With 2:26 remaining in the 2nd quarter and Tiffin University trailing 21-8, the Dragons sent out the field goal unit to try and cut Wayne State University’s lead to 10. Boris Bede’s 34 yard attempt, however, was blocked by the Warrior’s Kenny Watson and scooped up by Stan Thornton who took it to the end zone untouched to give the Warriors a comfortable 20 point lead heading to halftime. The Dragons could not get the momentum back in their favor, and the Warriors would tack on 10 more points in the 2nd half and leave Frost-Kalnow Stadium with a 38-8 victory.
The Warriors received the ball to start the game and used a
nine-play, 76 yard drive that ended with a Mickey Morasso 19 yard pass
to Troy Burrell in the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The
Dragons’ defense got a steady diet of Joique Bell rushes on the
drive, a trend that would continue the entire day as the talented
running back rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
The
Dragons looked to answer the Warriors first score, picking up two first
downs and 41 yards on their first drive. But the drive would end when
Nate Scully’s pass sailed over his intended receiver’s head and into
the arms of the Warriors’ Thornton to give Wayne State the ball at TU’s
36. The Warriors then handed the ball off to Bell six straight times to
give them a 14-0 lead.
The Dragons would cut the lead down to
14-8 with 13:42 remaining in the second quarter. After both teams were
forced to punt, the Dragons started a drive on the Wayne State 45 yard
line. Scully hit Trey Williams for a six yard gain, and then Alvin
McKnight picked up 7 yards on the ground. After an incomplete pass,
McKnight rushed for eight yards. The Dragons then handed the ball off
to Brett Koepp for a 24 yard touchdown run. The snap of the extra
point attempt was high, but the holder, David Singleton, was able to
snatch it and turn the corner on the Warriors’ defense and cut Wayne
State’s lead to 14-8.
However, the Warriors would answer the
Dragons’ drive with a 12 play, 60 yard drive that saw Bell touch the
ball 11 times and pick up all 60 yards for a touchdown.
The Dragons looked to again answer the Warriors drive, but that’s when the Warriors would get their hand on Bede’s kick.
“They
were playing really well, and then they had two mistakes that just
killed them,” Wayne State Coach Paul Winters said. He was also pleased
with Bell’s performance. “He’s pretty good and the offensive line takes
pride in blocking for him.”
The only points in the second half
were scored by the Warriors. A field goal and a Mohner pass to Troy
Burrell sealed the Wayne State victory.
“When you’re a young
team, you’re going to have turnovers,” Dragons Coach Dave Walkosky
said. “You’ve got to protect the football. We have to execute;
we knew coming in we were going to play a great football team. We moved
the ball up and down the field, but you have to finish with points.”
Scully finished with 136 passing yards and 23 rushing yards. McKnight led the Dragons’ ground game with 48 yards. Greg Raspberry had 78 yards receiving to lead the team. DeJuan Graham made 6 tackles for the Dragons defense while Arthur Allen had 4.