SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sophomore wide receiver Kendrick Watkins-Hogue had three touchdown receptions and Wayne State forced three Sioux Falls turnovers that were turned into 14 Wildcat points in a 28-20 win over the Cougars Saturday afternoon.
The hosts scored first on a Nick Hernandez field goal of 34 yards before the Wildcats scored on their next two possessions to take the lead for good.
The first Wildcat score came on a Latravious Boyd 38-yard run, capping a seven-play, 72-yard drive, giving WSC a 7-3 lead with 2:08 remaining in the first quarter.
WSC scored again early in the second period as junior quarterback Nick Bohn tossed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Watkins-Hogue, culminating a 62-yard drive, that put Wayne State in front 14-3 at the 10:51 mark of the second quarter.
Just before halftime, the Wildcats added another score to take a 21-3 lead as Bohn and Watkins-Hogue teamed up for a second time, this one from two yards out, with 1:33 to go in the first half. The scoring drive was setup by a Sioux Falls turnover as defensive lineman Luke Sims intercepted a Cougar pass at the WSC 9 and returned the ball 31 yards to the Wildcat 40.
The lone score of the third quarter came from Sioux Falls as Cougar quarterback Camden Dean scored on a one-yard TD run, cutting the Wildcat lead to 21-10 with 6:32 to play third quarter.
A Nick Hernandez field goal of 39 yards with 14:25 remaining pulled the Cougars within one score at 21-13, but WSC converted a Cougar fumble with just under five minutes to play to give Wayne State a two-score advantage.
USF had driven to the WSC 21 when Brayden Chaney recovered the ball at the Wildcat 32. The Wildcats drove 68 yards on five plays and Bohn fired his third scoring strike of the day to Watkins-Hogue on a five-yard pass to give WSC a 28-13 lead.
Sioux Falls kept the game interesting as Dean connected with Adonis Hutchinson on a 46-yard scoring play, making the score 28-20 with 4:04 to play. But Wayne State was able to get a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive and run clock at the end to finish off the win.
Sioux Falls held a 432-310 advantage in total offense and had a 24-14 edge in first downs over the Wildcats, but Wayne State had a 14-0 advantage in points off turnovers as WSC had one interception and two fumble recoveries.
Bohn completed 17-of-23 passes for 208 yards and three TD’s to lead the Wildcat offense. Watkins-Hogue had a game-high nine catches for 88 yards and three scores to lead WSC receivers. Trevor Marshall added four grabs for 60 yards.
Boyd gained 70 yards on 10 carries with a 38-yard TD to lead the WSC rushing attack.
Defensively, junior linebacker Alex Schall had 15 tackles (11 solo) followed by Tyler Leclair with nine stops. Sims had a 31-yard interception return while Leclair and Chaney each recorded fumble recoveries.
The Wildcats (7-3, 6-3 NSIC) close the regular season next Saturday with a visit to Concordia-St. Paul at 12 p.m.
