#22 Wayne State 42 Southwest Minnesota State 39
Wayne State College, ranked 22nd in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, outlasted Southwest Minnesota State 42-39 Saturday afternoon in Northern Sun Conference football played in Wayne, Nebraska. The two teams combined for an even 1,000 yards in the ball game. WSC is now 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the NSIC while SMSU drops to 3-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Wayne State gained a season-high 623 yards in the game compared to 377 yards for SMSU and the Wildcats ran 30 more plays than the Mustangs, 91-61. But SMSU stayed close with big plays and held a 32-28 lead entering the fourth quarter. But WSC came back and used a pair of Silas Fluellen touchdown passes, one to Logan Masters and one to Mitch Montgomery, to build a 42-32 lead. SMSU scored with 41 seconds left to cut the deficit to 42-39, then tried an onside kick that went only five yards, and WSC held on for the 42-39 win.
Southwest Minnesota State opened the scoring with 9:46 to go in the first quarter when quarterback Ryan Ratekin found Wade McDonough on a 22-yard scoring play to give the Mustangs a 6-0 lead. WSC then marched 78 yards on eight plays, capped by a 44-yard scoring pass from Silas Fluellen to Frederick Bruno to put the Wildcats in front 7-6. The Wildcats took a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter when Fluellen connected with Robert Perry on a 10-yard pass. But Southwest Minnesota State's Warren Matthews returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
WSC then scored on its third possession in a row when Nick Pulscher capped an 11 play, 77 yard drive with a two-yard run to increase the Wildcat advantage to 21-12 with 10:44 to play in the first half. Late in the first half, the Wildcats pushed their lead to 28-12 when Mario Melvin found the end zone on a two-yard run with 32 seconds remaining in the second quarter. But SMSU put together a late drive and Ratekin found Blake Wilson on a 48-yard scoring strike with three seconds to play in the half to make the halftime score 28-19.
The Mustangs used that momentum and scored on their first two possessions of the second half and took a 32-28 lead. Ratekin connected with Warren Matthews on a 23-yard scoring pass at the 12:56 mark of the third quarter and later Ratekin teamed up with McDonough on a four-yard scoring play with 3:54 left in the third quarter to give the Mustangs a 32-28 lead.
Wayne State's defense forced SMSU to punt on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter and each time WSC was able to score to build a 42-32 lead. Fluellen delivered a 23-yard scoring pass to Logan Masters with 6:02 left in the game, allowing WSC to retake the lead at 35-32. After forcing another SMSU punt, the Wildcats marched 90 yards on just four plays, capped by a 60-yard scoring pass to Mitch Montgomery, giving WSC a 42-32 lead with 2:53 left in the game. SMSU then scored on a one-yard pass from Ratekin to Blake Wilson, making the score 42-39 with 41 seconds to play. The ensuing onside kick by the Mustangs went only five yards and out of bounds, giving WSC the ball and the 'Cats ran out the clock to preserve the 42-39 win.
Fluellen finished the game completing 34 of 47 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Logan Masters had a game-high 10 receptions for 117 yards and one score followed by Robert Perry with eight catches for 90 yards and one score. Redshirt freshman Nick Pulscher had a solid game running the ball for the Wildcats, gaining a team-high 71 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.
For Southwest Minnesota State, quarterback Ryan Ratekin completed 23 of 38 passes for 302 yards and five touchdowns. Blake Wilson hauled in nine catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. The top rusher for the Mustangs was Zach Wysong with 87 yards on 15 carries.
Defensively, Wayne State was led by senior linebacker Ryan Reeves with 10 tackles followed by defensive end Cody Swanson with seven stops.
Wayne State will be at home again next Saturday when the Wildcats host Upper Iowa in the Homecoming/Hall of Fame game with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m. at Cunningham Field.
