Box Score Wayne State 16 Augustana 13
            
            Wayne State's defense forced seven turnovers resulting in 13 points as WSC opened NSIC South Division play with a 16-13 win over Augustana Saturday afternoon at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  WSC is now 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the NSIC South while Augustana drops to 2-3 and 0-1 in divisional play. 
            Defense dominated the game early as the two teams combined for eight punts and two turnovers before the Wildcats scored midway through the second quarter.
            The Wildcats marched 66 yards on 10 plays before settling for an Ethan Knudson 26-yard field goal, putting WSC in front 3-0 at the 7:14 mark of the second quarter.
            Late in the second quarter, Augustana moved the ball to the Wildcat 36 when senior Glenn Harris made his second interception of the ball game to stop the potential Viking scoring threat.
            Starting from their own 17, WSC used a 17-yard run by Rashad Trimble followed by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Augustana to place the ball near midfield.  The 'Cats followed with a 34-yard pass from sophomore Aaron Bleil to Willie Walton to the Augustana 16 that set up Knudson for a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give Wayne State a 6-0 lead at intermission.
            The Wildcat defense created the next scoring opportunity for WSC as junior defensive end Randy Bryan intercepted Augustana quarterback Kyle Saddler and rambled 44 yards for a touchdown, giving Wayne State a 13-0 lead with 9:30 to play third quarter.
            Wayne State's defense wasted little time to create another scoring chance for the Wildcats as Cole Tirrel picked off Saddler at the Viking 48 and raced 46 yards on the return to give WSC a first and goal at the Augustana 2.  The Wildcats had to settle for another Knudson field goal, this one from 22 yards out, giving WSC a 16-0 advantage with 7:13 remaining third quarter.
            Augustana drove to the WSC 18 on the ensuing drive, but the Wildcat special teams came up with a block from Xavier Graham to prevent Augie from getting on the scoreboard at the end of the third quarter. 
            A quick three-and-out by the 'Cats on the following drive gave Augustana the ball at the WSC 39.  The Vikings marched down the field and used a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Saddler to Trevor DeSchepper to cut the Wildcat lead to 16-6 after a failed two-point conversion. 
            With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Glenn Harris came up with his third interception of the game tying a Wildcat school record. 
            Both offenses stalled until 1:29 remained in the game when Augustana used an eight-play 90-yard drive capped off by a Saddler touchdown pass to Jake Welsheimer to trim the WSC lead to 16-13 with 1:36 to play.    
            After another quick possession by the 'Cats, Augustana took over with one second remaining in the contest.  Tyler Thomsen picked off Kyle Saddler as time expired to secure the Wayne State victory.
            Augustana outgained the Wildcats on offense 436 to 222 yards.  The Vikings rushed the ball 41 times for 243 yards while the Wildcats gained 84 yards on 38 attempts.  Augie gained 193 yards through the air while WSC had 138 passing yards. 
            Rashad Trimble led the Wildcats on the ground with 53 yards on 24 carries.
            Sophomore Aaron Bleil, who started at quarterback in place of injured senior Zach Osborn, completed 12 of 27 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.  Junior Taylor Reedy took over at quarterback in the second half, gaining 36 yards on five carries on the ground. 
            Willie Walton had three receptions for 62 yards followed by senior Nate Rogers who added three catches for 21 yards.  
            Defensively, the Wildcats set a new school record with seven interceptions in a game to break the previous record of six set by the 1984 Wayne State team against Hastings. 
            Glenn Harris tied a WSC school record with three interceptions in a game and had three tackles to lead the 'Cats.  Tyler Thomsen, Kolbie Foster, Randy Bryan and Cole Tirrel also each had interceptions on the day.  Ian Ailts added 12 tackles while senior Logan Weinandt had the lone sack for WSC. 
Wayne State will be at home next Saturday, hosting Southwest Minnesota State in the annual Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne.