Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University football team is set to begin a two-week, 2,300-mile road trip this weekend. The Warriors will travel to Kirksville, Missouri, to face Truman State on September 28 before embarking on an 1,100-mile round trip to Houghton, Michigan, on October 5.

Both teams have faced similar opponents this season. Wayne State lost at home to Findlay (42-30) and Indianapolis (30-6), while Truman State was defeated by Findlay (37-21) and Indianapolis (41-34).

Wayne State's next home game is scheduled for October 12 against Ferris State.

Truman State enters week four with an 0-3 record after losing to Saginaw Valley State last Saturday. This marks the first time since 2018 that the Bulldogs have started the season with three consecutive losses. In 2018, they finished with a 6-5 record after winning six of their final eight games.

Kellen Nesbitt has taken over as head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator for the past 14 years. His father, Gregg Nesbitt, was the head coach for the previous 14 seasons.

Sophomore quarterback Dylan Hair leads Truman State with 678 passing yards and four touchdown passes. He also has 142 rushing yards and one score. Redshirt freshman Jackson Overton is the top receiver with 15 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Denim Cook has rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns through three games.

Truman State holds a 5-3 lead in the all-time series against Wayne State. The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings by a combined score of 103-28. Wayne State's most recent victory came in 2015 with a narrow win at Tom Adams Field.

Senior JoShawn Lewis made an impressive debut for Wayne State with three receptions for 76 yards against Indianapolis. Griffin Milovanski extended his streak of consecutive field goals made from inside 50 yards to ten during the same game.

Champion Edwards became the first WSU quarterback since Doug Griffin in 2013 to rush for over 100 yards in a game when he gained 146 yards against Findlay. Myles McKatherine caught his second touchdown pass in as many games during that contest.

Manny Harris scored his first career receiving touchdown against Findlay after previously scoring two rushing touchdowns. Justin Hart made his first collegiate start against Findlay and recorded a game-high eleven tackles.

Wayne State's offensive line features experienced players like Aidan Tweedy and Charles Wesley, who have multiple career starts between them.

The Warriors face another challenging schedule this season after playing what was considered the toughest schedule in Division II last year according to NCAA statistics. They will compete against several highly-ranked teams including Ferris State, Grand Valley State, and Indianapolis.

Wayne State has just thirty returning letterwinners from last season and features several sets of brothers among its players. The roster includes athletes from twelve states, with Michigan being the most represented state.

The GLIAC preseason coaches' poll ranks Wayne State sixth out of eight teams.

All games can be heard live on WDTK - The Patriot or online at PatriotDetroit.com. Veteran broadcaster Sean Baligian will call Warrior football for his sixteenth season alongside various analysts throughout the season.

Home games and road GLIAC contests will be streamed on FloSports with radio broadcasts simulcasted on FloSports.