Wayne State College will play five home games and a non-conference game for the first time in 12 years as the 2023 Wildcat football schedule was released today by head football coach Logan Masters and athletic director Mike Powicki.
            With the announcement by Upper Iowa on November 29^th that the school was leaving the Northern Sun Conference at the end of the 2022-23 school year, the NSIC has restructured its football schedule for the 2023 season that will now feature a 10-game, non-division league schedule.  Each team will play five home games and five road games with an open date to schedule a non-conference opponent.
            The Wildcats open the 2023 schedule at home on Thursday evening, August 31^st hosting MSU Moorhead at 6 p.m.  WSC will play another night game on Saturday, September 16^th facing Southwest Minnesota State at 6 p.m.
            Homecoming is slated for Saturday, October 7^th as the Wildcats host Minnesota Duluth at 1 p.m.  Remaining home games for Wayne State will be Saturday, October 14^th vs. Bemidji State, an NCAA Division II playoff team last season, at 12 p.m. and the home finale on Saturday, October 28^th hosting Augustana at 12 p.m.
            Wayne State has five NSIC road games this season, starting September 9^th at Minnesota State, an NCAA Division II playoff team last year.  Other league road games are at Minot State September 30^th, at Northern State October 21, at Sioux Falls November 4^th and at Concordia-St. Paul November 11^th.
            The Wildcats will be playing a non-conference contest for the first time in 12 years as Wayne State will visit Missouri S&T on Saturday, September 23^rd at 6 p.m.  Missouri S&T will then visit Wayne State in week four during the 2024 football season.  It's the first non-conference game for Wayne State football since September 1, 2011 when UNK defeated the Wildcats in Wayne 41-20.  
            Wayne State finished the 2022 season with a record of 9-3 and earned a share of the Northern Sun Conference regular season title.  The Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for just the second time in school history (2008) before falling to #19 Minnesota State 26-9 in the opening round.  The nine-win season marked just the fourth time in school history (1949, 1993, 2008) that Wayne State football recorded nine wins.   
 
2023 Wayne State Football Schedule
August 31         MSU Moorhead                         6:00 p.m.
September 9     at Minnesota State                    TBA
September 16   Southwest Minnesota State        6:00 p.m.
September 23   at Missouri S&T                         6:00 p.m.
September 30   at Minot State                            TBA
October 7          Minnesota Duluth (Homecoming)    1:00 p.m.
October 14        Bemidji State                             12:00 p.m.
October 21        at Northern State                       TBA
October 28        Augustana                                12:00 p.m.
November 4      at Sioux Falls                            1:00 p.m.
November 11    at Concordia-St. Paul                 12:00 p.m.