Huskies edge Warriors 35-34 on Homecoming
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wayne State (1-5) | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
|
Michigan Tech (2-4) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Trailing by six points deep in the fourth quarter on homecoming, senior Will Ark constructed a 10-play, 65-yard drive and pushed his way past the goal line as Michigan Tech collected a 35-34 victory over Wayne State on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Kearly Stadium.
"It was a good job by the whole team, staying together and not giving up until the final horn," Ark said after the game. "I knew the plays we called had the potential to go for 10-15 yards on the final drive and I felt the pass protection was good, which enabled us to execute down the field. I just focused on distributing the ball to where it needed to go."
Ark completed 22 of 31 passes for 340 yards with three touchdowns for his biggest offensive output of the fall. His top target was sophomore Darius Willis, who hailed nine targets for 183 yards and one touchdown, including a catch and run of 79 yards in the fourth quarter.
"We were getting our one-on-one options and Will was able to find us both scrambling and in the pocket," said Willis. "He made the most of the opportunities and us receivers, we did too."
Michigan Tech (2-4, 1-1 GLIAC) snapped a four-game losing skid in front of 2,291 alumni and fans, as MTU celebrated 100 seasons of football since 1920. Wayne State (1-5, 0-2 GLIAC) dropped its third straight game and stays on the road to face Davenport next week.
"It was a hard-fought game," said head coach Steve Olson. "I was very happy with everything Will (Ark) did and our receivers as well. Just proud of the game plan our offensive coaching staff drew up to help get it there. We moved the ball in different ways when we needed to. It's credit to our guys for digging deep to get that done."
Braxton Blackwell started the Huskies off on a positive note when he intercepted Josh Kulka's pass near midfield and ran it back 47 yards for a touchdown less than a minute into the contest. The Warriors answered quickly as running back Myron Harris ran it in from 18 yards. Griffin Milovanski tacked on a 24-yard field goal on Wayne State's next possession.
Ark zipped a five-yard touchdown pass to Luke Terrian in the front left of the endzone for Tech, but Harris scored from the nine-yard line to put the visitors ahead 17-14 at halftime.
Trailing by 10 in the third quarter, Ark slung a pass up the logo to Brandon Michalak for 59 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season.
Kendall Williams extended WSU's lead again as he rushed in his second of the game to begin the fourth quarter. Then Ark tossed a screen to Willis, who cut to the middle and outran every Wayne State defender for the score.
Later in the fourth, the Husky defense stalled the Warriors on fourth down at their own 36-yard line. Then Ark nearly ran it in himself on the penultimate final drive play after a gain of 16 was spotted at the one-yard line. He crossed the plane behind a strong offensive line push and Drew Wyble added the extra point with 21 seconds remaining.
Facing second and one at the MTU 48, Josh Cribben barreled up the middle and forced Kulka to fumble the ball. As time expired, the Huskies recovered it and walked away winners.
"We brought a three-man pass rush and their quarterback stepped up," Olson recalled. "Josh (Cribben) came back downhill and got a strip. There was a little bit of controversy because Wayne State thought they recovered it in first down position. If they had, they could have potentially run one more play but that is what it is."
Cribben and Marc Sippel led the team in tackles with 13 apiece. Michael Bates Jr. finished with eight and Benjamin Marion marked seven. Travis Ojala also contributed a third quarter interception for the Huskies.
Harris netted 295 yards on the ground for the Warriors on 36 carries and Williams ran 11 times for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Huskies limited Kulka through the air to 90 yards (9-16) and collected three sacks.
Wyble went 5-for-5 on extra points for MTU.
"We just tried to keep it consistent and knew that our hard work would pay off in the end," Willis said. "It almost turned into a shootout in the second half. We knew we had to lock it in on defense and convert when we had the ball."
The Huskies host rival Northern Michigan (3-3, 1-1) next Saturday at 1 p.m. as they pursue their 12th consecutive Miner's Cup. The Wildcats are coming off a 27-24 loss at Davenport.
