DETROIT -- The Wayne State University football program (1-6 overall, 0-4 GLIAC) will host Northwood (2-5 overall, 2-3 GLIAC) on Saturday night for the annual Homecoming game. WSU lost its sixth straight contest last Saturday at Michigan Tech, 23-20.  It was the 900th game in program history that began with a 41-0 win over Assumption (Ont.) College on October 6, 1918.  The Green & Gold host Northwood this Saturday on Homecoming for the eighth time and are 5-2 against the Timberwolves in those contests.  In the 81 previous Homecoming matchups, WSU is 43-37-1 dating back to the very first Homecoming game in 1935.

POSTGAME FIREWORKS
Hey Warrior fans, join us for the Homecoming Game as we take on Northwood University! Celebrate 150 years of Wayne State University with a fireworks display after the game. Bring your friends and family to enjoy:

• Tailgating
• Light-up wristband & thunderstick giveaway
• Trick-or-Treat with the Warriors
• Fireworks following the game

For more information, or to purchase tickets visit wsuathletics.com/tickets.

TRICK-OR-TREAT WITH THE WARRIORS
Join us for Trick-Or-Treat with the Warriors sponsored by Rainbow Child Care during the first half of the game!  Kids of all ages are invited to come dressed in their Halloween Costume and participate in a Trick-Or-Treat scavenger hunt around the stadium during the first half of the game. Kids can pick up their scavenger hunt maps at the Rainbow Child Care Tent, near the entrance of the stadium.
 
SCOUTING THE TIMBERWOLVES
After losing its first five games of the season, Northwood has won back-to-back contests, including beating previously unbeaten Davenport 30-22 last weekend.  Head coach Leonard Haynes is in his fourth season leading the NU football program after spending two decades as an assistant coach with the team.  Sophomore Christian Martinez has played quarterback in the last four games and has thrown for 388 yards and three scores.  Five Timberwolves have rushed for at least 10 0 yards, led by sophomore running back Abdul Levy who has ran for 276 yards and a touchdown.  Senior Corey Burdgick has tallied 234 yards on the ground and two TDs, while Martinez has totaled 161 yards.  Junior quarterback Joe Garbarino (140) and sophomore QB Grant Dunatchik (100) complete the quintet.  Senior wide receiver Gary Landless has caught a team-high 12 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while junior wideout Alex Spicuzzi has 196 yards on 10 receptions.  

Junior linebacker Travis Wiltjer leads the team with 52 total tackles, including 6.5 for loss.  As a team, Northwood is scoring 18.1 points per game and allowing 36.1 points per contest.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wayne State trails 18-20 in the all-time series against Northwood.  The teams began playing in 1975 and Wayne State won the first five meetings.  The Warriors have won six of the past nine meetings, but the Timberwolves won WSU's Homecoming contest last season, 20-10.  The Green & Gold are 9-9 at home in the series and head coach Paul Winters is 6-7 in his time in Detroit versus NU.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State led 10-0 early at Michigan Tech last Saturday.  Freshman Tieler Houston intercepted a third-down pass on MTU's first possession at the Warrior 15 yard line to thwart a drive.  The Warriors drove 60 yards with graduate student Paul Graham connecting on a 29-yard field goal attempt to give Wayne State a 3-0 lead.

Following a Huskie punt that was downed at the WSU 6, the Warriors drove 94 yards in 11 plays for their longest touchdown drive of the season.  Junior wide receiver Darece Roberson, Jr. hauled in a 17-yard scoring strike from sophomore quarterback Jake AmRhein on a third-and-nine play.

MTU tied the game at 10-10 and then took a 17-10 lead midway through the third quarter.  A 26-yard field goal from Graham and a 56-yard drive capped by a James Hill rushing TD tied the game at 20-20.

However, Eric Zeboor tallied the game-winning points on a 34-yard field goal on the ensuing drive as the Huskies went 48 yards in five plays.

KICKING HIS WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Paul Graham became the third place-kicker in school history to score at least 200 points with his second quarter field goal against Tiffin.  Graham passed David Chudzinski (2005-08, 206 points) with his two PATs vs. Davenport.  He trails Stefan Terleckyj (2010-13, 286 points).  Graham has 37 field goals, which ranks second behind Terleckyj's 39, while his 105 PATs is third behind Terleckyj (169) and Chudzinski (107).

Additionally, his .860 field goal percentage (37-43) is the highest in program history and is second among current players across all divisions with at least 40 attempts.  Blanton Creque of Louisville (.867 / 39-45) is first, while John Baron of San Diego State (.860 / 43-50) is just behind Graham.

A MATURING OFFENSIVE LINE
Going into the 2017 season, fans of Warrior football knew the offensive line was going to be a work in progress after losing 144 combined starts from the group of Robert Kelly (41), Nate Theaker (33), Tommy Richardson (32), Andrew Zimmerman (21) and JT Pillars (17).  The group of Israel Helms (10), Justin Tockstein (11), Charlie Younger (11), Lane Potter (11) and Adam McJunkin (1) gained valuable experience since the 2017 season began with only three combined starts (all by then senior Greg Webber).  With the return of Tommy Richardson and his 39 career starts, the 2018 offensive line now has 111 career starts.

