The Huskies suffered a 20-14 loss Saturday afternoon. The Huskies took an early 14-6 lead against Wayne State University, but ultimately fell to the Warriors after they scored 14 points that would go unanswered in the GLIAC game.
“It was a tough loss for us today,” said head coach Steve Olson. “Just like every week, our kids go out there and work and prepare hard. In our league, we always say games are going to be close, hard fought, and often times come down to a few plays. You don’t know when those plays are going to happen. They could happen in the first quarter or they could happen in the fourth quarter.”
The Wayne State Warriors claimed the first touchdown of the day. The Warriors moved the ball to the Huskies 27-yard line to set up the touchdown run. Senior defensive back Spencer Moran successfully blocked the extra point, keeping the score 6-0 with just over five minutes to go in the first quarter. This was Moran’s second block of the season and the fourth time the Huskies have blocked a kick this year.
The Huskies responded on the kickoff when sophomore wide receiver Jacob Wenzlick found a gap down the sideline, and ran for a 93-yard touchdown return. This was Wenzlick’s first career kickoff return for a touchdown. Sophomore kicker Evan Gornick gave Tech a 7-6 lead.
Late in the first quarter, Wayne State moved the ball to the Tech 16 yard line. The Warriors quarterback dropped the football allowing senior linebacker Derrick Diver to recover it and give possession back to the Huskies’ offense. Taking advantage of this, the Huskies began a 13-play, 85-yard scoring drive bringing the score to 14-6. Senior quarterback Jake Brown connected with senior wide receiver Ben Hartley on a critical fourth down play. This allowed a 13-yard touchdown run by senior tailback John Williams with just over 12 minutes to go in the second quarter.
Wayne State came within five points with just over five minutes left to go in the second quarter. A personal foul forced a field goal attempt by the Warriors. Wayne States Paul Graham would go on to successfully kick a 45-yard field goal, bringing the score 14-9.
The Warriors went on to score on a 32-yard touchdown and completed a successful two point conversion, bringing the score 17-14. The Huskies fumbled early in the fourth quarter to set up another field goal by Wayne State. A holding penalty prevented the scoring of another touchdown by the Warriors and they went on to kick for a successful 27-yard field goal, bringing the score to 20-14, the final score of the game.
“Wayne State came out here and played very well and I give them credit because they finished the game off,” said Olson. “We have to regroup this week, bounce back and get ready to face Davenport next Saturday.”
Williams led the day with 76 yards on 11 carries. Brown completed 13 passes for a total of 125 yards, favoring Wenzlick and senior wide receiver David Falish, claiming five and four receptions for 51 and 50 yards respectively. Sohpomore linebacker Marvin Wright tallied 11 tackles, followed closely by junior safety Graham Hubbell who racked up 10 total. The Huskies boasted 250 yards of total offense with 125 coming on the ground.
The Huskies return to Sherman Field again hosting Davenport on Saturday. The Davenport Panthers lost to Northwood Saturday 33-30 in an overtime contest. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m..
