Football takes on Wayne State on Senior Day
The undefeated team will face the Wildcats after two record-breaking weeks
Andrew Neururer
Sports Editor
The Minnesota State football team is set to play Wayne State after two record breaking weeks.
The Wildcats are 3-5 on the season and are recently coming off a 26-23 win over the University of Mary Marauders. On the road, however, WSC is just 1-3, with their only win coming against that Marauders team.
This game should see a large crowd, as it’s parents’ weekend and the first home game since Oct. 19.
MSU and WSC have only played 10 games against each other and the Mavericks have won every game. The last matchup took place in 2018 and Minnesota State walked away victorious 55-2. The chances of MSU making it 11 straight on the Wildcats is high.
WSC has used two quarterbacks this season, Andy McCance and Tavian Willis. While McCance has attempted the most passes with 146, Willis has been the starter the last few weeks. McCance appeared on Oct. 19 and threw 42 passes, his first game back since Sept. 21. What the Wildcats do at the quarterback position is still unknown.
Wide receivers Mason lee and Taurean Grady have had the largest impact with their aerial attack. Lee has 369 yards and three touchdowns, whereas Grady has 288 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Devin Merkuris has done the most damage on the ground. He has gathered 411 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry.
On the other side of things, senior Nate Gunn has had another big season. After another good game last week against Minnesota Crookston, he has upped his season total to 995 yards and 13 touchdowns. More than likely, that number will be in the thousand-yard column by next week.
Senior Ryan Schlichte and junior JD Ekowa have done a great job at the quarterback position. Schlichte has 802 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Ekowa is yet to throw an interception and has 709 yards and five touchdowns to account for.
Senior Shane Zylstra is the main force in the passing game. He is up to 11 touchdowns and will be looking to push his season total to 1,000 yards, currently sitting at 915 yards.
The defense has also been great for MSU. They have allowed just 70 points on the season, compared to WSC’s 360. They have also limited teams to 1,726 total yards, an average of about 215.
It has been a great season for the Mavericks who have played well on both sides of the ball. They will be looking to push themselves to a perfect 9-0 at home this Saturday.
Header photo: Minnesota State wide receiver Shane Zylstra (84) runs into the end zone during the first half of a game against the Univeristy of Mary at the Blakeslee Stadium Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)