SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Wayne State rallied from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit and took advantage of 11 Sioux Falls penalties to outlast the 25th-ranked Cougars 31-24 Saturday at Bob Young Field in a key NSIC South Division and Super Region 4 battle.
The Wildcats struck first on their second possession when Mason Lee hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Nick Bohn to give the Wildcats the early 7-0 advantage.
Sioux Falls countered with a pair of scores in the second quarter, both on one-yard runs by Theo Reisdorfer, to take a 14-7 lead at the half, then extended the lead to 21-7 early in the third on a 29-yard pick six by Cain McWilliams.
Wayne State’s offense responded, however, scoring on their next four possessions to turn the 14-point deficit into a 31-21 advantage.
Bohn and Trevor Marshall connected on a 28-yard scoring pass to make it 21-14, then pulled within four after a Dexter Larsen interception, capping the drive with a 22-yard Alex Powers field goal to make it 21-17.
Sioux Falls scored on a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth make it 24-17, but the Wildcats answered with a 56-yard run by Bohn to tie the game at 24-24 with 13:01 to go. After a Cougar punt and two USF penalties, Bohn hit Jadon Johnson from 17 yards out to take the 31-24 lead.
USF drove to the Wildcats’ 33-yard line on their next possession, but came unraveled after a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Their last drive was stopped by the Wildcat defense with 1:55 to go and the offense ran out the clock to seal the win,
Wayne State held a 309-302 edge in total offense over the Cougars. Bohn was the top Wildcat rusher with 115 yards on 18 carries and one score. He was 13-of-24 passing for 165 yards with three TD’s and two interceptions. Lee was the top target with six grabs for 93 yards and one TD.
Alex Kowalczyk had 10 tackles to lead the WSC defense. Senior Jaylan Scott added seven stops with Larsen posting five tackles that included one sack and an interception.
It was the first-ever victory in 10 career meetings for Wayne State, now 8-2 and 4-2 in the NSIC South Division. Wayne State will close out the 2022 regular season at home Saturday, hosting MSU Moorhead at 12 p.m. at Bob Cunningham Field.
