In the first regional rankings released by the NCAA Division II Football Selection Committee this week, the Warriors are ranked ninth in Super Region 4. The top six teams move on to the playoffs, making these last three games must-wins for WSU.
The two teams last played in 2009 when the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs by a 45-7 score at Tom Adams Field, thanks to former Harlon Hill trophy winner and current Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell’s 305 yards of total offense and six touchdowns.
This year, the Bulldogs are 5-3 overall on the season and 4-3 in the GLIAC. They defeated Michigan Tech last week in a high-scoring affair, 59-46.
With the nation’s 12th-ranked scoring offense – second in the GLIAC, FSU is led by freshman quarterback Jason Vander Laan. The reigning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week is third in the conference in rushing, but ranks 14th in passing.
As a team, the Bulldogs have the GLIAC’s top-ranked rushing offense and the nation’s fifth best with 306.8 yards per game. The passing game, though, is averaging 177.1 ypg.
Scoring 34.5 points per game, they’ll be a tough test for the Warriors – the conference’s fourth-ranked defense. But, yielding 336.3 ypg to opposing offenses, the Warriors defense has proven itself against high-scoring offenses multiple times this season.
After scoring only one touchdown at Saginaw Valley, WSU exploded for 38 points last week against Northern Michigan. While the offense has been mildly inconsistent this season, the Warriors will need a strong performance from the unit to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Kickoff is at noon.
**VOTE FOR COACH PAUL WINTERS**
With the presidential election coming up soon, Division II football fans can try out the electoral process ahead of time by voting for the D-II Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.
And, of course, Wayne State University’s candidate is head coach Paul Winters.
Winters is a record-breaking coach. He leads WSU in all-time football wins, and last year’s squad had the most wins in school history under his guidance.
That team also had the most road wins in school history.
But his success as a coach at WSU stems from the 2006 season, where he guided the team to its first winning season in more than a decade.
When Winters took over in 2004, the Warriors had a 1-9 season. Seven years later, he led the team to the D-II national title game.
Winters has been coaching since 1982. He started out as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Akron. In addition to coaching at Akron, he has coached at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Toledo.
Winters had the opportunity to return to his alma mater after the Warriors’ outstanding season last year, but he stuck with the green-and-gold.
This year, the Warriors hold a solid 5-2 record.
The winner will receive $50,000 to donate to a charity of their choice, a $20,000 grant to the school's alumni association and the Coach of the Year trophy.
WSU football advocates can vote at this website: http://coachoftheyear.com/. Fans have until Nov. 30 to vote, so don’t wait any longer.
It’s worth doing it for a coach who has helped turn around WSU’s football program.
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