PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Wayne State University football team (6-4 overall, 5-4 GLIAC) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Lake Erie (4-6 overall, 3-6 GLIAC) to pull away for the 47-28 victory.

In a battle of two of the more prolific offenses of late in the GLIAC, it was the Warrior defense that made plays and held the Storm offense 175 yards below their season average.  Meanwhile, the Green & Gold offense set a season-best with 574 yards including 349 on the ground.

Senior Desmond Martin (Redford, Mich. / Thurston) ran for a career-high 292 yards and scored three touchdowns on 39 carries to lead WSU while backup quarterback senior Sean Guinane (St. Joseph, Mich.) was 15-for-25 for a career-best 225 yards and two touchdowns in just his fourth career start with the Warriors.

Senior Michael Johnson (Detroit, Mich. / Clintondale) collected his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season with nine grabs for 105 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jamel Hicks (East Cleveland, Ohio / Shaw) posted his first career 100-yard game with four catches for 100 yards and a score.
Redshirt freshman Paul Graham (Commerce Twp., Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) stayed perfect on field goal attempts this season going 2-for-2 on the day from 19 and 20 yards.

Redshirt junior Zak Bielecki (Macomb, Mich. / Lutheran North) led the defense with 12 tackles, one sack, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception returned for 22 yards. Senior Nores Fradi (Dearborn Heights, Mich. / Dearborn) continued his solid season with 11 tackles including a sack and another 1.5 tackles for loss.

WSU started the scoring onslaught just 2:11 into the contest on a 53-yard jaunt by Martin.  After a three-and-out by Lake Erie, the Warriors drove 80 yards and on play 13 Graham converted his first field goal of the afternoon.  Wayne State led 10-0 after the opening stanza and held a 192-38 edge in total offense.

The Storm ended the next WSU drive with an interception near the goal line and scored five plays later as the GLIAC's leading rusher Anthony Bilal went in from 38 yards out.  Bilal led LEC with 145 rushing yards, more than 40 yards below his per game average.

The Warriors responded with a eight play drive that only needed 37 yards following a 15-yard penalty on the Storm during the kickoff.  The Guinane to Hicks combo recorded the touchdown on a third-and-six pass completion.  Lake Erie pulled within three (17-14) on the strength of a 17-play, 70-yard drive culminating in a three-yard scoring run by Bilal.

On the last possession of the first half, Guinane engineered a 61-yard drive in 2:54 concluding with a 20-yard field goal by Graham.

Bielecki ended the first drive after intermission by picking off Storm quarterback Mitchel Hokavar and returning it 22 yards.  The first seven drives of the second half (4 by LEC, 3 by WSU) combined did not produce a first down by running or passing.

Finally on drive eight of the third quarter, the Warriors went 81 yards in only five plays.  Martin had a two-yard TD run, on the play following a 57-yard scamper to increase Wayne State's lead to 26-14.

Lake Erie cut its deficit to five (26-21) as Bilal scored on a 12-yard run late in the third quarter.

The Warriors restored their 12-point margin (33-21) on a seven-play drive with Martin scoring on a eight-yard run.

Once again the Storm were able to chip away at the WSU advantage as Hokavar tossed a 32-yard TD pass to Zaide Whitley on the play following a fourth down scramble by Hokavar in which the hosts got a favorable spot to get the first down by the nose of the ball.

Despite leading by just five points on the road with 10:35 remaining in the contest, the Wayne State offense answered with a 83-yard touchdown drive in only six plays.  Martin gained 47 yards on the first three plays, before senior Jay Hayes (Goodell, Mich. / Memphis) totaled 36 yards on the next three plays which included a 25-yard touchdown run.

The Warrior defense forced an incompletion on fourth down and WSU took advantage of great field position scoring from 34 yards out in only four plays to complete the scoring.  The final TD play was a 25-yard pass play from Guinane to Johnson on fourth-and-one.


Wayne State will conclude its 2014 campaign at home next Saturday (Nov. 15) with a noon kickoff against Hillsdale on Senior Day.