Box Score Wayne State 20 Southwest Minnesota State 6

            Wayne State held Southwest Minnesota State to a pair of field goals while senior running back Rashad Trimble rushed for 159 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown to spark the Wildcats in a 20-6 homecoming win Saturday afternoon over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Conference football played at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne.  The host Wildcats are now 4-2 on the year and 2-0 in the NSIC South while the Mustangs fall to 2-4 and 0-2 in divisional play.
            The Wildcats put together a pair of lengthy drives in the first and second quarters, but had to settle for field goals on both possessions.
            An 11-play, 74-yard drive late in the first quarter resulted in a 24-yard field goal from sophomore Ethan Knudson to put the 'Cats in front 3-0.
            The ensuing Wildcat drive saw WSC cover 67 yards on 11 plays using 4:21 on the clock with Knudson booting a 25-yard field goal at the 11:53 mark of the second quarter for a 6-0 Wayne State advantage.
            SMSU got on the scoreboard with seven seconds remaining in the first half as Skyler Crew connected on a 37-yard field goal making the score 6-3 at intermission.
            Wayne State then controlled the time of possession in the third quarter with the 'Cats having the ball for 10:35. 
            The Wildcats drove 80 yards on 15 plays covering 6:27 and capped the drive with a two-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Zach Osborn to senior Nate Rogers giving WSC a 13-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
            Southwest Minnesota State put together a scoring drive in the fourth quarter and had the ball 1^st and goal at the WSC 7, but the Wildcat defense forced the Mustangs into a field goal of 25 yards from Skyler Crew to trim the WSC lead to 13-6 with 6:52 remaining.
            Trimble gave the Wildcats an insurance touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the senior turned the corner and raced 52 yards down the left side line to give WSC a 20-6 lead with 3:54 in the game to close out the scoring.
            Wayne State finished with 366 yards while holding SMSU to 260.  The 'Cats had 219 yards rushing and 147 passing while the Mustangs were limited to 49 yards on the ground and 211 through the air.
            Trimble finished the game with 159 yards on 25 carries and one score for his second 100-yard effort of the season.
            Osborn, who missed last week's game at Augustana with a left foot injury, completed 14 of 30 passes for 147 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. 
            The top Wildcat receiver was junior Layne Sullivan with seven receptions for 47 yards followed by Nate Rogers with three catches for 35 yards and one TD.  With his 22nd career TD reception, Rogers is now tied with Frederick Bruno (2007-10) for third place all-time in touchdown receptions at Wayne State.
            Emile Hope, Kolbie Foster and Tyler Thomsen each recorded eight tackles to lead the Wildcat effort defensively.  Aaron Wright added four solo tackles and one interception.
            The Wildcats have a short week will be at home for a Thursday night NSIC contest against #6 Sioux Falls with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Bob Cunningham Field.