WAYNE, Neb. – The Winona State University football team found itself on the road for the second week in a row on Saturday, Oct. 2, taking on Wayne State College in a key week five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup.
Unfortunately for the Warriors (3-2 / 0-1 NSIC South), the Wildcats (4-1 / 1-0 NSIC South) put up a big second quarter number - scoring 28 points - and then combined an effective ground game and an opportunistic takeaway defense in the second half to deal Winona State a 38-21 setback.
Jake Balliu had a 62-yard kickoff return to answer a Wildcat scoring drive in the first half, and then threw for a Warrior touchdown on the game's next play. Following his kick return, Balliu remained on the field and lined up as a wide out, taking a pass in the backfield from quarterback
Owen Burke. As the Wildcats secondary bit on the play, Balliu then went downfield to a wide-open
Ethan Wittenburg for the Warriors second score of the game. Wittenburg had opened the WSU scoring in a more conventional manner earlier in the game, as Burke hit the senior from Franklin, Wis. on a three-yard pass in the first quarter to give Winona State the initial lead in the contest.
Wayne State ran their hurry-up offense to the tune of 28 second quarter points, with the Wildcats scoring four rushing touchdowns on four successive possessions. Much like their win the week earlier against nationally ranked Minnesota Duluth, the Wildcats rushing efforts consumed the clock and kept the Winona State offense off the field for significant stretches at a time.
Winona State answered the Wildcats ground game with
Noah Carlson, who racked up 48 first half rushing yards, a touchdown and 12 receiving yards all before the break. Teammate
Dominik London also had ten carries in the first half. A Winona State score late in the second half by Carlson - and successful PAT from
Jacob Scott - provided hope for the Warrior faithful as the teams left the field heading to the locker room, as WSU had outscored every opponent in the second half of each contest in 2021.
Prior to Saturday, Winona State had earned comeback wins on three occasions in four tries. However, in the second half, Wayne State won the turnover battle and the line of scrimmage, intercepting three Warrior passes while sacking Burke four times.
Ethan Wittenburg finished the day with four catches and two scores including a longest catch of 43 yards.
Noah Carlson rushed for 58 yards, leading the Warriors in that category and caught four passes for 23 yards. The Rushford-Peterson High School product scored the second Winona State touchdown of his career on a three-yard run in the first half. Burke was 16-of-34 for 209 yards, eclipsing the 200-yard mark in passing for the fifth consecutive time this season. He had three interceptions, while tossing for one touchdown, the 49th passing TD of his career.
The Winona State defense was led by
Devon Moore, who racked up seven tackles including two solo stops. Moore accounted for 11 tackle-for-loss yards, while
Carter Duxbury had 18 TFL yards on seven tackles, including a season-high three sacks. Duxbury now has 4 1/2 sacks on the season to lead the team.
Both teams missed short field goals in the game, with WSC's Alex Powders going wide right from 23 yards in the first half and Winona State's Scott missing from 30 yards out on the first WSU drive of the second half. In addition to Balliu's big kickoff return,
Darryl Williams had four kick returns for 87 yards, including a 28-yard effort. Combined with a 30-yard catch, Williams had 117 total all-purpose yards. Balliu also had four punt returns for 67 yards, with a longest effort of 39.
Winona State will be in action next on Saturday, Oct. 9 when they host Northern State for Homecoming. The Wolves and Warriors will kick off at 2pm in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
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.
