Release courtesy of the Wayne State University Sports Information Department
WAYNE STATE FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE
Click here to watch the game against Minnesota Duluth
live Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
MINNESOTA DULUTH STORYLINES
The 33rd-ranked Wayne State University football team (10-3)
advanced to the Super Region 3 championship game for the first time
in school history by upending fourth-ranked Nebraska Kearney,
38-26, on Nov. 26.
The Warriors will face the defending national champion Bulldogs of
the University of Minnesota Duluth (11-2) this Saturday in a noon
kickoff (Central time) in Duluth. This will be the first
meeting between the schools in football and the first December game
in the 94-year history of WSU football.
WSU has won back-to-back road games in the playoffs and has been
victorious in seven of its last eight contests away from Detroit
with the only setback coming on a last second field goal at Ashland
on Oct. 15. Wayne State is 19-5 in its last 24 contests and
has a 10-2 mark in its last 12 road games. After recording their
best start (6-0) since 1974, the Warriors are 4-3 in their last
seven games.
UMD has won four straight since a 35-7 loss at St. Cloud State on
Oct. 29. The only other setback (by a 7-0 score) for the
Bulldogs came on Sept. 17 at Wayne State (Neb.) College.
Minnesota Duluth has won 14 consecutive home games since a 24-10
loss to Grand Valley on Nov. 28, 2009.
NEBRASKA KEARNEY RECAP
Wayne State set a school record with 10 wins after defeating
Nebraska Kearney in an NCAA Second Round Playoff game last
Saturday.
The Warriors raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first six minutes of
the contest on a Josh
Renel one-yard plunge and a 47-yard interception return
by Jeremy
Jones.
WSU added 17 points in the second quarter as Toney
Davis scored on a four-yard run following Jones' second
pick of the afternoon, then Troy
Burrell hauled in a 26-yard scoring pass from Mickey
Mohner. Stefan
Terleckyj concluded the first half scoring with a
season-best 43-yard field goal.
The Lopers tallied the only points of the third period on a
two-yard run by Rustin Dring. Following an eight-yard scoring
run by UNK's Stephan Rush, Renel went in from six yards out with
3:29 left to seal the win.
Renel (121 yards) and Davis (69 yards) combined for 190 of WSU's
207 rushing yards. Mohner completed 8-of-17 passes for 122
yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Burrell had
team-highs in receptions (4) and receiving yards (73).
Dring led the Lopers with 121 rushing yards, while Harlon Hill
finalist Jake Spitzlberger passed for 230 yards on 19-of-40 but was
intercepted three times by Jones, who broke the school record for
interception return yards in a game with 144.
ON THE HEADSET
Head coach Paul
Winters, the reigning AFCA Region Coach of the Year, is
in his eighth season at the helm of the Wayne State football
program and guided the Warriors to their first NCAA Division II
playoff appearance and victories in school history. Winters (46-42)
passed Joseph G. Gembis (1932-45) for first on the WSU career wins
all-time list with the Oct. 22 victory over Hillsdale.
Bob Nielson has a 90-23 record in his ninth year with the
Bulldogs. In 23 years as a collegiate head coach, Nielson has
compiled a 160-56-1 mark.
JONES BREAKS TWO SCHOOL RECORDS
Jones' three interceptions and 144 return yards nearly equaled two
NCAA Division II playoff records. Vince Buck of Central State
had four picks vs. Towson on Nov. 28, 1986, while William Felton of
Albany State (GA) garnered 154 interception return yards on Nov.
20, 2004, vs. Arkansas Tech.
The 144 interception return yards was a school record and
increased his career total to an all-time best of 406 yards.
MINNESOTA DULUTH'S HISTORY
The Bulldogs have won two national titles (2008 and 2010) and are
competing in the NCAA tournament for the sixth time
(2002-05-08-09-10-11). UMD has won 16 Northern Sun
Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Championship titles, a North
Central Conference Championship in 2005 and three Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships (1960-61-73).
