MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Winona State University football team got off to a slow start offensively in the first half of Saturday's week two contest against Minnesota State – Moorhead but went into the locker room at halftime down just one score, thanks in large part to the Warrior defense.
After the halftime break - and after some adjustments - the Warriors opened up the Dragons with the balanced attack WSU is known for, scoring 27 unanswered points and ultimately leaving Moorhead with a 27-13 win.
Although both the Dragons and Warriors put up big scoring numbers in week one, it was a surprisingly defensive showcase in the first two quarters of Saturday's matchup.
In the first half, the two teams combined for seven punts, and both struggled on third down conversions; Winona State was 1-for-7 on third down, while MSU-M was 2-for-8. The lone score in the first half was a Dragon touchdown when MSU-M quarterback Tommy Falk hit receiver Ryan Bieberdorf on a 10-yard pass to cap an eight play, 58-yard drive.
However, while the WSU offense was working to find their rhythm, linebacker
Mitch Snitker and his Warrior defensive teammates kept the game within striking distance for head coach
Tom Sawyer and the Winona State squad.
Snitker had eight first half tackles, while teammate and NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year
Cam Gavin had seven. Just as importantly, the Warrior defensive line forced Falk to his secondary reads on most passing plays, limiting his looks downfield.
On offense in the first 30 minutes,
Jake Balliu led the WSU receiving corps after two quarters, hauling in four catches for 38 yards.
Owen Burke was 10-of-20 for 91 yards in the first half.
In the second half, things changed.
The two teams traded scores on their opening drives, with the home team picking up their second touchdown of the day. However, the Dragons missed the point after, perhaps sign of things to come, and Winona State answered with a
Jacob Scott 24-yard field goal in their first offensive series of the second half.
Things were trending up for Winona State, but down 13-3 midway through the third quarter, the Warriors needed a spark.
Owen Burke and
Sawyer Maly delivered.
More accurately, Burke delivered to Maly.
A picture-perfect 70-yard bomb from the senior captain QB to Maly lit the fire of the Warrior sideline, with Maly catching the pass in stride and finding the end zone in the ultimate quick strike offense. With the ensuing successful PAT from Scott, Winona State was back in the game, down just three at 13-10 with six minutes to go in the third stanza.
Winona State continued to find ways to claw back into the contest, including partially blocking a Dragon punt as the third quarter wound down, providing
Owen Burke and the Warrior offense prime starting position for the last drive with the wind at their backs. A
Dominik London fumble foiled a promising Warrior drive with one minute left in the third, but Winona State rebounded from the setback nicely as the game moved into the last fifteen minutes.
The Warriors won the fourth quarter - and ultimately the game - with a combination of power running football and an opportunistic, ball-hawking linebacker corps.
The Winona State defense had two interceptions in the final stanza, first when
Ben McCabe latched onto a tipped pass. McCabe's pick and an unsportsmanlike penalty assessed on his return for an illegal MSU-Moorhead tackle, put the ball on the Dragon's doorstep. Moments later,
Owen Burke connected with
Tyler Zirpoli for a Warrior touchdown.
On the next series,
Devon Moore intercepted a Falk pass and re-started the WSU offense again.
Javian Roebuck capped a six-play, 44-yard drive with a one-yard dive on fourth down for his first TD of the day, and fourth of the season. Winona State never looked back after Roebuck's score and tacked on a
Jacob Scott 28-yard field goal for good measure, pushing the score to 27-13 with four minutes to go.
To their credit, the Dragons would not go quietly. MSU-M put together a 11-play drive in two-minute offense format to get to the Warrior two-yard line.
In a final series that reflect the game, the Dragons drove but did not score. The Winona State defense stood their ground inside the five yard line, stopping the Dragons on all four attempts from scrimmage. With the big stop, WSU iced the game and moved to 2-0 on the year.
Individually, Burke finished with a 19-of-33 day for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Javian Roebuck had 58 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while
Ty Gavin chipped in 28, and
Dominik London had 14.
Sawyer Maly had two catches for 75 yards, none bigger than his 70-yard scoring effort.
Jake Balliu had five catches for 59 yards and Tyler Knutsen added 53 on three catches. As in week one, Burke spread the wealth among his receivers, as nine different Warriors caught at least one pass in the game, including Zirpoli's TD catch.
Defensively,
Mitch Snitker finished with 11 tackles, as did
Clay Schueffner.
Cam Gavin had 10 stops and
David Munson had eight.
Devon Moore and
Ben McCabe maximized their impact on the game as they both claimed interceptions.
Darius Manuel,
Corrie King,
Joe Perhats,
Nathaniel Wilcher,
Luc Leszczynski and
Aarion Lacy all had tackles for losses for defensive coordinator
Brian Curtin, evidence of the multiple looks thrown at the Dragons thoughout the game.
Special teams play saw
Jacob Scott hit two field goals, from 24 and 28 yards, respectively, and was 3-for-3 on PAT's.
Jake Balliu had four punt returns for 21 yards, while
Tristan Root handled the kickoff duties for the Warriors.
With the win, Winona State moves to 2-0 on the 2021 season; head coach
Tom Sawyer now has 192 wins, second most among active NCAA Division II coaches, and will own a 17-2 career mark against the Dragons.
Winona State is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 18 when they host the University of Minnesota Duluth. Kickoff is set for 1pm 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.
