WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University football team hits the road for the second consecutive week to take on Wayne State College in a 1pm contest at Bob Cunningham Field on Saturday, Oct. 2.
The Warriors (3-1 / 0-0 NSIC South) and the Wildcats (3-1 / 0-0 South) are both coming off wins in week four and will open their respective NSIC South Division schedules on Saturday. For longtime head coach
Tom Sawyer, the matchup will be his last game against Wayne State, having announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2021 season. With 193 career wins, Sawyer is second in total victories in the NCAA Division II ranks among active coaches.
Wayne State saw a 28-point second quarter against the nationally-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs propel them to an upset win on the road last week. The Wildcats put Alex Powders in position to kick a 35-yard field goal for the lead - and eventual win - with just 2:25 left in the contest. The field goal was the only Wildcat scoring other than their outburst in the second frame. For Wayne State, Nick Bohn was 14-of-23 for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception and was sacked twice. Anthony Watkins led his team in rushing against UMD with 107 yards and a score. Tauren Grady was the top Wildcat receiver against Duluth and is the favorite WSC target with 323 yards on 20 catches so far this season. Prior to the UMD game, Tavain Willis had taken the majority of the snaps at quarterback for WSC, going 43-of-76 in three starts.
Winona State saw special teams be exactly that last Saturday as
Jake Balliu returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to ignite a Warrior second half in which they scored 31 points to pull away from UMary. Balliu moved into No. 1 all-time at Winona State in punt return yardage on the play.
Jacob Scott kicked a 25-yard field goal to end the Warrior scoring in the game, just three minutes after
Dominik London scored his second touchdown of the day.
London and backfield teammate
Noah Carlson were called into action after
Javian Roebuck and
Ty Gavin both left the game with injuries in the first half. The two backs combined for 198 rushing yards, with London logging 20 carries and Carlson five. London broke for a 78-yard score on a second-and-seven handoff that was the longest run from scrimmage in the NSIC so far this season.
Owen Burke was 16-of-28 for 286 yards and a touchdown, with a longest completion of 46 yards to
Jaylen Schleicher who had 101 receiving yards.
Ethan Wittenburg had another strong game for Winona State, catching five balls for 113 yards; he leads the Warriors with 302 yards receiving on the season. Balliu and
Sawyer Maly are second and third in receiving yards on the year, respectively.
On the other side of the ball,
Clay Schueffner has anchored the Winona State defense, racking up 34 total tackles this season.
Mitch Snitker is not far behind with 30 stops and a key interception during the UMary contest.
David Munson has 22 tackles on the year and
Cam Gavin has 19 and a pair of pass breakups.
Devon Moore and
Carter Duxbury have done their damage behind the line of scrimmage, combining for 25 tackle-for-loss yards to date.
Heading into Saturday's game again the Wildcats, Quarterback
Owen Burke currently sits at seventh all-time in Warrior passing yards at 5,780 and is just 100 yards away from surpassing Bruce Carpenter (5,879) at number six. The Lakewood, Colo. product is currently tied at fifth all-time with former WSU standout Jason Mitchell with 48 touchdown passes over his career.
As a team, Winona State has shown resilience all season, outscoring their opponents in the second half of each of their four games in 2021. Against Wayne State, the Warriors expect an opponent that is accustomed to putting up big numbers offensively. The only contest in which WSC has scored less than 30 points was a 38-28 loss at Bemidji State in week two.
The Warriors are averaging over 36 points per game and bring a balanced offense led by Burke and a deep roster of running backs. WSU has 1,050 passing yards on the year and nearly 700 on the ground in four games. Winona State has conceded an average of under 53 yards a game in penalties, making them one of the least-penalized teams in the NSIC. The Warriors also have benefited from a quick-strike offense. WSU currently own the longest rushing touchdown of the season so far in London's 78-yard week four score, longest kick return for a TD in Balliu's record-breaking punt return and second-longest passing completion, a Burke-to-Balliu 65-yard bomb in week one.
Tune in to the
NSIC Network for the Wildcat - Warrior contest on Saturday or
listen along on
KQAL 89.5, the radio home of Winona State Athletics.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
