Box Score Sophomore quarterback
Zach Osborn completed 26 of 42 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns to lead Wayne State College in a dominant 27-7 win over #25 Winona State in the annual Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game Saturday afternoon at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne. WSC improves to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in the NSIC South Division while the visiting Warriors fall to 3-2 and 0-1 in the NSIC South.
Wayne State set the tone for the game early with a combination of stellar defense, that included a pair of early sacks, to go with an offense that scored on the first two possessions of the contest.
The Wildcats drove 68 yards on nine plays with junior
Ryan Ludlow finding the end zone on a two-yard run to give WSC an early 7-0 lead with 10:26 to go in the first quarter. On Wayne State's next possession, the 'Cats needed just three plays to cover 75 yards with Osborn firing a 16-yard strike to redshirt freshman
Marcel Dunson to increase the Wildcat advantage to 14-0 with 8:27 remaining in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Wildcat defense forced a Winona State fumble at the Wildcat 46 yard line and converted the turnover into seven points as Ludlow found the end zone for the second time on a five-yard jaunt to culminate a six-play, 54 yard drive that put WSC in front 20-0 with 5:09 to play before halftime.
Wayne State took a 27-0 lead toward the end of the third quarter as Osborn and Dunson teamed up for a second scoring strike, this one from 18 yards out, capping an 11-play, 81 yard drive, with 4:29 to go in the third quarter.
Winona State avoided the shutout with 14:52 to play in the game as sophomore quarterback Jack Nelson threw a 21-yard scoring pass to Alan May that closed the scoring to make the final score 27-7.
Wayne State racked up 510 yards of total offense while holding Winona State to just 196. The 'Cats gained 138 yards on the ground and 372 passing while WSC held Winona State to just 22 yards rushing and 174 passing.
Junior running back
Ryan Ludlow led the Wildcat ground attack with 30 carries for 99 yards and two scores while Osborn added 33 yards on seven rushes.
Osborn completed 26 of 42 passes for 372 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. 10 different Wildcat receivers had catches, led by senior
Adam Stark with seven receptions for 106 yards. Redshirt freshman
Marcel Dunson had a career day with six catches for 73 yards and two scores.
The Wildcat defense was dominant, recording eight sacks for 63 yards while holding Winona State to just 196 yards of total offense. Senior defensive end
Abram Walker had a team-high seven tackles with 3.5 sacks for 27 yards and 4.5 tackles for loss for 28 yards.
Nick Monzu added six tackles with one interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Senior defensive end
Jeff Van Den Top contributed five tackles with two sacks for 17 yards while senior
J'Ron Erby had an interception with four pass breakups.
Wayne State will be on the road next weekend visiting Concordia-St. Paul in a 1 p.m. NSIC South Division contest in St. Paul, Minnesota.