A four-touchdown explosion in the second quarter helped Wayne State build a 34-7 halftime lead on their way to an easy 48-21 win over Concordia-St. Paul in Saturday night action at Cunningham Field.
A crowd of 1,980 saw the Wildcats score on five consecutive possessions in the first half, capped by a 12-yard pass from Nick Bohn to Shane Orr to make it a 34-7 game at intermission and help the Wildcats to their first 4-0 start since 1993.
After trading punts early, Wayne State got the scoring explosion going when Anthony Watkins capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive with a one-yard surge to make it 7-0 at the 4:35 mark of the opening period.
Wayne State got it going in the second quarter. Bohn found Gage Dengel to make it 14-0, and after the Golden Bears answered with their first score of the night, Wayne State put three more in the end zone with a 55-yard Bohn-to-Jadon Johnson connection, an eight-yard run by Bohn and the 12-yard Bohn-to-Orr play to make it a 27-point Wildcat advantage at the half.
The visiting Golden Bears scored early in the third to cut the deficit to 34-14, but Wayne State finished their next two drives with scores to put the game out of reach.
Jacob Keiser galloped down the right side for a 52-yard run for the first score, and David Elder added an eight-yard run later to make it 48-14 after three periods and send the Wildcats to their fourth win of the season in as many contests.
Wayne State gained 518 yards in the game compared to 280 by the Golden Bears. The Wildcats were balanced offensively with 252 on the ground and 266 passing.
Watkins had 89 yards on 14 carries with one score while Keiser gained 82 yards on nine rushes and a touchdown.
Bohn completed 15-of-19 passes for 227 yards and three TD’s while reserve Tavian Willis was 3-of-5 for 39 yards. Wayne senior Mason Lee had four catches for 50 yards followed by Trevor Marshall with three grabs for 39 yards. Johnson added two catches for a team-high 69 yards and one TD.
Dexter Larsen had seven tackles for Wayne State with one sack for five yards. Senior Jaylan Scott and sophomore Rex Becker each had fumble recoveries.
The Wildcats will be on the road next Saturday for the NSIC South Division opener at Winona State, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
