Football | 10/22/2014 8:00:00 AM

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University football team (3-4, 2-4 GLIAC) eyes its first October win this season when Walsh (2-5, 2-5 GLIAC) visits Tom Adams Field on Saturday for a noon kickoff.

ON THE AIR
Sean Baligian (play-by-play), former WSU football running back Josh Renel (color analyst) will call the action this Saturday on WDTK The Patriot 1400 AM/92.7 FM Radio.  Fans can also check out the live simulcast on wdtkam.com.  Jenn Goethel serves as the sideline reporter for home games only.

THE SERIES
Saturday's contest will be the first football match-up between the two schools as Walsh joined the GLIAC for the 2012-13 academic year, but was not on Wayne State's schedule the previous two seasons.  The Warriors will play at Walsh on Oct. 24, 2015, in a game to be played at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

MILESTONE WATCH
- Desmond Martin needs 81 rushing yards to move into ninth place all-time (2,091).
- Michael Johnson needs 87 receiving yards to move into ninth place all-time (1,175).
- Carl Roscoe needs 184 yards of total offense to move past Trent Pohl into 19th place on the all-time list.  He became just the 22nd person in school history to surpass the 2,200-yard plateau.

QUICK HITS
- Wayne State's four losses this year have been by a combined 21 points including three setbacks by three points or less with two of the defeats coming in the final 30 seconds.
- After not having a 1,000-yard rusher each of the last two seasons, which ended a streak of seven consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher, Desmond Martin has 878 yards after seven games.
- Nores Fradi recorded 3.5 tackles for loss at Northern Michigan last Saturday and continues to lead the GLIAC with 17.5 tackles for loss this season.

WALSH STORYLINES
Wayne State will try to end its three-game losing streak this Saturday as the Warriors face Walsh for the first time ever in football.  WSU is currently 0-3 in October and will try to avoid its first winless October since the 2004 squad went 0-5 in the month of Halloween.  Since the start of the 2008 campaign, the Warriors are 23-7 in August and September, but just 15-15 in October.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN RECAP
Wayne State suffered its third consecutive setback on a field goal in the final 30 seconds at Northern Michigan University last Saturday afternoon in the Superior Dome.

After each team turned the ball over on its initial possession, the Warrior defense forced a three-and-out and the WSU offense went 66 yards in eight plays with Desmond Martin scoring on a 20-yard scamper going nearly untouched and diving into the end zone from a few yards out giving the guests a 7-0 lead with 6:53 left in the first quarter.  Big plays on the drive included a 10-yard catch by Jamel Hicks on a third-and-four and Carl Roscoe scrambling for 12 yards on a third-and-10.  Martin also had an 18-yard run the play immediately before his TD run.

The Wildcats answered with a 78-yard drive culminating in a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Laberge with 2:13 remaining in the opening stanza.  Wayne State gained 34 yards on its first five plays of the ensuing drive, but a bad shotgun snapped led to an 11-yard loss.  The Warrior offense gained 14 yards on the next play via a run from Martin and concluded with a career-long 47-yard field goal by Paul Graham.

The WSU defense held on a fourth down pass and the Wayne State offense responded with an eight-play drive as Graham made a 31-yard field goal increasing the Warrior advantage to 13-3 with 5:32 left in the second quarter.  Big plays on the drive were a Val Showers 10-yard catch on third-and-three, and Will Wheat hauling in a 24-yard pass from Roscoe moving WSU into field goal range.

The Wildcats scored their first touchdown with just 1:54 remaining before intermission on a three-yard run by Wyatt Jurasin capping a 10-play, 58-yard drive.  Wayne State moved down the field with the help of a 15-yard pass interference penalty plus a 16-yard reception by Trent Brodbeck on a third-and-13.  On second-and-one, Roscoe found Hicks over the middle and Hicks gained plenty of yards after the catch to complete a 36-yard scoring play pushing the Warrior lead to 20-10 at halftime.

On the first play from scrimmage after intermission, Showers went 33 yards on a reverse, but WSU had to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Graham making it 23-10.  NMU responded with a 62-yard scoring drive to pull within six at 23-17 with 8:36 left in the third period.