CONSISTENT LEADER
Paul Winters has become the longest tenured football coach in program history this fall as he is in his 15th season.  He passed the founder of WSU athletics David Holmes in 2014 at 11 seasons (1918-28).  Winters surpasses Hall of Fame coach Joseph Gembis, who held the post for 14 seasons (1932-45).  Winters enters the NU contest 33rd among all active DII football head coaches with 82 wins.  The game at Ferris State on Sept. 30, 2017, was his 150th as the Warrior head coach.  Gembis (101) and Holmes (80) are second and third in career games coached.

WINNING WHEN EXECUTING
Wayne State has won 22 of its last 27 games when rushing for over 200 yards, including the 2018 season-opener over Walsh, where the Warriors totaled 237 yards on the ground.  The first three setbacks when accomplishing the feat came in 2016-at Ashland, where the Warriors ran for exactly 200 yards in a losing effort; at Ferris State and at Ohio Dominican when WSU ran for 242 yards.

Twice this year WSU has lost when rushing for at least 200 yards - at UIndy on Sept. 8th where the Green & Gold compiled 202 yards on the ground and Sept. 22 at Saginaw Valley.  During the last seven-plus seasons (2011-18), Wayne State is 32-9 when rushing for 200 yards, including a 13-7 mark on the road.  Under Coach Winters, the Green & Gold are 51-18 under those parameters, including a 32-5 mark at home.

NCAA STATS REPORT
Wayne State ranks third nationally in fewest penalties per game (4.00), fifth in passing yards per game allowed (136.4), ninth in fewest penalty yards per game (41.29), 18th in punt return average (15.08), 21st in blocked punts (1), 39th in first down defense (115), 43rd in total defense (327.4 yards per game), and 45th in fewest fumbles lost (4).

Darece Roberson, Jr. is in top 50 in DII in several categories.  He is tied-for-fifth with one punt return for a touchdown, 13th in yards per reception (22.00), 30th in combined kick return yards (449), and 36th in receiving touchdowns (6).

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
WSU is tied-for-ninth this week by the NCAA in terms of toughest schedule with an opponent winning percentage of .667 (26-13/ Walsh 2-3, Indianapolis 4-1, Ashland 2-3, Saginaw Valley 5-1, Tiffin 6-0, Davenport 5-1 and Michigan Tech 2-4).  The Warriors remaining opponents are 16-12 (.571), for a seventh ranked cumulative opposition record of 36-22 (.621).  Northwood is tied with Colorado State-Pueblo for the fourth-toughest Division II schedule with an opponents winning percentage of .732 (30-11).

CLOSE CALLS
During the six-game losing streak, Wayne State was close in many contests.  In the loss against Ashland, the game was tied 14-14 at halftime, and the Warriors trailed 24-21 in the fourth quarter and had the ball.  In the setback at SVSU, WSU led 22-7 midway through the third period, and had a potential 32-yard game-winning field goal on the final play of regulation blocked.  Wayne State had a 14-7 lead over Davenport late in the first stanza, and despite trailing 21-14 in the second half, the Warriors had five consecutive non-scoring drives.

In last Saturday's defeat at Michigan Tech, WSU led 10-0 and later tied the contest at 20-20 midway through the fourth quarter.

PARTICIPATION BREAKDOWN
Of the 66 players to participate this year for WSU, there were three true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, two true sophomores, six redshirt sophomores, one true junior, 22 redshirt juniors, one true senior, nine redshirt seniors and seven graduate students.

DYNAMIC DUO
Leon Eggleston and Anthony Pittman have both spent a lot of time in the opponent's backfield this season.  Eggleston is tied-for-fourth in the GLIAC with nine tackles for loss, while Pittman is seventh in the league at eight TFLs.  Eggleston is 73rd nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3).

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
Darece Roberson, Jr.'s 69-yard punt return for a touchdown to give WSU a first-quarter lead over Davenport not only electrified the rain-drenched crowd at Tom Adams Field but it was the first such score for WSU in quite some time.  The last punt return that found the end zone was on Oct. 4, 2004, when Jerriel Burrus took a Michigan Tech punt back 50 yards for six points.

McCARTY'S BIG LEG
Sophomore Taylor McCarty blasted a career-best 62-yard punt in the second quarter vs. Davenport.  It was his fourth career punt to travel more than 50 yards and topped a 60-yard punt he had last season at Michigan Tech.  McCarty tallied his fifth career 50-yard punt with 52-yarder at MTU.  He currently ranks fifth in the GLIAC at 39.5 yards per punt.

900TH GAME
Wayne State played its 900th football game last Saturday.  The first contest was a 41-0 win on October 6, 1918, at Assumption (Ont.) College (became Assumption University in 1956).  The record by school names is Detroit Junior College (24-12-6), College of the City of Detroit (24-57-5). Wayne University (70-86-11) and WSU (260-338-7).

LOSING STREAK
Wayne State will attempt to avoid a seven-game losing streak vs. Northwood.  The current six-game losing streak is the longest since the Warriors lost six consecutive games to end the 2013 campaign and the opening game of the 2014 season.

16-GAME SEASON
In the 45-year history of NCAA Division II football, the 2011 Warrior squad is the only team to play a 16-game schedule.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY
WSU has played 15 times before on October 20th, compiling a 9-5-1 record.  The first game on this date was a 20-0 triumph over Hope in 1923.  The Tartars have held their Homecoming contest three times on this date defeating Case Tech (28-7) in 1956, falling to Hofstra (9-6) in 1973, and upending Northern Michigan (38-31) in 2012, in the last game played on this date.