Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn.  – Wayne State held off a late Southwest Minnesota State comeback attempt to earn a 41-39 victory in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football on Saturday night at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
 
SMSU (4-3 NSIC, 1-2 South) scored with one minute and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a Blake Gimbel to Gabriel Galamue 25-yard touchdown pass to cut the WSC lead to 41-39. SMSU was stopped on the two-point conversion and WSC would later seal the win recovering the on-side kick.
 
WSC (3-4 NSIC, 2-1 South), which earned its third win in the last four weeks, recorded 485 yards of total offense and converted 10 of 14 third-down conversions.
 
SMSU, which entered the game ranked third in Division II in third-down conversion percentage, was just 4 of 13 on third down, but did convert 5 of 6 on fourth down.
 
WSC quarterback Zach Osborn completed 23 of 33 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions and also rushed for 83 yards and one touchdown on 11 attempts. Shymere Williams also had a big game for the Wildcats, racking up seven receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
 
The SMSU offense, which was averaging 511 yards per game an ranked fifth in Division II, was held in check for most of the game, before an explosive fourth quarter. SMSU was limited to just 248 yards of offense through the first three quarters of the game and 20 points, before scoring 19 points in the final frame. SMSU finished the night with 379 yards of offense and 24 first downs.
 
Gimbel finished the game completing 24 of 35 for 256 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Max Simmons rushed for a game-high 101 yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts to pace the Mustang rushing attack. Simmons also caught six passes for 47 yards, while Nate Huot also had six catches for 78 yards.
 
The SMSU defense had three interceptions in the game and forced three fumbles, but WSC was able to recover each loose ball, including two in its own end of the field in the fourth quarter.
 
The WSC defense held the SMSU offense in check in the opening quarter, forcing the Mustangs to turn the ball over on downs and also to a pair of punts. The WSC offense was able to take advantage and scored on a 40-yard field goal by Ethan Knudson and later scored on a Osborn to Nick Roth 8-yard touchdown pass to build a 9-0 lead late in the first quarter.
 
The SMSU defense then recorded the first of its three interceptions in the second quarter to start the comeback. Michael Griffin picked up his first career interception early in the quarter to start the SMSU offense near midfield.  Just four plays later, Simmons busted free for a 22-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 9-7 with 13 minutes and 34 seconds left in the half.
 
On WSC's next possession, Michael Everett intercepted Osborn near midfield and returned it 32 yards to the WSC 15-yard line. Simmons capped off the SMSU ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give SMSU a 14-9 lead at the 10:05 mark.
 
WSC regained the lead on its next drive, driving 67 yards on 11 plays with Osborn connecting with Nate Rogers on third-and-goal for a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Wildcats a 16-14 advantage.
 
SMSU rallied once again, this time putting together an 11-play touchdown drive, covering 76 yards to go back on top to close the half. Divonte Beale converted a fourth-and-one from the WSC 3-yard line with a 1-yard run and one play later scored on a 2-yard run to give SMSU a 20-16 lead following a missed  PAT.
 
WSC opened the scoring in the second half with a Knudson 27-yard field goal. WSC took advantage of a holding penalty by SMSU on third-and-21 and also converted a third-and-seven play with a 36-yard pass to keep the drive alive.
 
Following an SMSU punt, WSC regained the lead as Osborn found Williams for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make the score 26-20 with 3:44 left in the third.
 
Gimbel was intercepted on the next SMSU drive and WSC took advantage by marching 82 yards on seven plays with Osborn tossing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Williams to make the score 32-20. WSC's two-point conversion attempt failed, but a personal foul on SMSU gave WSC one more chance and Osborn would make it hurt as he scored from two yards out to push the lead to 34-20.
 
SMSU answered on its next drive to cut into the deficit. Facing fourth-and-19, Gimbel fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to Hamilton Mateski to make the score 34-27 at the 10:20 mark.
 
WSC would come right back in the big way as Osborn connected with Williams on a 49-yard pass to set up the Wildcats at the 12-yard line. Two plays later Osborn scored on an 8-yard run to give WSC a 41-27 lead midway through the fourth.
 
A big 73-yard kickoff return by Raphael Lawson-Gayle set up the next SMSU drive and seven plays later Simmons plowed across on fourth-and-goal with a 1-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 41-33 with 5:05 left. On the point after attempt, SMSU suffered a pair of false start penalties, setting up a 30-yard PAT that was missed.
 
WSC picked up one first down on its next drive, but the SMSU defense forced a punt and SMSU regained possession with 2:30 left at its own 30-yard line. Gimbel completed four straight passes to move the ball to the WSC 25-yard line. Following a pair of incompletions, Gimbel found Galamue open for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:12 left in the game to make the score 41-39. On the ensuing two-point try, Lawson-Gayle was stopped just short of the goal line to keep WSC in the lead.
 
Dallin Finley recorded a career-high 10 tackles for the SMSU defense and also forced a fumble. Alex Ney had a career-high eight stops, while Tyler Flud also had eight tackles.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will now have a short week in preparation of its next game. SMSU will take on Minnesota State (5-2, 2-1 South) on Thursday, Oct. 20, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. in Mankato.