Wayne State Offense

 

The Warriors defeated Saginaw Valley State last Saturday 41-31. The Warriors totaled 448 yards of total offense with the ground game logging 257 yards. Quarterback D.J. Zezula completed 9 of 14 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Zezula averaged 21.2 yards per completion. On the year he is completing 72.2% of his passes, tops in the GLIAC, for 533 yards and nine touchdowns.  The ground game for Wayne State is good once again, averaging 219.7 yards per game. Romello Brown is a bulldozer of a running back, carrying the ball 61 times for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Deiontae Nicholas has a ridiculous average per carry, totaling 213 yards on 12 carries for 17.8 yards per carry. The third ball carrier in the stable is Demetrius Stinson with 25 carries for 116 yards. The receiving unit is led by big play receiver Darece Roberson. The sophomore wide receiver has 12 receptions for 207 yards and four touchdowns. He's averaging 17.3 yards per reception. Running back Deiontae Nicholas has a team high 14 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors are the top 3rd down conversion team in the GLIAC at 57%, and are 3rd in the nation. 

 

Wayne State defense

 

The Warriors are allowing 23.7 points per game, with the opposition gaining 366.7 yards per game. Of the total offense allowed by Wayne State, 70% is coming through the air for opponents. The Warriors are stingy in their run defense, holding opponents to 109.0 rushing yards per game. Junior linebacker Anthony Pittman leads the Warriors in tackles with 19. He also leads Wayne State in sacks with 2.5, and is 2nd on the team in tackles for loss with 3.5. In the defensive secondary, Ronny Brant has 18 stops and two interceptions. In the trenches, the defensive ends, Derrick Coleman and Brady Beedon, are a pair to watch out for. Coleman has 2.5 tackles for loss and Beedon has 2.0 tackles for loss. Opponents are converting 42% of their 3rd downs, and 51% of the 1st downs obtained by the opposition have come through the air.

 

Wayne State Special Teams

 

Paul Graham is the place kicker for Wayne State, hitting 13 of 14 extra point attempts. He has yet to attempt a field goal this season. Graham splits time on kickoffs, sharing the job with Luke Bevilacqua. An interesting stat about the two kickers is that neither has a touchback this year. Taylor McCarty has punted 10 times for a 35.5 yard average. Ronny Brant handles the punt returns, averaging 8.2 yards per return. Deiontae Nicholas is as dangerous as they come in the kickoff return game, averaging 25.3 per return. In his last game against Saginaw Valley State, Nicholas had four returns for 107 yards.

 

 

Tiffin Offense

 

The Dragons' offense managed only 14 points against Davenport University, leaning on the defense for a hard fought win on the road. The Dragons completed only 11 passes in the win, with all completions coming in the 1st half. Nick Watson finished the game 11-for-22 for 170 yards and one touchdown. As a team Tiffin valued their possessions, not turning the ball over. On the ground, JaQuan Hardy led the charge with 14 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown. Tyler Denton had a great first half, hauling in seven receptions for 96 yards. The bigger story from the game was the fact that Charles Holland was held without a catch, breaking a 29 game catch streak. The last time Holland was held without a reception was on October 7, 2014 against Ferris State University. Denton's biggest reception was a 44-yard catch that hit pay dirt. The offensive line had some troubles last Saturday, allowing two sacks and four tackles for loss.

 

Tiffin Defense

 

The Dragons were dominant on Saturday, accumulating 16.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, and a 73-yard pick six. The defense held the Panthers to four 3rd down conversions in 16 attempts, and 188 yards on 62 plays. In back to back games, the Dragons' pass defense has surrendered less than 100 yards through the air. The ground attack for Davenport didn't have much success either, as Tiffin allowed only 110 yards. Individually, Brandon Burks and Jacob Mertus lead Tiffin in total tackles with 21. Burks has logged 1.5 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss. Mertus is 2nd on the team in tackles for loss with 4.0. The most impressive unit on the Tiffin defense has been the defensive line. Charlie Cleveland is the leader of the pack, totaling 13 tackles, a team high 3.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Cleveland has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Vinny Jones has been a force as well, compiling 13 tackles. In the defensive secondary, Daijon Isbell leads the unit with 14 tackles. Carrington Contee has 12 stops, and Delan Wynn is the ball hawk with two interceptions and a defensive touchdown. The Dragons are 2nd in the GLIAC in yards per game allowed, passing yards per game, interceptions, and sacks. 

 

Tiffin Special Teams

 

The Dragons' Joe Metcalf connected on two field goals against Davenport with a long of 35 yards. Four of his six kickoffs were touchbacks, with the opposition averaging only 17 yards per return. Harry McCollum was a busy guy, punting eight times, with an average of 36.9. The kickoff return team was handcuffed on Saturday as Davenport kept the ball away from Dontrael Brown with short kickoffs.