Wayne State 24 #13 Nebraska-Kearney 17 OT
Wayne State College senior running back Eric Meyer scored on a one-yard run in overtime to give the Wildcats a 24-17 win at #13 Nebraska-Kearney Saturday evening at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field in Kearney, Nebraska. It was the third straight season that the Wildcats topped the Lopers, marking just the second time in the history of the series dating back to 1924 that WSC has defeated Kearney three straight years in football. (The longest win streak for WSC over Kearney in football was four years -1948-51).
“What an atomosphere tonight, a great ball game,” remarked WSC head coach Dan McLaughlin on his post-game radio show. “This is a great start to the season with two good teams that played hard. We had a lull in the fourth quarter but our kids came through in the end. I thought it was a good first game for a fairly young team. I saw some awfully good things tonight but we also have some things we need to work on too.”
UNK got on the scoreboard first late in the opening quarter following a Wayne State turnover. Loper cornerback Arthur Hobbs intercepted Wildcat sophomore quarterback Cyle Schultz giving UNK the ball at the WSC 29-yard line with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter. On the next play, Loper senior Brendan Liess raced 29 yards for a touchdown, giving Nebraska-Kearney an early 7-0 lead.
It didn't take long though for the Wildcats to respond as on the ensuing drive Wayne State knotted the score as Wildcat quarterback Cyle Schultz connected with sophomore running back Nick Pulscher on a 78-yard touchdown pass, evening the score at 7-7 with 1:32 to go in the first quarter. After the Wildcats forced UNK to punt on a three and out on the next series, WSC used another big play to take the lead early in the second quarter as Schultz hit junior wide receiver Mitch Montgomery on a 59-yard scoring play, capping a four-play, 72-yard drive that put the Wildcats in front 14-7 with 14:50 remaining in the first half.
The Wildcats scored again later in the second quarter as redshirt freshman kicker Nick Bell booted a 22-yard field goal, culminating a 10-play, 39 yard drive with 3:00 to go in the first half, giving Wayne State a 17-7 lead at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Wildcats held the ball for 10:55 of the quarter. WSC took the opening drive of the second half and moved the ball to the UNK 24-yard line, but sophomore Wildcat placekicker Max Martin was wide left on a 42-yard field goal for the quarter's lone scoring opportunity.
UNK gained momentum early in the fourth quarter with a big play to cut the Wildcat lead to 17-14 as quarterback Jake Spitzlberger connected with Kyle Kaiser on a 67-yard touchdown pass with 12:36 left in the game to pull the Lopers within three. Later in the quarter, UNK tied the score as Michael Gruber booted a 24-yard field goal with 4:33 remaining to make the score 17-17. Wayne State took the ensuing drive and moved the ball to the UNK 24-yard line, but a holding penalty and ineligible receiver call against the 'Cats moved WSC back to the UNK 37-yard line with eight seconds to play. Placekicker Max Martin, with a breezy south wind at his back, attempted a 54-yard field goal to win the game and the kick appeared to have enough distance but was wide right, sending the game into overtime.
WSC had the ball first in overtime and senior running back Eric Meyer came up big the Wildcats in overtime. On a third and six from the UNK 21, Meyer had a seven yard reception to give the 'Cats a first down. Later in the drive on the third and goal from the one, Meyer plunged into the end zone and following Nick Bell's PAT kick, WSC took a 24-17 lead. The Wildcat defense then answered the call and stopped UNK on four plays as Loper quarterback Jake Spitzlberger threw an incomplete pass on 4th and 7 from the 22 yard line to end the game as Wayne State scored the 24-17 overtime win.
Wayne State outgained Nebraska-Kearney in the game 433-332. Sophomore quarterback Cyle Schultz accounted for 284 yards of total offense to lead the Wildcats. He completed 13 of 26 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while rushing for another 79 yards on 15 attempts. Sophomore running back Nick Pulscher of Sheldon, Iowa rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries and was the leading WSC receiver with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Ralston junior Mitch Montgomery added four catches for 88 yards and a score.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Ben Perry registered 11 tackles to lead Wayne State followed by junior defensive back Javal Jones with nine stops. Junior defensive end Richard Daniel added five tackles, including two sacks and one quarterback hurry for Wayne State. The Wildcats held UNK junior running back Rustin Dring, a preseason All-American, to just 68 yards on 18 carries.
For Nebraska-Kearney, junior quarterback Jake Spitzlberger completed 22 of 36 passes for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Dring finished with 68 yards rushing on 18 carries and had six catches for 38 yards. UNK's top receiver was Kyle Kaiser with eight receptions for 146 yards and one score.
Wayne State College is off next weekend and will return to play on Saturday, September 11th when the Wildcats open Northern Sun Conference play at home against Minnesota, Crookston in a 1:00 p.m. game at Cunningham Field in Wayne.
