Zach Osborn’s naked bootleg late in the fourth quarter was meant to pick up a first down, but instead turned into a 45-yard score that sealed the deal for Wayne State’s 23-22 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday at Cunningham Field.
It was just the second win for Wayne State in 13 meetings between the two schools, and the Wildcats had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to pick up their first win of the season, scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns and then recovering an onside kick late to improve to 1-3 on the season.
The Wildcats raced to a 10-0 lead in the first with a 30-yard Ethan Kundson field goal and a 52-yard pass from Osborn to Nate Rogers. The Huskies came back with a score to make it 10-7, and the two teams sat through a 40-minute weather delay during halftime.
St. Cloud State scored on their first possession to take a 14-10 lead and appeared to have momentum when they forced a fumble deep in their own territory. Wayne State blocked a punt on the ensuing possession, however, and turned that into a second touchdown connection between Osborn and Rogers, a 17-yard pass that made it 16-14.
Hanging on to the ball late, Osborn faked a handoff to the right and turned left all by himself, intending to get a first down on a third-and-2 play. The Huskies couldn’t bring him down, however, and he raced 45 yards for the game-clinching score with :42 left. St. Cloud State did score late to make it interesting, but the Wildcats recovered the onside kick with :20 to go to hang on for the win.
St. Cloud State held a 331-314 edge in total offense. Rashad Trimble rushed for 105 yards on 33 carries, while Osborn was 10-of-215 passing for 131 yards. Rogers was the leading receiver with three catches for 80 yards, while Shymere Williams had three catches for 41 yards. Cam Montgomery led the defense with six tackles and Tyler Thomsen had five.
Wayne State opens NSIC South Division play on the road Saturday, visiting Concordia-St. Paul in a 1 p.m. matchup in St. Paul, Minn.