The Warriors went three-and-out on its next possession, and Wildcat Austin Young returned the punt 66 yards for a touchdown giving the hosts a 24-23 lead with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter.  Wayne State was unable to convert a fourth down play following the kickoff, but the WSU defense stepped up and stopped a fourth-and-one run by Jurasin.  However, a halfback option pass on the next play was intercepted by the Wildcats.  NMU made a 22-yard field goal just over four minutes into the fourth period increasing its advantage to 27-23.

The Warriors were able to regain the lead at 30-27 as Michael Johnson scored on a nine-yard reception on a third-and-seven play.  His previous catch on the drive went for 30 yards and put him over the 100-yard receiving mark for the second time this season.  Johnson earlier had a 20-yard reception on a third-and-nine in WSU territory.

The Wildcats knotted the game at 30 with a 26-yard field goal by Laberge which came four plays after an 84-yard kickoff return by Marcus Tucker.

Wayne State drove into NMU territory but a fake punt pass on fourth down was incomplete leading to a 12-play Wildcat drive concluding in a 24-yard field goal by Laberge.  WSU's second down pass attempt went off the hands of a Warrior receiver into the hands of an NMU linebacker to end the hopes of a game-winning drive.

Martin finished with a game-high 135 yards and one score, while Jurasin led Northern with 68 yards and one touchdown.  Roscoe was 14-of-30 for 241 yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions.  NMU's Shaye Brown passed for 346 yards and one touchdown on 29-of-42. Johnson led all receivers with 116 yards, while Tucker led NMU with 114 receiving yards and Trey Hipke had a game-best nine catches.  Nores Fradi had a game-high 3.5 tackles for loss as did Anthony DeDamos to pace the Warrior defense.  Brandon Lee totaled a game-best nine tackles (6-3), which included two for loss.

SCOUTING WALSH
The Cavaliers ended a five-game losing streak with a 35-13 win over crosstown rival Malone last Saturday.  Walsh opened the season with a 45-10 triumph over Tiffin, before suffering losses to Ashland, Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican, Northwood and Findlay.

Senior Paul Kempe has started the last two games under center for WU and has completed 46 percent (25-of-54) of his passes for 198 yards with one touchdown and one interception.  Sophomore Brody Tonn passed for 1,043 yards on 94-of-154 (61 percent) with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in the first five contests.

Senior Justin Keith has rushed for a team-high 423 yards and three touchdowns on 84 carries, while sophomore Aaron Male has 335 yards and two scores on 56 attempts.

Junior Anthony Schrock has a team-best 28 catches for 327 yards and one touchdown, with senior Jerald Robinson having team-high totals of 348 receiving yards and five touchdown catches.

Senior Michael Dudics has made all 19 extra point attempts, but is just 4-of-8 on field goals.  Senior Tim Carter is averaging 38.3 yards on his 27 punts.  Senior Jamaris Brown is averaging 28.3 yards per kickoff return and 23.8 yards on six punt returns.

Senior linebacker Cameron Trudell leads the Cavaliers with 55 tackles (29-26) including six for loss, while sophomore linebacker Braily Blair has 42 tackles (23-19) and six TFL.  Junior defensive back CJ Chatman has 41 stops (30-11) along with four TFL and two forced fumbles.  Brown leads Walsh with two interceptions and five pass break-ups.

ON THE HEADSET
Paul Winters is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Warriors.  He has a 59-60 record at Wayne State and has equaled the second-place mark of 11 coaching seasons with the legendary David Holmes (1918-28) this fall.  Joseph Gembis holds the WSU mark with 14 seasons (1932-45).

Ted Karras, Jr. is in his second season in charge of the Walsh football program.  He has a 5-13 mark with the Cavaliers and an overall 11 year coaching record of 67-52.

