarter to take a 29-21 lead after 45 minutes.

The Wildcats tied the game with a touchdown pass and two-point conversion with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter. Over the next 4:21, the teams exchanged touchdown runs. NMU went 81 yards with Swenor running in from one yard out with 1:27 left setting up WSU’s final drive of regulation.

The Warriors had 607 yards of total offense (229 rushing and 378 passing) while allowing 455 yards (145 rushing and 310 passing). Junior tailback Craig Duppong recorded his third 100-yard rushing effort in the last four games with 170 yards on 20 carries. He also scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 55 yards.

Dan Gray (13-21 for 216 yards and two touchdowns), Randy Hutchison (9-20 for 151 yards and two touchdowns) and James Phillips (1-2 for 11 yards) all quarterbacked the Warriors. Kyle Swenor completed 25 of 46 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

Collins (6 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns) and Marqus Anthony (four catches for 105 yards and one touchdown) were WSU’s top receivers.