SCOUTING UMD
Minnesota Duluth leads the NSIC in rushing offense (243.69 ypg), a
mark which ranks 10th nationally. UMD is 56th in scoring
offense averaging nearly 30 points per contest.
Fifteen (15) Bulldogs received All-NSIC North Division recognition
for 2011, including three-time selections senior placekicker David
Nadeau and senior strong safety Cody Eich.
Zach Hulce and Brian Lucas have each rushed for over 800 yards
garnering 857 and 829 yards, respectively. Hulce leads the
squad with 12 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Chase Vogler
has rushed for 682 yards, while completing 65 percent (163-of-252)
of his passes for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Zach Zweifel (35-426), Joe Reichert (34-425) and Aaron Roth
(31-293) combined have accounted for 61 percent of the
receptions. Reichert has a team-best four TD
catches.
Nadeau has connected on all 49 extra-point attempts, and made
12-of-15 field goal attempts for a team-leading 85 points.
Minnesota Duluth ranks sixth in total defense (273.69 ypg), while
ranking 11th in both rushing defense (101.46 ypg) and scoring
defense (18.0 ppg). The Bulldogs are 17th in pass defense
(172.23 ypg).
Colby Ring leads UMD with 92 tackles (46-46), while Eich is second
with 85 stops (45-40). Rob Huberty has a team-leading 13
tackles for loss, while Gavin Brown has a team-best 5.5 sacks.
UPCOMING SEASON MILESTONES
Davis needs 77 rushing yards to pass Joe Gough (1992) at 1,340
yards for fifth place. Renel needs 100 yards to equal
Gough.
Davis is fourth in rushing touchdowns (19), and needs three to tie
Joique Bell (2006) for third place. Renel has tied his 2010
mark of 14 rushing touchdowns, which ranks sixth all-time.
Mohner needs 85 passing yards to move into first place. Mark
Friday (1993) holds the record with 2,478 yards.
Mohner set the single-season record for passing touchdowns with
his second quarter strike to Burrell vs. Nebraska Kearney.
Burrell needs 110 receiving yards to tie Pierre Brown (2000) for
the WSU single-season record and two receptions to equal Nick
Body's (2003) season mark. His 13 receiving touchdowns are the most
since 2000.
Jones and Aaron
Cornett could be the first defensive backs since Bobby
Boyer in 2004 to lead the team in tackles. Jones (76 tackles) and
Cornett (74 tackles) lead linebackers Ed
Viverette and Raleigh
Ross, who each have 60 tackles.
WSU needs 146 rushing yards to break the school record of 2,910
set in 1975.
The Warriors have already broken the school marks for rushing
touchdowns (37) set by the 2007 squad (32); total offense (5,233)
set by the 2000 squad (4,551); all-purpose yards (6,636) set by the
2000 team (5,822); points (477) set last year (347); touchdowns
(64), accomplished three times before at 45.
The 20 interceptions is tied for fifth most in school
history. The 1983 set the standard with 35 picks.
UPCOMING CAREER MILESTONES
Renel and Davis are tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns with
28. Joe Gough (1991-94) is third with 33.
Mohner has already set school records for career completions
(382), passing yards (5,532) and passing touchdowns (45).
Burrell needs six receptions to equal Ray Ponder (1989-92) for
first.
Renel (180 points), Davis (174) and Terleckyj (170) rank seventh,
eighth and ninth, respectively in all-time scoring at WSU.
Steve Lee (1988-91) is sixth with 182 points, while David
Chudzinski (2205-08) is fifth with 206 points.
Terleckyj needs four made extra points to eclipse Chudzinski's
school record of 107.
Jones moved into first place on the interception return yards
chart after accumulating 144 return yards at Nebraska
Kearney. He broke Chuck Aldrich's 29-year-old record of 373
yards. Jones has 406 yards on 17 career interceptions, which
ranks fourth all-time. Jones also moved into second place in
career passes defended with 39. Tony Hawk (1992-92, 96-97)
has the all-time mark at 54.
