Nov. 3, 2007

Final Stats

The Wayne State University football team (3-7 overall, 2-7 GLIAC) set the single-game school record for offensive plays (103) but it was not enough as the Warriors fell at Ashland (7-1 overall and GLIAC) by a 63-42 score on Saturday afternoon.

WSU took a short Eagle kickoff back to midfield and drove to the Ashland 22 before David Chudzinski's (Belleville, Mich.) 40-yard field goal attempt sailed left on the first possession of the game.

AU responded with a three-play, 78-yard drive with Dawon Harvey scoring on a 60 yard run to start the scoring. After two WSU punts sandwiched around an Eagle fake punt that didn't convert, AU went 91 yards in five plays with Billy Cundiff completing a 16-yard scoring toss to Nick Bellanco before the game was seven minutes old.

After the kickoff, Wayne State put together the longest time consuming drive of the game (5:37) and went 57 yards in 13 plays with sophomore Joique Bell (Benton Harbor, Mich.) scoring on a one-yard run. Junior Mickey Berce (Dearborn, Mich.) replaced starter Trent Pohl (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge) under center for the drive and completed three of five passes for 37 yards and also scrambled for three yards on a fourth-and-one.

Not to be outdone, Ashland regained its 14 point advantage (21-7) with a five play, 73 yard drive with Cundiff hooking up with David Ziegelhofer on a 50-yard touchdown pass.

The Warriors answered back with the fourth consecutive touchdown drive of the game (there would be touchdowns on the next drive for each team as well). Stan Thornton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow) returned the Eagle kickoff near midfield and six plays later Bell had his second rushing touchdown of the contest. This one came of the first play of the second quarter.

AU scored on its second play following the kickoff for another 14-point lead (28-14) but after Bruno Shkreli (Livonia, Mich./Clarenceville) returned the Eagle kickoff to the Ashland 45 the Warriors were business again. After a loss on the first play from scrimmage, Berce completed a 16-yard pass to Daryl Graham (Detroit, Mich./St. Martin de Porres) for a first down. Following a Bell run, he completed a 26-yard pass to senior tight end Kenny Schmidt (Waterford, Mich./Mott), the longest reception of his career. Two plays later, Bell had his third rushing touchdown and the game wasn't even 19 minutes old.

On Ashland's ensuing drive, Cornelius Dillard (Detroit, Mich./St. Martin de Porres) forced a fumble by Viterio Jones after a reception and defensive end James Cook (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison) recovered at the WS 27.

Two Wayne State punts were sandwiched around a missed field goal by AU, but late in the first half, the Eagles drove 46 yards in three plays with Ziegelhofer hauling in a 44-yard scoring strike giving AU a 35-21 halftime advantage.

Ashland led in total offense (426-233) after 30 minutes despite Wayne State holding a 20:01 - 9:59 advantage in time of possession.

The second half did not feature six consecutive scoring drives, just three to start the third quarter.

Bell had a two-yard scoring run on WSU's first drive of the second half for his fourth rushing touchdown of the game. This feat had only been accomplished 10 times in the first 89 years of WSU football (including twice by Bell in 2006), but Bell has reached this milestone four times this year (at Mercyhurst, vs. Gannon, at Indianapolis, and at Ashland).

After Bell's record-tying run, Ashland put together its longest scoring drive (in terms of time of possession - 2:55) as the Eagles went 54 yards in six plays with Cundiff tossing his school-record fifth touchdown pass of the game.

Following a failed fourth down conversion attempt late in the third period by the Warriors at the Ashland 14, Jaman Javey went 88 yards on the first play giving the Eagles a 56-28 lead with just 81 seconds left in the third period.

Graham had a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to pull the Warriors within three scores but Ashland answered back to regain the four score advantage.

Wayne State's final rushing touchdown (and sixth of the game) was by redshirt freshman running back Neil Mitchell (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic).

Both teams rushed for over 300 yards (WSU 70 for 353, AU 37 for 341), while the Eagles led in passing yards (380-182). The squads combined for 1,256 yards of total offense (AU 721, WSU 535).

The Warriors had 10 red zone scoring chances converting six times. All four missed opportunities came in the second half and on downs.

Notes:

Bell, who entered the contest first in Division II in scoring with 144 points, recorded 24 points to retain his national scoring lead. He has 25 rushing touchdowns and 28 total touchdowns this season. Bell also tied the GLIAC record for league points in a season (156) set by Grand Valley's David Kircus in 2001, and is tied with Tyree Dye (Ferris State, 1990-91, 93-94) for fourth all-time in GLIAC league scoring with 288 points, just 21 games into his collegiate career.

In addition to the school record 103 offensive plays, the 70 rushing attempts is the second-highest mark in school history (81 vs. Illinois-Benedictine on Sept. 28, 1974).

Wayne State recorded 756 all-purpose yards just 26 behind the school record of 782 set at Northern Michigan on Oct. 6, 2001.

WSU's 535 yards of total offense is the eighth best mark in school history.

The Eagles established school single-game marks for points and total offense and also set a GLIAC single-game record for yards per play (11.6).