Huskies Hold Off Warriors for 20-15 Win in Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wayne State (0-1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 15 |
|
Michigan Tech (1-0) | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. — Michigan Tech jumped out to a 20-2 lead and held on for a 20-15 victory over Wayne State in both teams' season opener at Sherman Field tonight. The Huskies held the Warriors on downs at midfield in the final minute of play to seal the victory.
Brandon Cowie completed 18-of-23 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns in his quarterback debut for Tech. Cedric Jones posted a team-high 11 tackles.
Wayne scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull within 20-15 with 6:34 to play.
Tech drove 38 yards and took 3:41 off the clock before punting back to the Warriors with 2:48 to play. WSU drove to midfield, but were stopped on downs as a fourth-and-three pass fell incomplete.
"We played very well in the first half, but were fortunate to get the win," said Tech coach Tom Kearly. "Wayne State took it to us in the second half, and we were able to take some clock off on our last drive and get the stop at the end."
The Black and Gold were up 7-0 just six minutes into the game as Cowie hit Ian Fischer for a 47-yard catch-and-run.
Cowie made it 14-0 early in the second quarter with a six-yard quarterback draw.
A Warrior punt pinned the Huskies at their own two-yard line on the next series and got a safety out of it for a 14-2 score.
Tech finished the half with a highlight reel touchdown catch by David Walter in the middle of the endzone. The PAT was missed, leaving the score 20-2.
After a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Huskies' Josh King had a 37-yard field goal attempt on the half's final play that sailed wide right.
Wayne began winning the field position battle in the second half and finally scored a touchdown on a 22-yard pass less than a minute into the fourth quarter. After a three-and-out by the Huskies' offense, the visitors scored again with a nine-yard pass.
Tech was able to take enough time off the clock and get the defensive stop to secure the win.
Total offense showed the Huskies with 256 yards compared to 219 for the Warriors. Neither team rushed for more than 80 yards.
Cowie not only completed 78 percent of his passes, he gained 64 yards on 16 rushes. Fischer was his favorite target with six grabs for 105 yards.
Michigan Tech sacked WSU quarterbacks five times on the night and posted 11 tackles for loss. Linebacker Paul Kuoppala had a team-high 3.5 of those.
Tech (1-0, 1-0 GLIAC) will remain at home for next week's contest vs. Malone. Kickoff at Sherman Field next Saturday (Sept. 12) is 1 p.m.
Notes: The Huskies have won four straight games vs. Wayne State including each of the last three by a touchdown or less … A crowd of 2,645 was on hand for the first Thursday game in Sherman Field history.
