Wayne State 24 Winona State 27
Wayne State College fell to Winona State in a thrilling 27-24 finish to the 23rd annual Egg Bowl Game. Wayne State finishes the season 7-4 overall this season with a 7-3 record in the NSIC while Winona State improves to 7-4 overall and 6-4 in conference play. WSC is now 16-7 in Egg Bowl games.
Winona State got on the scoreboard first with an interception returned 30 yards for a touchdown just 30 seconds into the game to give the Warriors an early 7-0 lead over the Wildcats. The two teams then exchanged punts on the next four possessions before Winona State capitalized on a fumbled punt by WSC return man Mario Melvin as Thomas Kinney booted a 29 yard field goal with 6:41 left in the first quarter to extend the Warriors' lead to 10-0.
Later in the first quarter, Wayne State took advantage of a fumble by WSU running back Rayon Simmons to set up there scoring possession. After the fumble, Wayne State used six players to go 37 yards in two minutes with Bryce Hawthorne capping the scoring drive with an eight yard touchdown scamper. The score by Hawthorne cut the Winona State lead to 10-7.
The second quarter saw both teams post a field goal as Kinney knocked in a 34 yarder on Winona's first possession of the second quarter to boost the Warriors' lead to 13-7. WSU was poised to score again driving deep into Wildcat territory when Mario Melvin intercepted a pass at the WSC one yard line to eliminate the scoring threat. After a Randy Weich punt, Brett Pribnow intercepted another Alex Nelson pass and returned it to the Warriors' 25 yard line. Max Martin connected on a 26 yard field goal four plays later to pull the Wildcats within three as the scoreboard read 13-10.
The third quarter yielded zero points for both teams as Winona State was forced to punt twice while Wayne State punted once and Max Martin missed a 52 yard field goal.
Winona State opened the fourth quarter by converting third and 20 on the first play of the quarter for a 20 yard touchdown strike from Bryan Bradshaw to Jay Adams giving WSU a 20-10 advantage. Wayne State went for it on fourth and one on the next drive but the Winona State defense stopped a quarterback sneak by Evan Johnson to force the turnover on downs. After a WSU punt, WSC quarterback Evan Johnson orchestrated a 12 play 91 yard drive that was capped with a three yard touchdown pass from Johnson to tight end Sam Blake, bringing the 'Cats within three 20-17.
The Wildcat defense forced the Warriors to punt on their next drive but the punter dropped the snap and WSC received the ball at the Winona State 46 yard line. Johnson connected with senior receiver Mitch Montgomery on the very next play for a 46 yard touchdown that gave Wayne State their first lead of the game 24-20 with 3:27 remaining in regulation. Winona State then responded with an 11 play 64 yard drive that ended with WSU running back Rayon Simmons plunging into the endzone for a one yard touchdown run on fourth and goal to give Winona a 27-24 advantage. Wayne State was unable to convert on a hail mary as Evan Johnson was intercepted by Larry Mbayu with time expiring to seal the Winona State victory 27-24.
Winona State racked up 426 yards of total offense to Wayne State's 349. The Warriors finished with 227 yards rushing and 199 passing yards while the Wildcats had 131 rushing yards and 218 through the air. Wayne State quarterback Evan Johnson was named WSC Egg Bowl MVP after replacing Nate Most at QB and converting 10 of the 15 passes he attempted for two touchdowns and 151 yards. Running back Bryce Hawthorne rushed 26 times for 140 yards on the ground and one touchdown while senior receiver Mitch Montgomery was the top receiving threat for the 'Cats on the afternoon with eight catches for 133 yards and a score.
Defensively, linebacker Jared Curry led the Wildcats in tackles with 11 and Nick Monzu was right behind him with 10 tackles. Mario Melvin and Brett Pribnow each notched interceptions for the WSC defense and Richard Daniel led the team in tackles for loss with three for 11 yards.
For Winona State, running back Rayon Simmons was selected Egg Bowl Most Valuable Player with his performance of 37 carries for 187 yards and a touchdown.