IN THE POLLS
Wayne State was predicted to finish sixth out of eight teams in the 2014 GLIAC Preseason Coaches North Division Poll. Two of Wayne State's 2014 opponents are ranked inside the top 25 this week as Carson-Newman moved up to No. 17 in the poll after a win, while Michigan Tech jumped seven spots to No. 13 after defeating Grand Valley State in Houghton. Other GLIAC teams to receive votes in this week's AFCA poll were Ferris State (6th), Ohio Dominican (16th), and Ashland (24th).

NATIONAL STATISTICS
WSU is 26th nationally in kickoff return average (23.40).  The Warriors lead the GLIAC in sacks (2.86 per game) which ranks 26th nationally.  WSU leads the GLIAC and is eighth nationally in tackles for loss per game (9.4) and ranks 29th nationally with eight fumble recoveries.  The Warriors are fourth nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.86) and sixth in fewest penalty yards per game (34.43).  Offensively, Wayne State is 20th in red zone offense (87.5%), 21st nationally in fewest sacks allowed (1.14 per game), 22nd in fewest tackles for loss allowed (5.0 per game) and 24th in passing yards per completion (14.51).

COLLEGIATE DEBUTS
During the Michigan Tech game on Sept. 4th, nine Warriors made their collegiate debuts:  Ron Brant, Jake Carrizales, Dustin Carlin, DeAndre Grady, Paul Graham, James Howard, Blake Mazur, Tommy Richardson and Andy Zimmerman.

Another three Warriors made their WSU debuts in the MTU contest:  Rabeah Beydoun, Ashawn Butler, and Garrett Wiska.

Making their collegiate debut during the Carson-Newman game were Jamel Hicks, Manny Mendoza and Alex Ziedas.

Making their WSU debut during the Northwood game were Derrick Rodgers and Sam Tate.

WARRIORS NAME CAPTAINS FOR 2014 SEASON
Wayne State University head football coach Paul Winters, who is in his 11th season at the helm of the Warriors, announced his 2014 captains during a special "Captains Presentation" prior to the scrimmage on August 23rd.

The 2014 WSU captains will be senior center Thom Box (Milan, Mich.), senior cornerback Gerren DuHart (Toledo, Ohio / Central Catholic), senior linebacker Nores Fradi (Dearborn Hts., Mich. / Dearborn), senior running back Desmond Martin (Redford, Mich. / Thurston) and senior left tackle Ben Walker (Oxford, Mich. / Lake Orion).

Box will be in his second year as a captain while the other four are first-year captains.  Senior Marcell Jones served as WSU's fourth captain for last Saturday's game at NMU as both Box and Walker did not dress due to injuries.

Prior to the announcement of the 2014 captains, nine previous WSU captains spoke about their time in Detroit:  Jeff Bero (1985-88), Dale Dwojakowski (1989-92), Michael Hall (2002-05), Huston Julian (1997-2000), Steve Lee (1988-91), Josh Renel (2008-11), Donald Urban (1962-64), Ed Viverette (2010-13) and Leo Wells (2002-05).

ALL SIX HOME GAMES TELEVISED
All six of Wayne State's home games will be broadcast on Comcast Xfinity Channel 900.  The broadcast team of Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson (Kevin Brechmacher will fill in for Abramson on Oct. 25) will have the call from Tom Adams Field.  Every league contest will be shown live plus on a tape-delayed basis at noon on Sunday's, 8 pm on Wednesday's and 9 am on Thursday's.  
The post-game report from each contest will also be available On-Demand.

WINTERS ON WEDNESDAYS
The weekly Winters on Wednesdays radio show began its third season on Sept. 3 with head coach Paul Winters joining host Rod Beard, and co-host Ashley Raymond in the studio.  The Winters on Wednesdays radio show airs every Wednesday from 7-8 pm on Newstalk 1400 AM (and 92.7 FM) and is simulcast on wdtkam.com.

WDTK AND WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
All Wayne State football games can be heard on WDTK Radio (1400 AM/92.7 FM).  Fans can listen to the games online at wdtkam.com or watch the home games via Warrior All-Access for a $5.95 per game fee.  Sean Baligian and former WSU running back Josh Renel will call the action from the broadcast booth, while Jenn Goethel will handle the sideline reporting for each home contest.