A 27-yard field goal by Dan Branger in the second overtime gave Minnesota Duluth a come-from-behind 34-31 double-overtime win over Wayne State in action Saturday at Bob Cunningham Field.
The Wildcats got out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, marching 80 yards on the opening drive and finishing with a six-yard touchdown pass from Zach Osborn to Nate Rogers. After a Duluth turnover, Rashad Trimble scored on a four-yard run to make it 14-0 less than seven minutes into the game.
Duluth bounced back, getting a late first-quarter field goal and scoring two touchdowns to lead 17-14 with :32 to go in the first half. But Wayne State would answer quickly, going 47 yards in three plays and taking a 21-17 halftime lead when Osborn and Rogers connected on a 30-yard pass in the final seconds of the first half.
The game went back and forth after that. Duluth took a 24-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Wayne State answered with Trimble’s second touchdown, a seven-yard run that was set up by a Glenn Harris interception, to make it 28-24.
Duluth again scored with 3:04 to go to lead 31-28, but the Wildcats drove down the field and were inside the Duluth 10-yard line in the closing seconds, settling on a 20-yard field goal by Ethan Knudson to tie it at 31-31 and send the game to overtime.
Wayne State had a chance to win the game in the first overtime. DeWayne Scott picked off a pass on Duluth’s first possession and Osborn found Shymere Williams with an 18-yard pass to put the ball at the Duluth 2-yard line. Wayne State went for the game-winning field goal on second down, but Knudson’s kick was blocked by Duluth to send the game to a second overtime.
In the second extra period, Osborn was intercepted to give Duluth the ball with a chance to win. They got inside the Wayne State 10-yard line and Branger’s 27-yard field goal gave the visitors the win.
Osborn was 28-of-46 for 380 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Wildcats. Layne Sullivan had a career-best 14 catches for 151 yards, while Rogers added 95 yards on six catches and two scores, giving him 21 for his career and putting him in fourth place on the school’s all-time list of touchdown receptions. Trimble ran 20 times for 58 yards to lead the Wayne State ground game.
Defensively, Ian Ailts had eight tackles and Scott added seven along with two fumble recoveries and an interception.
The Wildcats (2-2) open South Division play at Augustana next Saturday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.
